PA vs NP school - Michigan

[bsngirl2015]

I'm currently a new RN working in Michigan, full time days. I love what I do, I love my patients, my coworkers the whole environment. But in my heart I know I can't do floor nursing forever, I have always planned to go back and to school and being out for only several months I'm starting to get bored and plan with meeting an advisor this winter to take any classes that may help me with grad school. I'm truly torn between the decision of going to PA school or NP school, for my research it seems that in the state of Michigan is more of a "PA" state, as of now. I work with both wonderful NP's and PA's and have been encouraged by both to go to PA school and not take the NP route as they state Michigan is not necessarily NP friendly. Dose anyone have any advice on this topic, I would greatly appreciate it!!

Also I know that for PA school I believe I would have a couple more classes to apply, and I would happily do that I seriously miss being in school! (Yes I'm a total nerd). Also just incase anyone wonders I graduated from one of the top nursing schools with Michigan with a nursing and overall gpa of 3.7 and with multiple honors. I have worked in the hospital environment all throughout nursing school and I truly don't planning on applying to either program until I have 2 years of experience under my belt. I know I have so much more to learn and while some may see me as naive I know in my heart there is so much more out there that I want to do with my life! Thanks in advice!

[andrew.youv]

Congratulations on wanting to continue your education!

Being a nursing forum, many here would urge you to go the NP route, although I understand your sentiment about your state being more "PA friendly". Could you elaborate on why?

Also, being on the floor for a few months may not paint the whole picture of what "floor nursing" is. What specialty are you in? Are you working medical-surgical? Tele? Onc? Have you thought about trying out ED or ICU? Keep in mind that in your current position there are many possibilities even within your own hospital.

A good general guideline is to have 2 full years of experience before moving on, but it is just a guideline. I started travel nursing after 1 year because I truly felt that I was ready to make the leap. I also made myself available to float to various different units within many hospitals in order to have a good general grasp of nursing and it's different iterations within the acute care setting. Before making my decision to enter school for FNP, I shadowed a primary care nurse practitioner for a few days in order to have a better understanding of the role.

You're right, there is a plethora of experiences that await you and those can ultimately shape your perspective. Keep an open mind and always stay up to date on the latest nursing science!

-Andrew

[muirite]

Follow a PA in the areas that you would like to work in too. I have and my state is all the way NP except ER and surgery. Also most PA programs require (highly recommend) not working. Is that a possibility?

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I used to live in Michigan and I have to agree that Michigan, historically, is PA friendly. There seems to be a lot more options for PA's than NP's there in terms of job opportunities but that doesn't mean that you will have trouble finding a job as an NP in that state.

I left that state in 2009 and by then I felt that most places have around a 50/50 percentage of NP to PA though certain specialties are still dominated by PA's particularly ED and Surgery with First Assist responsibilities. One area where NP's appear to have a stronghold on is primary care in rural areas.

There aren't many PA programs in Michigan, maybe 5 when I was there compared to "practically every nursing school has an NP program" so there is certainly more competitiveness if you go for the PA route. Based on the RN's I know who made the choice to become PA's, they weren't able to work while in PA school (as were the CRNA students) so NP is more work+school friendly.

[chevygirl1987]

I'm also in Michigan. In my area, I see about 50/50 at this point. Even the surgery areas, which used to lean more PA, are utilizing more NPs.

I applied and was offered seats in both an NP and a PA program. I went with the NP.

Each of the PA programs in MI have different prereqs. Most required upper level A&P, biochemistry, and organic. Add physics to that for some others. Most of us take A&P and the chemistries at the intro level for nursing so you would probably have to take those.

The PA program I was accepted into requires you to attend class from 0830-1630 Monday through Friday so work is really not an option. Additionally, because there are so many PA and Medical schools in Michigan, all the PA programs are being forced to use out of state clinical sites. (According to info given at my PA interview) so you may find yourself renting a condo in say Mississippi for one of the 8 week clinical rotations, and PA school is nearly twice the credits of NP programs.

Combine the extra credits, inability to work more than per diem, and the travel/housing expense and PA school is vastly more expensive.

I applied to PA programs because my BS is not in nursing and I only had to take stats and anatomy with cadaver lab.

Since both careers have similar roles and compensation, at this point, it made more sense for me to do NP school.

It is hard to find places to really compare the 2 because they generally appeal to different types of people.

On this site, I've noticed most people say they aren't familiar with Details of PA, whereas on the PA sites there seems to be a disdain for those asking about NP.

Hope I've helped a little, good luck.