NP or PA?

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Hello,

I've been stressing about what I am about to explain to you for quite some time now and decided to come here for advice. I am currently a pre-nursing student in Tennessee and will apply to my college's nursing program in October. I have spectacular grades and have done well in all of my pre-req's. I'm also a CNA and have been for a little over a year. If I decide to graduate with a BSN I fully expect to apply to an NP program as quickly as I am able because I want education beyond a BSN. There is one issue however that is holding me back from wanting to be a nurse. The facility I work in isn't very pleasant, the lateral violence and "bullying" so to speak really sets a negative vibe towards nursing for me. I know hostility and lateral violence is a common problem among nurses and I am also aware that every facility is different. As a CNA I am treated poorly and I do not want this feeling of unimportance to carry on in to my nursing career as I know graduate nurses are often treated this way as well. The majority of nurses that I have encountered are very unhappy, stressed, mean, and just plain hateful. Are you all unhappy with your jobs that much? Do I need to second guess my career plans? Would you go back and do everything differently? Yes, I know it is a high stress job and burnout is a very real thing that happens. I genuinely enjoy patient care and bettering lives and have wanted to be in the medical field my entire life. From experience would you suggest a college student to redirect their career goals? My backup plan is to major in Biology-Physiology and minor in Chemistry and apply to PA programs. What are the pro/cons of NP vs. PA? I simply need advice and for someone to give me insight.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Recovery.

Np can be independent and possibly have their own practice (complete independence in over 20 states), whereas a PA must always work with a physician. PAs typically work in surgery more than NPs, but that is just my observation. Otherwise the pay and job description is pretty comparable. I've been an RN for 3 years with an application pending to a NP program. I would say my experience having worked at 3 hospitals in south MS has been overall positive. The hardest part was my ADN program, and then maybe my first year of nursing. It has gotten less stressful with more experience. I will say that it can be hard not to increase bills with more pay and attempt to maintain those bills in the face of going back to school and doing clinicals. I'm hoping that I can make it work. Also please be ready for people to scold you for not searching for this thread as it has been discussed many times on allnurses, lol.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Also please be ready for people to scold you for not searching for this thread as it has been discussed many times on allnurses, lol.

What he said. No need to reinvent this wheel. Use the Search feature and find many other threads on this subject.

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Specializes in Family Practice.

Well first off, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but most reputable NP schools require at least some nursing experience before being accepted to the program. You can definitely go the "for profit online program" route but from what I've seen and heard, the education is not comparable to a private or public university. I was a nurse for 5 years before I applied to my NP program and I was definitely challenged. It's a whole different ballgame when suddenly you are the one responsible for making the decisions. I think most programs require some nursing experience because how are you supposed to diagnose and order treatment when you have little to no independent experience assessing and managing a patient as a RN? Just something to consider.

As for PA vs NP, in some states NPs can practice completely independently whereas a PA never can. I would say the biggest difference in schooling is probably the fact that NPs are more about holistic medicine and alternative therapies whereas I do not believe those types of things are taught at all in PA school (at least not in my dad's program).

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No one is in the same situation I am in. I started a new thread for this reason.

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Specializes in Critical Care; Recovery.
No one is in the same situation I am in. I started a new thread for this reason.

You are trying to decide between PA and NP correct? Type NP vs PA in the search function and I'm sure you'll notice many people have asked this question. Also, I did answer your question before I informed you about the possibility of you being scolded. Yes most schools want at least 1 year nursing experience before applying.

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you could just finish the bsn program with excellent grades, and then apply to uc davis. their program is the only one in the U.S. that offers a dual NP/PA certifications. you apply to the NP program, then apply within the school to the PA one. You finish in 2.5 years and you don't need any nursing experience.

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Specializes in IMCU, Oncology.

I am feeling like some of these posts are living up to the OP's expectations/experiences about nurses.

I remember when I use to work as a pharmacy tech long ago, I also had the feeling nurses weren't happy. However, now as a nursing student my experience is different. They are typically very busy, on the go, and very focused on their work. They can appear unfriendly or unhappy as a result, but that is not necessarily the case. I have experienced a lot of great nurses in clinical so far!

As far as deciding NP vs. PA, there really are a lot of threads on this and it is totally an individual thing. At the point where you are in your education, either is a completely suitable or viable option. It depends on your goals and how NPs vs. PAs can practice in your state. I think you should look up what each can do and how long each will take. The good news with nursing is that you can work while going to NP school. You can accomplish getting into the workforce and gaining experience more quickly as a nurse.

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Specializes in M/S, LTC, Corrections, PDN & drug rehab.
No one is in the same situation I am in. I started a new thread for this reason.

You're right, no one is in the same situation as you. Buuuuut everyone & their dog's aunt has asked the same question (NP vs. PA) over & over again. Only you can decide what is best for you. As for the nurses & that environment, maybe you should work somewhere else. Is the hospital constantly short staffed? Is there a high nurse to patient ratio? Do you really want to work there as a nurse?

By the way, I would change your profile picture if that's you. This is a very public forum & anyone can find this.

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Specializes in NICU, Newborn Nursery, Pediatrics.

I work in the NICU and love what I do. It does become stressful, but what job isn't? I've been a nurse for 2.5 years and starting my MSN program this fall :). I will say having experience is better than going in without any. Have you considered working in another department? I can say I LOVE being a nurse and we all aren't mean, hateful, or eat our young :).

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Specializes in Prior military RN/current ICU RN..

I haven't seen a post that was "just plain hateful" from anyone. Majority are taking the time to point her to other information. If anything the poster is making insane assumptions (unhappy? based on what..."just plain hateful" based on what? (and frankly what does that even mean). Also states she doesn't want a feeling of "unimportance". Does that sound like someone concerned about herself or her patients. And "I know hostility and lateral violence is a common problem among nurses" Ok..how does she "know" this and what does it even mean? Hostility from who? Patients? Management? co workers? What "lateral violence"? If the OP is going to make brazen generalizations based on what..her time as a CNA? Then yes..people will respond accordingly.

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