Why NP instead of MD, DO, or PA?

czyja, MSN, RN · Jan 15, 2012

At the risk of seeming rude, this question has been beaten to death here at AN and many other cyberspaces. I would be delighted, however, to engage with you about it. I would offer that my reasons for becoming a nurse are not nearly as important as your reasons. Here is my list, 1. This is an exciting time for nursing. There are many, many opportunities. 2. I like the nursing approach to care, which places more emphasis on the lived experience of the patient, not just the disease process. 3. I am interested in helping people cope with symptoms and less interested in curing disease.4. While I count several physicians and one surgeon among my friends, I have to say that, in general, medicine attracts some of the biggest egotistical fatheads I have ever meant. The culture of hospital medicine is nothing short of toxic and surgery is even worse.I went to a Masters Entry program and I suspect you are probably interested in the same. Remember, NPs are nurses. The approach to the patient is subtly but importantly different than MD PA DO care.

zoidberg, BSN, RN · Jan 15, 2012

Pros and Cons, very brief. these are stereotypes, and do not describe all areas of the US. and, there are always exceptions to the generalizations.

PROS:

NP-more autonomy than PAs in some states, nursing model (if thats your thing), more flexible than PA in advancement and other career options. RN training to fall back on (for jobs)

PA-more standard education and national licensing. many MDs work better with PAs (they made them). Easier to find jobs and better accepted in some areas of the country.

MD- you are the king. you have med school education.

DO- you know everything a md does, but you also (in general) understand and treat the whole person

CONS:

NP-can be hard to find jobs, ever changing credentials, nursing organizations changing degrees, etc. not as much clinical time as PA

PA-you are owned by the physicians.

MD-time and money for training. debt.

DO-time and money for training. debt. some MD's do not like DO's(school 'easier' to get in, most prestigious med schools are allopathic (md degree))

Jennifer0512 · Jan 15, 2012

My reasoning was similar to cyza's #2. I really like the model of thinking better. I like to look at the whole person not just the disease process. And I'm interested in preventative care (primary) not just treating diseases (tertiary care). Of course there are many more reasons that I considered just as I'm sure you will go through, but that is usually my quick answer when people ask me why I didn't "just become a doctor".

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Jan 16, 2012

The incremental educational path has suited my lifestyle and the flexibility of nursing dovetailed better with my many other interests and passions. I spent most of my 20s traveling the world with my husband, and my 30s raising our family, working only when I wanted to. I wouldn't give up any of that up for anything. I didn't go to graduate school until I was well into my 40s. I am sure there are some 45 y/o medical students, but as it stands I ought to be retiring about the time I would otherwise have been completing a residency. No, I think not, lol.

PA school was never a consideration.

lvICU · Jan 17, 2012

I never considered med school. I wanted to be an RN initially and once I was in that role for several years I started getting the itch to advance my education. It was a natural progression. I also agree with BlueDevil about the flexibility of the incremental educational path that nursing allows. I feel it safe to say that many of my colleagues also never were faced with the dilemma of MD,DO,PA vs. NP decision. They wanted to be a nurse and then the rest just happened. I do understand that with the option of Master's entry programs mor people are faced with this choice. Good luck with whatever path you choose.

HeartRN8 · Jan 17, 2012

I agree with all the above but love nursing for the holistic care. I love patient interaction. Medicine is very hands off and nurses are not. I am in NP school right now but have been a RN for 7 years. DO is a cool program though. I have never regretted becoming a RN. It is hard work but well worth it.

TravelGtr · Feb 6, 2012

I'm a pre-somethinghealthrelated student (I am still torn between nursing and medicine), and I want to know: Why did you choose nursing (more specifically advance-practice nursing) instead of one of its alternatives?

My best recommendation would be to shadow both NPs and MDs to get a feel for each profession.

I'm a nurse practitioner currently finishing up prereqs for med school. There are certainly pros and cons of each role, but for me there were more pros to being a physician. I am craving the education and, for me personally, I will feel better prepared to manage more complicated cases with a medical education. The routes of training are night and day. My med school prereqs are pure "hard sciences" and have been the most challenging classes I've ever taken. Of course, to choose medicine you have to understand that you will likely be carrying six figures worth of loans on your back and dedicating around a decade of your life to an incredibly rigorous program that will test you to your limits. You really have to know it's what you want and be 100% committed to the process.

Do your research and make it a point to expose yourself to both professions before making a decision. Good luck in whatever you decide!

mystory, BSN, RN · Feb 15, 2012

I have no desire to learn the exorbidant depth of pathyphysiology, anatomy, and physiology that is required in medical school. Furthermore, with the uncertainty of healthcare access and economics I would be very hesitant to invest in medical school and residency. I strive for balance in my life..and NP school allows me the flexibility to go part time while working and engaging socially. My hope and understanding is that the hours and on call schedule is more reasonable as an NP than that of a physician.

panamishe · Feb 17, 2012

I preferred to pursue medicine rather than NP mainly because I wanted more options in what I could do after completing school. It ended up being the best decision for me because I've decided to become a surgeon and, of course, I can't do that as a nurse or PA. As for the caring and holistic approach to patient care, I'm not sure why nurses think that doctors aren't trained to think that way but we definitely are! As an ER nurse, I don't feel like the ER NPs are any more 'holistic' than the PAs or MDs. It all depends on the practioner to me.

Hampter320 · Feb 18, 2012

I preferred to pursue medicine rather than NP mainly because I wanted more options in what I could do after completing school. It ended up being the best decision for me because I've decided to become a surgeon and, of course, I can't do that as a nurse or PA. As for the caring and holistic approach to patient care, I'm not sure why nurses think that doctors aren't trained to think that way but we definitely are! As an ER nurse, I don't feel like the ER NPs are any more 'holistic' than the PAs or MDs. It all depends on the practioner to me.

You hit the nail right on the head. Every MD or DO in my hospital is just as "holistic" (whatever that means in this day and age) and hands-on as the NPs or PAs. It seems like NPs around here need to constantly justify in their minds as to why they didn't or couldn't get in to medical schools.

myelin · Feb 18, 2012

oh, please. The whole idea that NPs became NPs because they couldn't get into med school is as ridiculous as the argument that MDs are less holistic by virtue of their training. People make decisions based on a lot of factors. NP (or PA) school is appealing in that it is less of a sacrifice. There's less debt, less time involved (opportunity costs are real), etc. One thing that I like about NP (and PA) school is the flexibility. You can change specialties with ease. You're not forced into any one specialty because your test scores weren't high enough to do anything else.

There's positives and negatives to all three professions. In the end, who cares? Do what you want and what will make you happy. This ******* match between MDs and NPs and PAs is just a distraction.