NP or PA

[Bteti20]

Hi, I am currently trying to decide if going into PA school or nursing school with anticipation of becoming an NP is right for me. I need to be able to work a little bit through school and my GPA is not where it should be for PA school. However, it does meet requirements. My question for you folks is, what is the difference in scope of practice and abilities between a PA and an NP in the ICU/ER? Thank you for any insight you can give me!!

Ben

[mahaandai]

Some more to add:

1) While I was in NP school all NP students were left alone in jungle to find rotation with preceptors/hospitals on their own, whereas I noticed that in same school's PA program, the school arranged rotations for their PA students with hospitals diligently. During my NP program I had tried calling one of the hospitals inquiring about rotation in their pediatric unit and was rudely answered by administrative nurse that they do not take NP students but will accept student PAs/MDs on rotation shifts. I feel RNs look NPs down out of their sheer ignorance. NP/MD/PA/OD work in similar role and capacity in real world and they should not be distinguished by the titles they hold but the quality and care they impart to their patients.

2) I wish NP programs be rigorous and well formed like MD programs in United States, and their licensing and credentialing be done together by MD and Nursing boards.

[twozer0, NP]

One big problem I have noticed is the seemingly haphazard decision making of people wanting to become NP's. Then I see all these complaints about not being able to find preceptors or my school doesn't place me here. Did you research this before you pulled the trigger on a new career? It took me 8 years to fully decide I wanted to be an NP and that's after tossing around anesthesia (which I would do but it wont work out for the family). I go to a very well known state university that does not provide preceptors and I knew this going in. I had NP preceptors and physician preceptors lined up even before I applied to school due to my networking over the previous 8 years (through working). I think people need to step back and look at the whole situation before you decide this is what you want out of life. NP seems to be turning into the next MBA....

[WV-RN]

Twozer, when I applied for my NP grad school, yes I was aware that we were required to find our own preceptors but I never realized how hard it would be. We had an assignment to shadow an area of interest for one day during our second semester and I was turned down by several OB/GYN docs for just one day of shadowing. At the time I was not reading postings on this forum and really had no clue that it would be hard to get someone to precept me. I found out fast that I would have to work hard to find preceptors and that I would have to "settle" for a couple of sub-par ones, but my education was MINE and I made it great in spite of the situation. Adult learning is self directed and you get out of it what you put into it.

[Bumex, DNP, NP]

Personally I've never had problems finding preceptors for NP school. The unit I work on is full of physicians looking for students. But then again, I'm doing AGNP and not FNP, so I don't need to find peds or OB preceptors which are usually the hard ones to find, so say my FNP friends.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

I found them without too much trouble.... It those that wait to the end that struggle ....... I started almost a year out looking