Nurse Practitioner vs Physician Assistant

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I am leaning heavily towards becoming a nurse practitioner; however, people have suggested becoming a physician assistant. What are some of the advantages of being a nurse practitioner vs being a physician assistant? Is one more marketable than the other? What does the future hold for each one? Does one pay significantly more? Thanks you for your thoughts!

Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
While a doctorate is an option, it is not (yet, and may never be) required for NP. At MSU, for example, you can still get a masters (was just on their site this morning).

I was also looking at job openings in my area for NPs and found one for cardio-vascular surgery for a new NP or PA at a hospital local to me. Also, some places will only hire NPs, so this would seem to vary by area/region.

*** Certainly is varies by region. Why this is I don't t really understand. As for the DNP for NPs I am confused. I thought it was a done deal that new NPs will require a DNP by 2015 (obviously masters prepared will be gradfathered in).

Everybody I have talked to about this "knows" that. If that is not the case i would very much like to know.

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Specializes in Geriatrics/Sub-Acute.
I'm curious where this is. I'm reasonably familiar with all the state practice acts and I can't think of one that prohibits injectables. There are two that do not allow schedule IIs and several that have formularies. But again I would be interested in one that does not allow injectables.

I'm not too keen on disclosing my location but I can share with you that I live in the southeastern part of the country. If it's that serious to you, feel free to research it. This law/policy (or whatever it is) I think must be pretty new as we were just starting to really enforce it at my job before I went on LOA, and it was really difficult getting the PA's to comply/remember as they were so used to being allowed to do this.

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I'm not too keen on disclosing my location but I can share with you that I live in the southeastern part of the country. If it's that serious to you, feel free to research it. This law/policy (or whatever it is) I think must be pretty new as we were just starting to really enforce it at my job before I went on LOA, and it was really difficult getting the PA's to comply/remember as they were so used to being allowed to do this.

It is kind of important since I'm a PA working in the Southeast. I have looked through all the states in the SE and don't find any that specifically prohibit injectables. You can PM me the state if that makes you more comfortable. Its possible an individual organization could put in a policy such as this. Stupider things have happened.

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*** Certainly is varies by region. Why this is I don't t really understand. As for the DNP for NPs I am confused. I thought it was a done deal that new NPs will require a DNP by 2015 (obviously masters prepared will be gradfathered in).

Everybody I have talked to about this "knows" that. If that is not the case i would very much like to know.

Well, the simplified version of a somewhat complex issue, is that the AACN is pushing to make the DNP the minimum standard for for the APRN, with the target date of 2015 for colleges to institute such programs. Some (perhaps many ?) colleges have discontinued their master's programs in favor of dnp programs, but not all. In addiditon, I'm not aware of any states that require a DNP for licensure at this point.

BTW, I meant to say that the job opening for NP that I saw was for cardiothoracic, not cardiovascular. Not that it really matters, but I wanted to correct my error.

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They are generally used interchangeably in most specialties. NPs can be independent in certain states while PAs always need to work with a doctor. Generally NPs are prevalent in Psych, family practice and primary care among others. PAs are generally more prevalent in the surgical & internal medicine specialties/subspecialties along with family practice. They both end up on average making the same money. PAs have a generalist education with generally many more clinical hours which rotate through the medical/surgical specialties while NPs do all their clinical hours in one specialty and focus their knowledge on that specialty. Thus PAs are trained to practice in all fields on medicine while NPs generally only practice in their field of training, unless further education is pursued. An NP will give one much more independence than a PA, so if that is important, then NP is the way to go!

Basically, an NP is like a nurse with advanced training and a PA is like a doctor with less training. Rather then asking here, research your area, because some localities PAs are preffered while in others NPs are.

FYI- I LOVE my NP :lol2:

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I am just getting start here( havn't got RN yet). I have some questions.

Do both need to take pre med courses (more maths, science, organic chemistry)?

Do you think get RN first then BSN or A.A then BSN better?

Is all MSN online only?

Thanks.

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Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

Part of this is a bit incorrect. NPs do have specialty areas but the FNP and PA are basically interchangeable. They both receive a generalist medical education.

