ManyQuestions

What is the track record of nurse practitioners who go through Direct Entry NP programs where they get a BSN the first year and then immediately start full or part-time NP training? Do these programs have a good reputation? Do graduates get jobs as NPs? I am interested in training to be a mid-level provider in a clinic/urgent care setting. I want to spend as little time as possible as a bedside nurse, but would be happy to work as a nurse in a clinic, maybe public health clinic? I have a non-nursing bachelor's degree and most of pre-requisites finished for either physician assistant, nursing, or respiratory therapy. No offense is intended if you are a bedside nurse. I just don't think it's for me. Thanks for any advice you can give me. :)

Really! Hmm....thanks for the tip, RTCRNA!

Thanks for the info, Vaway.

Here at my local community college you don't need A's to get into nursing. They require a 2.5 in prerequisites and that's it. You may not get into your first choice 4 year program, but if you can get B's you are smart enough to become a nurse. A 3.2 GPA is not bad at all.

I appreciate the comments all. Thank you. I'm reading them all carefully. I feel that at age 40, I don't have a lot of time to dabble in different fields. The health care prerequisites are taking up two years of my life, and it will be at least two more years for RT, RN or PA. After that, I'm done. (Except for adding a few certifications as needed to stay employable. I just read about this thing called ECMO, sounds interesting. Too bad RTs can't train to be anesthetists.) Thanks RT -> CRNA for the info on intubation. I read many articles and forum posts that mentioned that as a major skill for RTs, but others said what you said - the doctors do it.

Are you saying that doctors have no interest in patient care because they won't stay at the bedside?? What about laboratory techs, phlebotomists, hospital administrators, do they not have an interest in patient care? Are all these people compassion-less because they do not want to stay at the bedside?

Well, I have both asthma and sleep apnea and I feel for those who cannot breathe. I shadowed an x-ray tech and that was really dull. I can't believe you have to take prerequisites and train for two years to say stand here while I take your picture? I shadowed a physical therapy tech and that was equally boring. Oh course, if as an RT all they let me do is nebulizers I'll be bored in no time as well. But at least I have some personal interest in respiratory and a great need for a good job. I realize I sound like a jerk here, but I'm really not :) I'm studying for tests so maybe I'm grumpy...

Hey all, I'm an older (40) student and I'm halfway through the health care prerequisites. My original idea when returning to school was to become a RRT, but I don't like what I'm reading here and there on the internet about RT's. Some people claim that full time RT jobs are scarce and that some RT's do nothing but nebulizer treatments and ABG's (in which case any nurse could easily take over the RT's job). Some people say go RN for more options, but I think I would hate, really hate a lot of the things nurses have to do. The idea of staying in one spot, constantly checking and rechecking patients' fluids and vitals, dealing with poop, turning patients, this stuff does not appeal to me - though of course it is necessary and nurses are awesome for doing it. What I'd really like to do is PA or NP, but my GPA's only a 2.9 because I was a slacker years ago in college. I'm pretty sure this topic has been posted before, but the job market is constantly changing, Obamacare is coming, etc. so I'd love to get some fresh perspectives. Should I consider doing RN and then school nursing, or public health clinic nurse or something like that? Also, the RT I shadowed did nothing to inspire me about the RT field, except that he was making more than $30 per hour and didn't seem worried about job markets. $30 per hour is inspiring! I live in California but I'm single and I could move anywhere. And also, I'm nicer than this post might indicate and I do feel health care is right for me, I'm just being practical. Thanks so much if you read all that! :)

