BenFL

Thanks. I was thinking the same thing! I think PA school really is where I want to be, and the more cost effective route (and overall less school as I do have a family to take care of!) True they only make more than minimum wage - but the fastest ADN program I have found is 15 months - I could become an EMT in less than 3. I will however look into whether or not I could skip some of the courses in the program considering my previous degree - I highly highly doubt it however.

There's a huge difference here. I am positive you have days where you feel appreciated - not to mention the fact that your pay currently at least doubles mine, and you work fewer hours with benefits. I work probably 60hours a week in research/coursework/teaching - and I get almost zero appreciation from anyone for it, including myself. My wife is a nurse, I realize it is an incredibly stressful and difficult job - however - she still has days where she loves her job, and her patients love her. Also please realize it is not my end goal - PA school is.

The Total cost of PA school is about 35$K for here in Florida. The ABSN program costs over 25$K - Do I really want to accrue 25$K extra debt to make more money than an EMT just to go turn around and got to PA school - also consider I can be an EMT in 12 weeks and it will only cost around 900$. I would make around 27K$ a year vs probably 50 as a nurse...working two years I guess I could pay off the debt - but we all know that doesn't happen in real world settings. I have not looks for Nurse Practitioner programs - do they offer accelerated NP programs at around the same cost as an ABSN?

Dear Nursing Community, I am a 24 year old male currently in a PhD program in Chemistry. I have a BS in Chemistry from FSU with a 3.7 GPA. I am considering leaving my PhD Program (w/o a master's, I have been in the program less than 1 year). Why might you ask? Well, the job outlook for PhD's in heavy sciences is deplorable. Absolutely dreadful, I might be lucky to grab a postdoc position making 35K$/Yr working 60 hours a week AFTER the 5 years of heartache and pain it takes me to get the degree. I love science, but I do not like feel exploited and taken advantage without some sort of compensation =). (Which is why nurses at least make a good starting wage) My question is this. I am looking into PA school, or RN school. PA school will require probably 2 years of healthcare experience, so I could maybe get this with a nursing degree. My options are this: - Get my EMT-B license and make 10$/hr for 2 years and go to PA school (would probably still be more than my stipdend though (I get around 22$K/yr atm). - Get my ADN. There is an accelerated 15month ADN program at a community college where I currently live - this would not cost too much money to do - Get my BSN through an accelerated program - these programs are unbelievably expensive >20$K. Here is my quesition or the TL:DR - Is it even worth getting my BSN over an ADN if I already have a BS in CHEMISTRY? If it matters any, I have a 4 year old daughter and a wife who is a nurse. Putting more debt upon my family without any real benefit is not worth it to me - but the BSN would be worth it if I really needed it over a ADN. Thank you for your time, Ben

Dear Nursing Community, I am a 24 year old male currently in a PhD program in Chemistry. I have a BS in Chemistry from FSU with a 3.7 GPA. I am considering leaving my PhD Program (w/o a master's, I have been in the program less than 1 year). Why might you ask? Well, the job outlook for PhD's in heavy sciences is deplorable. Absolutely dreadful, I might be lucky to grab a postdoc position making 35K$/Yr working 60 hours a week AFTER the 5 years of heartache and pain it takes me to get the degree. I love science, but I do not like feel exploited and taken advantage without some sort of compensation =). (Which is why nurses at least make a good starting wage) My question is this. I am looking into PA school, or RN school. PA school will require probably 2 years of healthcare experience, so I could maybe get this with a nursing degree. My options are this: - Get my EMT-B license and make 10$/hr for 2 years and go to PA school (would probably still be more than my stipdend though (I get around 22$K/yr atm). - Get my ADN. There is an accelerated 15month ADN program at a community college where I currently live - this would not cost too much money to do - Get my BSN through an accelerated program - these programs are unbelievably expensive >20$K. Here is my quesition or the TL:DR - Is it even worth getting my BSN over an ADN if I already have a BS in CHEMISTRY? If it matters any, I have a 4 year old daughter and a wife who is a nurse. Putting more debt upon my family without any real benefit is not worth it to me - but the BSN would be worth it if I really needed it over a ADN. Thank you for your time, Ben