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!

Of course it helps. Any medical experience helps.

Some experience is more valuable obviously.

I spent 12 years in ICU/ER before going to anesthesia school. There is no doubt it helped.

Spending 19 years as a CRNA then going to FNP school, heck yes.

Once again I think the person gets what they want out of it, or puts into it. :)

I think any healthcare experience helps with understanding in any healthcare occupation. What I really question is being a nurse essential to being an effective NP? Like you, I think if you take ownership of your own education and experiences that you'll succeed in whatever you do.

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Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

Good point and one that I agree with.

Ron

I think any healthcare experience helps with understanding in any healthcare occupation. What I really question is being a nurse essential to being an effective NP? Like you, I think if you take ownership of your own education and experiences that you'll succeed in whatever you do.
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Specializes in Emergency, Cardiac, PAT/SPU, Urgent Care.

I believe that the type of nursing experience can absolutely make a difference in helping one become an NP. I was an ED nurse for several years before going back to NP school and hell yeah, it helped tremendously! Reason being, I saw a lot of the same stuff in the ED that I would see in clinicals for my FNP rotations, especially since many people now use the ED as their PCP. While working as a triage RN in the ED, I was absolutely running potential diagnoses through my mind depending upon patient history/presentation - you have to as a triage RN in order to start the appropriate testing/procedures for that patient before the doc gets to see them. You have to be able to determine who needs to be seen ASAP, or who can wait. You also have to be able to pick up on those atypical presentations of various conditions so that you don't let the ball drop on an impending MI/stroke/appy/etc. When you get abnormal lab results/EKGs back, you know which ones need to be addressed by the doc ASAP - or you know which ones you can stick on the clipboard to wait for the doc to pick it up later.

I can see how other areas of nursing may not be quite as helpful, because the patients already have their diagnoses and the RNs are following an already-developed plan of care. Granted, they need to be able to pick up on subtle changes that that may signify a deteriation in the patient's conditions, but it is quite different from the ED experience (and yes, I have worked on tele and post open-heart floors in the past, too).

It's very similar to how CRNAs/ACNPs need the years of ICU experience, or a NICU NP needs NICU experience. One most likely wouldn't learn the various skills needed to excel in the NP and CRNA school/roles by working on your typical med-surg unit. Certain types of nursing backgrounds do tend to be much more helpful than others depending upon which advanced practice role you are seeking.

Since I currently practice as an NP in two completely different settings, I can easily say that my ED background has helped me to adjust much more quickly into my NP roles. If I were an NP who did not have the years of ED/cardiac nursing under my belt like I do, I can see how it might take a lot longer to become proficient at practicing alone in the NP role.

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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

I agree. I didn't mean that specialties are limited by states, but that NPs may not be preferred for certain specialties by those doing the hiring.

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Not true. The average PA student had >41 months of medical experience, I'll cite the source and exact figures when I get home but gross generalizations like such are not well intended. I respect both NPs/PAs and NPs have the advantage of the RN, which is important, but PAs generally come from medical backgrounds as well, sometimes even prior nurses. My girlfriend went to a direct-entry program with her only experience as a medical scribe, which this isnt the norm, saying its required is a gross-generalization. Both get adequate medical backgrounds on average, I cannot speak to the exceptions to the norm stated above.

My "gross generalization" came from the approximate number of hours worked in one year if full time, which is what is the minimum required for any NP program that I have seen. I'm sure the average length of actual experience for those entering NP programs is much longer.

What kind of "medical" experience are you talking about for PAs? Even if they do average 41 months, the only experience that they can have that is equal to a nurse is nursing, in which case it would would be equivalent. I don't know if it's the case for every PA program, obviously, but the ones that I have looked at, including the one my sister attended, only required one year of "direct patient care," which includes that of an MA, not necessarily licensed experience.

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Yes, but don't discount that many (most) PA students have been healthcare professionals in other disciplines. Respiratory therapists and paramedics often make up the lot, but you'll find a many nurses in the mix as well along with surgical techs and some others. NP students aren't the only one on the mix that have worked in healthcare prior to advancing their education.

True, there are PA programs that don't require previous experience, but there are NP programs out there that are the same.

The only NP programs that I am aware of that don't require any experience are those that are non-clinical.

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The only NP programs that I am aware of that don't require any experience are those that are non-clinical.

Well, good. I'm glad I was able to broaden your horizons.

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The only NP programs that I am aware of that don't require any experience are those that are non-clinical.

What is a "non-clinical" NP program???? Are you maybe thinking of the MSN concentrations other than the advanced practice programs?

And, for the record (since there always seems to be confusion and misinformation about this), there are scads of nursing graduate programs around the US that take people with little or no healthcare experience, certainly no experience as an RN (since only non-nurses are eligible for these programs), just a BA/BS in another subject, and graduate them as advanced practice nurses, inc. NPs. Some of these programs have been around for many years. So it's not accurate to say that all NPs have significant prior experience as an RN, or even any healthcare background at all.

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Thanks everyone for leaving comments! Very helpful!

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Thanks for your thoughts.

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Well, good. I'm glad I was able to broaden your horizons.

LOL Ok, but I'm not sure that you have yet. If you can provide a website where such a program exists, I'd be happy to look at it.

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LOL Ok, but I'm not sure that you have yet. If you can provide a website where such a program exists, I'd be happy to look at it.

"Direct Entry MSN Degree Program

Direct entry MSN programs, sometimes called "graduate entry" or "master's entry" programs, are designed for non-nurses who hold bachelor's degrees in non-nursing fields. These nursing degree programs give students credit for having completed their liberal arts requirements and allow them to complete an abbreviated schedule of undergraduate nursing coursework before moving directly into graduate nursing coursework—combining preparation for RN licensure with advanced training in a master's specialty area. Direct entry MSN programs typically require three years to complete, with the first year being devoted to entry-level nursing coursework and the last two years to master's-level study.

A variation of the Direct Entry MSN is the Accelerated MSN. Although the terms "Direct Entry MSN" and "Accelerated MSN" are sometimes used interchangeably, some Accelerated MSN programs may be completed in two academic years, rather than three. A 3.0 GPA is often an entrance requirement for both Direct Entry and Accelerated MSN programs."

Nursing Programs | Learn About Nursing Degrees and Nursing Programs

Here are listings from two websites of direct-entry MSN programs across the US (the bestnursingschools listing is just direct-entry programs; the allnursingschools listing is of all types of MSN programs, and the listing for each school shows whether the school offers a direct-entry option). While different schools offer different concentrations, there are lots of opportunities across the US to become an NP without ever having been a nurse or having a single day of nursing experience (or any healthcare experience of any kind). Some of these programs have been around for decades, although most are "younger" than that. I'm always surprised there are so many nurses, at least on this site, who are still unaware that they exist.

Direct Entry MSN (Masters in Nursing) Programs

MSN Degree Program | Find Master of Science in Nursing Programs and Direct Entry MSN Programs and Schools

I'm still curious about what you meant by a "non-clinical" NP program ...

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