NP w/no desire for RN?

Well, not so much NO desire...but are there any NP's out there that wanted to become (and had their sights set on being an NP from day 1) an NP with no real 'drive' to be an RN first? My cousin is finishing up her RN-MSN program and never really wanted to become an RN, but she really wanted to become an NP, so she went the RN route to become an NP (which I know you have to do).

I know this is somewhat rare, but wondering are there any other NP's out there that looked at RN as kinda pre-NP school/clinical stuff in order to become an NP? Like, they may not be real thrilled with what they are doing (RN) but they know they have to do it in order to become an NP. Keep in mind I'm not saying you would hate being an RN or hate RN's or anything to that affect, but you dream has been to become an NP and RN school/work is a sort of necessary 'not the most enthusiastic' hurdle?

hey, i totally understand where pinoy is coming from...it's not that i am against being an RN...it's just that i know very well exadctly what i want to do and that means being a CNS in oncology and also doing research...i plan on getting my PhD...we all have our own paths in life and it just depends on what feels right for you. GOOD LUCK !!!

hey, i totally understand where pinoy is coming from...it's not that i am against being an RN...it's just that i know very well exadctly what i want to do and that means being a CNS in oncology and also doing research...i plan on getting my PhD...we all have our own paths in life and it just depends on what feels right for you. GOOD LUCK !!!

Specializes in ABMT.

Ah, nursing, the great elephant, and here we each stand feeling a different part of it and telling what it is. In other words, everyone who has posted here is right about his or her part of it. We are all part of the same thing.

Peace, everyone.

Pinyoy, name a responsible profession in which practical experience and measured competency isn't a prerequisite for advancement. Thankfully, reputable nursing schools rarely accept candidates for NP who have little or no RN experience.

Hello, All

I would respectively disagree with your statement. There are universities/colleges that will accept him.

So, what do you think about the physician assistant's school? Numerous of the students did not have health care experience and they are doing well.

Buttons

Specializes in ICU, step down, dialysis.

As someone else on this thread has already mentioned, they have alot more clinical hours than an NP program.

Hello, All

I would respectively disagree with your statement. There are universities/colleges that will accept him.

So, what do you think about the physician assistant's school? Numerous of the students did not have health care experience and they are doing well.

Buttons

Regarding PA clinical hours: Consider that RN's must first attain clinical undergraduate hours, then NP clinical hours. PA's aren't required to have undergraduate clinical hours. So, when you combine undergrad+grad hours for NP's, then compare with PA's, there ain't that much of a difference.

And if there were, you certainly wouldn't see employers requesting either a PA or NP simultaneously in their help wanted ads. They want a midlevel who knows what they are doing. If both an NP and PA pass their respective boards, work well with patients, have a desire to help people, does it really matter if the NP spent some time emptying urinals, switching IV bags, and passing pills?

Specializes in ICU, step down, dialysis.
If both an NP and PA pass their respective boards, work well with patients, have a desire to help people, does it really matter if the NP spent some time emptying urinals, switching IV bags, and passing pills?

I do quite a bit more than that where I work at, besides those 3 things you mention.

Pinyoy, name a responsible profession in which practical experience and measured competency isn't a prerequisite for advancement. Thankfully, reputable nursing schools rarely accept candidates for NP who have little or no RN experience.

My goodness...so much spoke so well in such few words.

I remember those military ads where kids fresh out of school but with no experience could not get a job as no one wanted to hire them...but the military would...get some experience here! :)

So, what do you think about the physician assistant's school? Numerous of the students did not have health care experience and they are doing well.

Buttons

The question is not how well the students/PAs/NPs with no experience did...it's how well their patients did! Many can die during that learning/experience curve!

Hello, all,

It does not matter what we think. What matters is what Pinoy thinks. It is his decision and being negative is not being informative at all. Presenting the information and explaining it by showing the pro and cons would be more effective than any negativity. Therefore, it really does not help by being negativw and showing your opinion without fact.

In conclusion, all we can do is to wait and see where Pinoy goes with his choices in a profression that is well respected by patients, nurses and in the medical community. We all may choose different ways to obtain our goals and no one can tell you that you will not be able to reach your goals. You chose to pursue them even more and to shoe people you can do it. So, allow Pinoy to chose as we all did at one time or another in our life.

Buttons

Regarding PA clinical hours: Consider that RN's must first attain clinical undergraduate hours, then NP clinical hours. PA's aren't required to have undergraduate clinical hours. So, when you combine undergrad+grad hours for NP's, then compare with PA's, there ain't that much of a difference.

This is a common arguement with no basis. NP's and PA's are clinician's who are required to make medical decisions about patients. RN's do not and are not trained to do that. Pre-training clinical hours do not substitute for in-training clinical hours.

With that, I will say that going through nursing school did help me with PA school but in no way substituted for the knowledge gained on clinical rotations.

They want a midlevel who knows what they are doing. If both an NP and PA pass their respective boards, work well with patients, have a desire to help people, does it really matter if the NP spent some time emptying urinals, switching IV bags, and passing pills?

This is correct. I think this conclusion is correct, but is drawn from misinformation. It is that these employers see "midlevel providers" as one type on entity. I think most of them do not know the differences in the training. Emptying urinals does not give one ANY useful experience about how to diagnose or treat disease:D

Pat, PA-C, MPAS, RN

+ Join the Discussion