I am currently working as an EMT at a children's camp. The kids call me "the nurse" even though I'm not a nurse. I'm an EMT-B. Kids come in for cuts and scrapes, stomach aches, asthma meds, and stuff like that. Well, I like this job and I want to train to do more. I think maybe I'd like to work at a walk-in medical clinic. Now I know about physician assistants and I know about nurse practitioners. Those jobs sound great, but I am aware of how difficult it can be to compete for entry into those programs. I do have a bachelor's already (in Economics - yuk!) and I've taken physiology and medical terminology courses. I'm working on Chemistry (for science majors) and Anatomy right now, and these classes are pretty tough. Okay, sorry I'm being long-winded. My question is this: If I fail to get into a physician assistant program, what might be the next best thing? I don't want to be a paramedic on an ambulance, nor do I want to be a nurse in a hospital. Are there walk-in clinics or "aid stations" where a nurse could work at doing some advanced first aid or basic primary care? I don't want to be a medical assistant either as they don't make enough money. I know there are many different nursing specialties. How about "Advanced first aid and can give out certain drugs for basic illnesses Nurse?" Does this exist in a paying job? Or is it grad school or bust for PA/NP? Thanks so much if you read all that!

Thanks pappyRN and others for your words of wisdom. PappyRN I hope you find some work that allows you to use your accumulated knowledge without aggravating your injuries. I will find my way eventually and I'll be ready to put 100% effort into it when I know it's right.

Ah hell, just skip the middle paragraph of the above post. I'm just raw at the idea of spending years in school only to end up doing things that just don't seem that complicated to me. Soon enough everyone will need an associate's degree just to work the grill at Jack-in-the-Box. Does anyone else think education levels are starting to get out of hand? People are paying thousands of dollars to get certificates and degrees that net them jobs that pay about $10 per hour. Whatever happened to on-the-job-training? Is there no way to learn a new skill outside a classroom and without receiving some sort of certificate? (Can you tell I'm poor and out of work? ) --end of rant--

I'm putting on my flame-retardent suit now...here goes... I appreciate what nurses and especially what nurse aides do. If I'm ever in the hospital for more than a day, I hope I get a very caring, attentive nurse. If I'm ever in a nursing home, I hope I don't live a long time even with good care. Now, some of y'all gave me some good, objective advice and I thank you. I obviously touched a nerve on some others. FYI I'm still unconvinced that nursing requires extraordinary intelligence. It does require above average intelligence and an extraordinary amount of caring, patience and empathy (and who knows, some nurses probably are brilliant). I'm not brillant, but I do think my brain's a little bigger than my heart, thus I'm probably better off doing something a little less touchy-feely. I'm enjoying my EMT class so maybe I'll be a paramedic for a few years. Then maybe I'll go back to school and become a rad tech or a PA. I CAN STILL BE A GOOD PERSON AND HELP PEOPLE WITHOUT SPENDING HOURS AT THE BEDSIDE! There's room for many kinds of people in medicine. Some of you nurses need to get over your 'holier than thou' attitudes.

Thanks for the career advice regarding nursing and ADLs, y'all. I guess I just needed to hear it a few more times. I guess it's time to take a closer look at that Radiology Tech training program, eh?

No flaming replies to this serious issue please! I want to start a second career in medicine. Shortly I will be starting an ADN program, but I'm struggling mentally with a few things about nursing. I took a nursing assistant class as a warm up and I've just dropped it. The classwork was interesting but I just can't tolerate the clinical work were doing at the nursing home. Wiping asses, feeding demented patients who can't carry on a conversation with you, don't open their mouths for oral care, patients who have to be moved with total mechanical lifts who do nothing but lay there all day...it's horrible, just miserably depressing and unbearable awful. My question is: Can I work as a nurse and avoid spending a lot of time on activities of daily living? Call me arrogant, but I really feel that my time (even untrained!) is too valuable to spend feeding a patient. Anyone can feed a patient, they don't need two to four years of schooling and clinical training to do it. I want to start IV's, clean wounds, give meds, educate patients, stuff that requires training. What are the best departments to work in if you don't like ADLs? ER?

I'm just starting nursing school. I've read some posts that make it sound like the Emergency department of a hospital is difficult to get into or not advised for new grads. Is this true? Why? One reason I ask is because I've worked as a aide in a nursing home and I strongly dislike long term care. In truth, I don't like feeding patients, dressing them, toileting them, measuring their urine, making their beds and all that. This may sound creepy, but the most interesting things I've observed all have to do with drawing blood, giving injections, draining absesses, changing dressings, doctors giving stitches and stuff like that. Actually, I really want to be the one giving the stitches.