Transitioning from RN to PA

[Medic8008]

I was just wondering if anyone out there has gone from RN to PA and if so, how was the transition? Did you find the material easy to grasp? I've really been going back and forth about what upper-level degree I really want to do...I come from a EMS background and went to nursing school for the challenge and experience. I've been a RN a little over a year working mainly in the ICU with a few shifts here and there in the ER. I thought about anesthesia at first but the job market around me is saturated with Nurse Anesthetists and there doesn't seem to be as many options for specialties in the nurse practitioner field. Plus, 2 new PA programs just opened in my area....any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I'm an NP. I do however know two RN's I worked with who are now PA's. We kinda went to grad school at the same time and their choice was mainly because they felt that the PA route would give them more opportunities and that they were tired of nursing theories. We are all non-physician providers now and I do not see much difference in the ease of finding jobs after we graduated. BTW, I ended up working in Critical Care as an NP and they work in office practice in Primary Care.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

I know several RN colleagues that went back to PA school instead of NP school. Some went for the medical model education, others went with the goal of OR work.

In most states the job is pretty similar. Check with yours about autonomy if that's something that may interest you in the future.