Non Sequitir, you would look much better with some soft curls, and lay off the neck exercises.
Your rationale for NP school is good. Working bedside is where you will receive your real education. Start with whatever unit interests you most and will hire you, but shoot for ICU at some point, especialy cardiothoracic if possible. This will teach you to think critically and prepare you for the advanced practitioner role. It will also help you determine which kind of NP you want to be.
I would only add that one of your main reasons for not pursuing your PA, market saturation, is also an issue for NPs in some areas. It's hard to know where it will be in 5-6 years, but NPs are not necessarily better positioned than PAs in that regard.
ETA: yes, NPs do have more freedom than PAs. We can practice independently in some states. I don't think that there is much difference in pay, I recall salary surveys showing a difference of 2-3K in annual income, with PAs having the slight advantage. In my experience (underserved primary care), there is no different between what PAs, NPs, and MDs do. What makes the better practitioner is how dedicated and interested in helping the provider is, not education level. Have seen this repeatedly. I will say that MDs are less likely to miss major issues, though. That's why you need solid hospital experience before you practice. Nurses also have a lot of good will from the public, which is nice.