They are generally used interchangeably in most specialties. NPs can be independent in certain states while PAs always need to work with a doctor. Generally NPs are prevalent in Psych, family practice and primary care among others. PAs are generally more prevalent in the surgical & internal medicine specialties/subspecialties along with family practice. They both end up on average making the same money. PAs have a generalist education with generally many more clinical hours which rotate through the medical/surgical specialties while NPs do all their clinical hours in one specialty and focus their knowledge on that specialty. Thus PAs are trained to practice in all fields on medicine while NPs generally only practice in their field of training, unless further education is pursued. An NP will give one much more independence than a PA, so if that is important, then NP is the way to go!

Basically, an NP is like a nurse with advanced training and a PA is like a doctor with less training. Rather then asking here, research your area, because some localities PAs are preffered while in others NPs are.

FYI- I LOVE my NP :lol2:

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
Part of this is a bit incorrect. NPs do have specialty areas but the FNP and PA are basically interchangeable. They both receive a generalist medical education.

*** That makes me wonder why some states are limiting FNPs ability to practice acute care medicine, but not PAs. I never see any FNPs in CV or neuro or general or ortho surgery. I only see PAs. Is that just the preference of the physicians in this area or is there some other reason?

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*** That makes me wonder why some states are limiting FNPs ability to practice acute care medicine, but not PAs. I never see any FNPs in CV or neuro or general or ortho surgery. I only see PAs. Is that just the preference of the physicians in this area or is there some other reason?

It might be another one of those things that depends on region. I distinctly remember meeting an NP in neuro when I was still in nursing school during my clinicals. There is also a posting right now on one of the hospital's website where I work that is looking for an NP in ortho, and I have seen them on the same website from time to time for CV as well.

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*** That makes me wonder why some states are limiting FNPs ability to practice acute care medicine, but not PAs. I never see any FNPs in CV or neuro or general or ortho surgery. I only see PAs. Is that just the preference of the physicians in this area or is there some other reason?

FNP and PA are the most similar and FNPs get the most "rounded" education out of all the NPs, but still after looking at side to side comparisons, PAs will recieve more "rounded" education in more specialties than an FNP for example. I'm not in any way putting down NPs, infact my girlfriend (soon to be wife:rolleyes:) is an FNP, but for the sake of dexterity, I've looking into this and while an FNP does rotations pertaining to primary care and some specialties throughout ~1000 hours, PAs rotate through all the major specialties, including primary care, throughout ~2400 hours and their didactic/clinical education is IMO, more rounded in thorough. Regardless, I think FNP is the way to go, being a nurse as well, not to include the fact that PAs generally have to ALWAYS work under a doctor, while a NP can open up their own clinic and have more independent for advancement. I think states that limit FNPs ability to practice acute care medicine is probably because some FNP programs only have ~100-200 hours in acute care and if acute care is the preference, then an acute care NP program would be better suited.

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FNP and PA are the most similar and FNPs get the most "rounded" education out of all the NPs, but still after looking at side to side comparisons, PAs will recieve more "rounded" education in more specialties than an FNP for example. I'm not in any way putting down NPs, infact my girlfriend (soon to be wife:rolleyes:) is an FNP, but for the sake of dexterity, I've looking into this and while an FNP does rotations pertaining to primary care and some specialties throughout ~1000 hours, PAs rotate through all the major specialties, including primary care, throughout ~2400 hours and their didactic/clinical education is IMO, more rounded in thorough. Regardless, I think FNP is the way to go, being a nurse as well, not to include the fact that PAs generally have to ALWAYS work under a doctor, while a NP can open up their own clinic and have more independent for advancement. I think states that limit FNPs ability to practice acute care medicine is probably because some FNP programs only have ~100-200 hours in acute care and if acute care is the preference, then an acute care NP program would be better suited.

This hasn't taken into consideration the approximately 1875 hours of acute care experience as an RN that is required to get into an NP program that PAs probably do not have.

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Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

No states that I'm licensed in limit your practice and I've not heard of any others either.

I have licenses in ak,az,Mt, wy, wa,or and id as an FNP.

I've worked in ER, urgent care, primary care and as a hospitalist.

Others I know do ortho.

Ron

It might be another one of those things that depends on region. I distinctly remember meeting an NP in neuro when I was still in nursing school during my clinicals. There is also a posting right now on one of the hospital's website where I work that is looking for an NP in ortho, and I have seen them on the same website from time to time for CV as well.
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