NP vs MD and other discussions...

I hate nursing diagnoses too. I find them utterly useless in the real world.

If you really want MD after your name, I say go for it. There are a lot of cons like the ones you listed, but if that's really what you want, I say go for it. Don't let anyone try to discourage you from doing what you want. IF that really is what you want.

I'm kind of in the same spot you are. Been working the floor for a couple seasons now, and it's not enjoyable at all and I never feel at ease or comfortable. I mean I could do nursing in my sleep, but it isn't fufilling. I started my college career with the intent of going into medicine. I've been considering the NP route, but I don't think I'll be satisfied unless I become a doctor.

In the future NPs might get to bill and even get full hospital priviledges, but like you said their is a certain honor in being cream of the crop ie medicine and really having the best clinical basis in knowledge that you probably wouldn't get as an NP. Right now (as my feelings have changed about it many times) I'm thinking about going to a DO school because they seem to be more friendly to nontraditional students or second career students.

I just have to take biochem and physics then I can sit for the MCAT. I'm just worried that if I don't do this I'll regret settling for less later on in my life.

I agree with the posters who say that if you really want the prestige, title, and the more in-depth knowledge of basic science, definitely go the medical school route.

I can say that as a second-year NP student in a very competitive and highly-ranked ACNP program, NP education is for the birds. I am so underwhelmed by the minuscule amount of patho and pharm in our curriculum (1 quarter's worth of each) and the lack of seriousness given to the clinical rotations. In retrospect I would have chosen a different path--probably PA or MD. But I've invested this much time and $$, so here I am. At least I'm getting a dual certification out of it (NP & CNS).

Whenever we students complain about the deficiencies in the curriculum, we are told, "well, you just need to do more self-study and don't expect to feel comfortable in your first job coming out of school."

Since when does a profession have such low expectations of its educational preparation that it leaves almost everything of value in the curriculum up to the student to "self-study," while placing much higher priority on one's ability to write "scholarly papers"? I've so had it with the nursing theories and paper-writing. The NP's that I've precepted with are diagnosing and prescribing, not writing ridiculous papers.

I have a different perspective. Having worked directly with a psychiatrist, if psych is your thing, why wouldn't you just go the psych NP route and jump right in in 2-3 years doing what you love? Psych is a hugely in demand field, and I would argue of all the NPs of the world, Psych NPs are the most valued and have the most respect from their physicians. I also don't know what state you are in, but depending, you might not even need a Physician partnership to practice. Alternatively, if you go the MD route, you have to wrap up whatever classes you need to get into Med or DO school. Take your MCAT, and then actually get into a school. After that, it's 4 years of school, not 2 or 3. Likewise, once you finish school (and bass your boards), it's off to 4 year psych internship/residency often in a place where you have a limited choice of where you go (and psych residencies are very competitive). During this time you will be abused, work long hours, and make less than 50k a year. When finished its time for more boards! As an NP there's no residency, and Psych NPs where I work in Texas are being given contracts of 110k to start at hospitals, and the sky is the limit with private practices that are desperate. If prestige is really the determining factor for you, go the MD route and hope you end up in Psych medicine. If psych is really your passion, go the NP route and in 2-3 years you can be performing that same tasks and treating the same patients an MD would with the same efficacy and at a lower cost to the patient while being at the top of your profession (whereas as an MD you will be one of the horde). On top of it all, you will have a smaller debt load and still live a very handsome lifestyle.

I have a different perspective. Having worked directly with a psychiatrist, if psych is your thing, why wouldn't you just go the psych NP route and jump right in in 2-3 years doing what you love? Psych is a hugely in demand field, and I would argue of all the NPs of the world, Psych NPs are the most valued and have the most respect from their physicians. I also don't know what state you are in, but depending, you might not even need a Physician partnership to practice. Alternatively, if you go the MD route, you have to wrap up whatever classes you need to get into Med or DO school. Take your MCAT, and then actually get into a school. After that, it's 4 years of school, not 2 or 3. Likewise, once you finish school (and bass your boards), it's off to 4 year psych internship/residency often in a place where you have a limited choice of where you go (and psych residencies are very competitive). During this time you will be abused, work long hours, and make less than 50k a year. When finished its time for more boards! As an NP there's no residency, and Psych NPs where I work in Texas are being given contracts of 110k to start at hospitals, and the sky is the limit with private practices that are desperate. If prestige is really the determining factor for you, go the MD route and hope you end up in Psych medicine. If psych is really your passion, go the NP route and in 2-3 years you can be performing that same tasks and treating the same patients an MD would with the same efficacy and at a lower cost to the patient while being at the top of your profession (whereas as an MD you will be one of the horde). On top of it all, you will have a smaller debt load and still live a very handsome lifestyle.

Totally agree!!!! Go with Psych NP! I'm in an FNP program and want to pursue a psych post graduate certficate afterwards

If you want psych, become a psych NP. There's no need to spend a decade + in order to achieve your career goal. I have worked with psychiatrists and psych NPs - they where interchangeable where I was working. I think people focus way too much on the type of training and not on what they will be doing day-in/day-out for their entire career... like I said, the psych NPs and psychiatrists had an identical scope of practice and psych NPs are paid very well compared to other NPs.

If you wanted to be a surgeon or something like that, then yes, med school would make sense. However, I think for psych there's no reason to put yourself through medical school. Not when the end result is pretty much identical to psych NP.