Which road to take?

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I'm new, my name's Chelsea. !

I'm 17 years old (almost 18) and am a running start student.

I've known all my life I wanted to be in the medical field, in the 8th grade I thought I had decided I was either going to become a neonatologist or an oncologist.

However, after much thought I've come to the conclusion I don't want to go through the many rigorous years of schooling and I'd like more patient contact. Also, I want a life outside of the hospital.

I decided nurse practitioner was the way to go...

My mind automatically goes to, still, oncology or neonatology. Though my mind is 100% open to other specialties as I haven't had experience in either of the above yet.

My plan is to work through school.. It's okay if it takes a bit longer to reach my end goal as long as I get there.

I was thinking about doing a medical assisting/ nurse assisting program first to obtain a job in a hospital setting, gain some experience, build a network etc.

Though I dont' know which would be a better road to go down? nurse assisting? medical assisting? on my journey to become a nurse practitioner.

I've taken both a career and a personality test (validated) and literally the only "pursues" I got were in scientific research, medical field, physician etc. and all the careers listed were some sort of doctor or scientist.. So I know I'm heading the right direction overall..

So, again, my question is should I consider medical assisting or nurse assisting to start with and work my way through school? or is there another "entry" level job out there than I'm unaware of currently? any thoughts and advice would be very much appreciated, thanks!

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Around here medical assistants basically pass out meds and not much else. One gets much more patient contact as a cna or nurse tech which tends to be a cna working in a hospital or rehab center.

A cna is great for nursing experience but if your main goal is to pay your way through school, you are likely to make more per hour waiting tables in a restaurant if you are an energetic people person.

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I think you should focus on getting your BSN at a four-year university. You will need it to get your Masters degree/Doctorate to become a NP, and becoming a Medical Assistant doesn't do much besides taking you off path to becoming a NP.

Another way you could approach things is to attend a community college, take nursing pre-req's, and get your ASN/ADN, and then get your BSN on-line while working and gaining experience.

You could enter a Medical Assitant program at a CC, stay enrolled in it while you are getting your pre-req's for ASN/ADN nursing completed. Most of the CC's that offer Associates Degree Medical Assisting require the same associated courses as nursing school does (at the ASN level,) I know this to be true at my college because this is the path that I have chosen to follow. This is also the safest route because you have something to fall back on.

And most RN programs require you to have your state CNA certification before enrolling, but achieving that is easy, and will only require one semester.

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Thankyou for the replies!

I have looked into becoming a CNA it's something I could do over the summer quarter. They pay isn't my main concern, though I DO need the money. Mostly just building a network, getting IN the hospital. etc.

Now, if i take the 1 quarter cna program at the community college i currently attend... Will there be any "bridge" opportunities when I further my education. Or will i be starting from scratch? I really don't mind either way that would just be nice of course.

I've still got another 6-8 years of school left, but I intend to work throughout it and take breaks from school "if" and when necessary.

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I think you should focus on getting your BSN at a four-year university. You will need it to get your Masters degree/Doctorate to become a NP, and becoming a Medical Assistant doesn't do much besides taking you off path to becoming a NP.

Another way you could approach things is to attend a community college, take nursing pre-req's, and get your ASN/ADN, and then get your BSN on-line while working and gaining experience.

You could enter a Medical Assitant program at a CC, stay enrolled in it while you are getting your pre-req's for ASN/ADN nursing completed. Most of the CC's that offer Associates Degree Medical Assisting require the same associated courses as nursing school does (at the ASN level,) I know this to be true at my college because this is the path that I have chosen to follow. This is also the safest route because you have something to fall back on.

And most RN programs require you to have your state CNA certification before enrolling, but achieving that is easy, and will only require one semester.

I looked into it more locally and talked to a head nurse at a local hospital and she said they don't really hire many medical assistants and such. I would be doing it pretty much solely for the hands on experience, resume building, networking etc. and she said they do hire a fair amt. of cna's. Especially from the cc I attend now and would be completing the program from.

My mind is still open though everything you said will be under heavy consideration. x

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