Fourfecta

Thanks for your thoughts.

Thanks everyone for leaving comments! Very helpful!

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!

Thank you NomadMomma! lots of good advice in there. I am also a little concerned about the talk of Nurse Practitioners being required to get a doctorate....I figured if i got into an accelerated program I would be finished before any major changes were made, and then get "grandfathered" in...but that is just an assumption.

Thanks ChristineN. I agree with you. The question remains, why do schools like Vanderbilt even offer a bridge program that requires no RN experience, if it strongly encouraged to have RN experience? Apparently, clinics and hospitals still hire FNP's with little to no experience as an RN. Thanks for your comments.

Besides Vanderbilt's bridge program, does anyone else know of any accelerated programs? What are you thoughts concerning on-line nursing education? ....I am not necessarily in favor of it, but I know some go that route. Thanks

Thanks for all of the comments so far. I do agree that it would be ideal to get some actual RN experience first. However, ideal is out of the window for me, as ideally I would have realized that nursing/FNP was a good fit for me eight years ago :) I think the best option for me is to first try to get into a bridge program that combines the BSN and FNP, or a BSN program and later go on to get my masters. I completely agree with the comment about getting experience in order to gain confidence diagnosing people. I actually already have a master in theology and I have considerable experience working with people and "diagnosing" problems....I realize it is not the same as medical diagnosing, but it is still valuable.

@font-face { font-family: "cambria"; }p.msonormal, li.msonormal, div.msonormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "times new roman"; }div.section1 { page: section1; } my experiences working with disabled individuals of all ages (literally 14 to 99) shows my desire and ability to work with a variety of people. i also realized that family nurse practitioner was the best option for me while i was shadowing another fnp. this particular specialty would allow me to be part of a patient's family and not just an individual in the family. and, based on my research, it appears to be the most marketable and resilient to economic downturns. p.s. thanks for your response

I use to live in Abilene, TX. Everyone that i met while in Texas that was from Austin loved it...I hear it is the hippie city of Texas, as it is a big music town. Not sure about the current working market. If I moved to Texas, that is where I would want to move...not because I am a hippie :) but because it seems like a very easy going and fun city.

My question: What is the best and/or fastest way to become a Family Nurse Practitioner? I have applied to Vanderbilt's bridge program, which takes two years. If I do not get accepted, what is another good route? I know there are all sorts of options for getting to the final point, such as LPN, ASN, BSN. However, some of those routes will take a long time! What is the most cost effective route? What is the most time efficient route? What is the most marketable route? I appreciate any constructive advice you can offer! Background: From age 21 - 28 I either worked in groups homes with developmentally challenged individuals or I worked in youth ministry. I say this to reflect my desire to work with people. Three years ago I decided to go into accounting to have a more "stable" career. Presently: I have been working in accounting, but do not like it...big surprise. I am currently transitioning into nursing and nothing sounds more fascinating and perfect for me than becoming a family nurse practitioner (FNP). I have shadowed a few to support my notion. I am also currently enrolled at a community college to take nursing prerequisites.