PNP vs Pediatrician

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Hi!

This is my first post (in fact I just made this account a couple minutes ago) so if I do anything wrong, I apologize. I know questions similar to this have been asked, but I’m very confused and was hoping for specific advice. I’m about to start college and really want to make a final decision. I’m very interested in health care, specifically Primary Care Pediatrics and have narrowed my choices down to Pediatrician or Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. Working in the NICU has crossed my mind as well, and it’s a consideration, but primary care pediatrics is more likely. My parents REALLY want me to go to PNP route, which is something I certainly understand. It is faster than the MD route and I want to be very involved in direct patient care. The nursing model is more appealing because again, being involved the the patients’ care is very important to me. If I went the PNP route, would my role differ much from that of a pediatrician? I’m just at a crossroads here because I want to be a leader and I’m scared of patients and their families not trusting me without the MD title, but I truly do prefer the role of Nurses/Nurse Practitioners and how involved they are. Do you NPs face problems from patients and families, or do you not have too many problems? From your guys’ experience, would you recommend the PNP or Pediatrician route?

I’m sorry it’s so long, just very confused LOL. Please let me know what you guys think. Thank you so much!

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I’m likely to get my head chewed off for saying this, but there is a very definite difference in the number of clinical hours and depth of training an md receives vs an np.

Get a BSN and try to fit in the prerequisites for medical school while you are at it. After working as a nurse, then you will be better equipped to decide if you will continue in to np or apply to medical school.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
4 minutes ago, anewmanx said:

I’m likely to get my head chewed off for saying this, but there is a very definite difference in the number of clinical hours and depth of training an md receives vs an np.

Get a BSN and try to fit in the prerequisites for medical school while you are at it. After working as a nurse, then you will be better equipped to decide if you will continue in to np or apply to medical school.

Honestly that’s one of my main concerns. NPs are very well educated but the educational requirements are certainly different. I’ve read that the care NPs and MDs provide are similar in quality, but the education is different, so it confuses me more.

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20 minutes ago, PedsInTraining said:

Honestly that’s one of my main concerns. NPs are very well educated but the educational requirements are certainly different. I’ve read that the care NPs and MDs provide are similar in quality, but the education is different, so it confuses me more.

I’ll pm you something you might want to read.

‘An md can major in anything for undergrad. Why not do the BSN while playing your cards for a potential application to medical school if you decide you don’t see yourself progressing to np?

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Honestly? I'd take a hard look at how good your grades are. Have you already been accepted into a science-oriented college/major and found you are doing really well academically? Because getting into medical school is very, very competitive. Take a look at the scores and GPA's of medical school admissions - average is 3.71. I've known people with 4.0 GPA from top tier schools who were never able to get admitted to medical school after several application attempts.

As for PNP vs Pediatrician, a lot will depend on in what state you will be practicing in terms of independence. NP's where I am work under a supervising physician, but with varying degrees of supervision. The NP's do have a lot more direct patient contact.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.
4 hours ago, SweetElla said:

Honestly? I'd take a hard look at how good your grades are. Have you already been accepted into a science-oriented college/major and found you are doing really well academically? Because getting into medical school is very, very competitive. Take a look at the scores and GPA's of medical school admissions - average is 3.71. I've known people with 4.0 GPA from top tier schools who were never able to get admitted to medical school after several application attempts.

As for PNP vs Pediatrician, a lot will depend on in what state you will be practicing in terms of independence. NP's where I am work under a supervising physician, but with varying degrees of supervision. The NP's do have a lot more direct patient contact.

Makes sense. I have all A’s currently, but that’s high school, not college. I love bio and A&P, am *okay* with Chemistry, and I don’t have much physics knowledge but am good at what I do know. Thank you!

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