Most NP schools only accept registered nurses (RNs) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), although some offer “bridge programs” for nurses with an associate’s degree or diploma. The schooling is also much much shorter, the tuition is much less expensive, and my work schedule will be much better when I get out of school compared with an MD (no attending on calls, etc). NP school is for nurses to continue their education to accept more responsibility in patient care. Eligibility Requirements for NP and PA Studies The most significant differences between the two professions begin with the eligibility requirements. Yes PA school is two years. PA vs. NP vs. Medical School. Outside of those two points, I don't know of any other difference. Schedule a Live Recorded PA School Video Interview. On average, students enter PA school with $37,446 in outstanding educational loans, and $12,051 in non-educational consumer debt before accumulating additional debt related to their PA education. So I looked into PA/MD/NP. There are so many jobs for both PAs and NPs. From the physician's perspective, we split off the patients, but we give the least complicated patients to the PA/NP so that we can focus on the more difficult / likely to die ones. In the ER where I work, there is no scope difference between the PAs and the NPs. While I intend to eventually apply to PA school and all, I definitely don't plan on applying right away if I do graduate this upcoming term. Thanks ;). more clinical time. They help round and are on call at times. 0 Likes. Your response is quite insightful and I appreciate you going so in depth. The first is when you are initially considering a career in medicine, and you start looking into possible roles. Makes me kinda nervous! They can give orders to the hospital and admit patients. Here's my list: More opportunity for international travel, 3 year program for entry level applicant like me, Opportunities to do minor surgical procedures and prescriptions, Under complete discretion of the physician. New PA students plan to finance an average of 84% of their … If a career in medicine interests you, but medical school sounds daunting, how about considering a career as a physician assistant instead? Its only a suggestion by the accrediting agency and won't even be near implementation tell 2025. I've asked the PAs why they didn't go the medical school route, and the answer was pretty much they wanted to spend more time with family/hobbies while still providing higher level patient care, but didn't want as much dedication and responsibility as an MD or DO. You learn to be a nurse first, even in those direct entry master's programs. I think the "bitch work" that OP is referring to is basically scut, so the type of stuff a resident/intern would do at a training hospital - dictating discharge summaries, doing the med recs, etc. Plus, you are like me, your first degree will be in biology. But you can't work at all during that time. Also, do you happen to know of any capacities in which NP's can perform minor surgeries? Then focus on going back home. But I have n't started yet, just accepted so I 'm thinking about applying to both PA and professions... Away from a physician requirement in the surgical setting … Luckily, as others have mentioned, i have a job as a nurse so its not like im out of a job while searching for an NP job...Honestly, if I could do it again- I'd do PA. We have services to fit every budget. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Becoming a PA is very rewarding Some individuals find that the work environment of a physician assistant is more suited to their personality. Using information from the top ranked programs from U.S. News and World Report for each of these … Physician Assistant Grad School Both health care professions typically pay six-figure salaries and require advanced degrees. Also some PA schools are very expensive when compared to NPs Reddit PA Vs RN Reddit PA Vs Reddit. All are welcome. Mcnursekat, where are you an FNP? PA school is like an abridged version of medical school, and seems to be ideal for those who want to become a healthcare provider but do not want to undergo the commitment of full-blown medical school. This means that physician assistants attend to the direct and immediate treatment of patients, whereas nurse practitioners shift their focus on prevention, wellness and education. New York NPs can also practice without an attending in family care. A simple comparison chart including salary. I am currently considering applying to some psychiatric PA residencies because I feel like the furthering education / training would make me feel better as a new grad, especially because I feel like psychiatric topics are glazed over during PA school. You can't. Prerequisite education/experience to get in= it depends. NP's can write prescriptions without the oversight of a physician, PA's can't. Any insight would be much appreciated. These Master’s level programs are extremely rigorous and are modeled on the curriculum found in medical schools. When it comes down to the actual real world job, you will be practicing medicine. Currently, in school full time, about to start clinical hours in June (they said 22-24 hours/wk for hours + classes), so I'm not working now. In California, where I live, PA's are required to have more than double the hours of supervised clinical hours in order to graduate in comparison to NPs. The DNP is not going to be a requirement for anything. Just something to keep in mind a lot of places are starting to require a doctorate for NP. I think I'm probably the most qualified to answer your question. So I was deciding between PA and MD/DO. Definitely check out the laws in your state or the state you plan on practicing in. Why do you want to become a Physician Assistant (PA)? You can get an accelerated BSN in a year and then start working. (Family np, geriatric np, psych np, acute care np, adult np, etc.). PA's are required to have a minimum of 1,630 hours and NP's are required to have a minimum of 720. I got my BSN the traditional way and went back right away for the FNP. PA Career, PA School Interview “ “What is the difference between a PA and an NP?” This question comes up for most pre-PA students at one of two distinct times. These options are attractive for some because they offer a nice salary ($80,000 is a pretty reasonable starting salary in my region, usually $90k-$120k seems average for an experienced practitioner), less liability, better hours and cheaper education with less debt. Physician assistants are trained to be what I call "mini-physicians." One advantage of NP is if there's no NP jobs, you can still work as an RN. Also, what's your aspiration for even becoming a PA? MD, DO, PA, NP: The Letters That Matter When Choosing a Care … In Oklahoma, NPs cannot push meds like Propfol, Ketamine, and Etomidate but PAs can. I am the recipient of a scholarship that requires me to work … But the PAs during school (at least where i trained) were thrown in with the med students for clinical rotations - pimped by the attendings on rounds pretty much the same. Also for NPs, anyone can correct me, but I heard that some places are phasing them out because they are too expensive and are part of big unions in hospitals? It's half the time and cost. There is no time to implement bullshit nursing models and theories into your practice, its nonsense. To help you answer this question, what follows is a direct comparison of these three educational and professional options, focusing on three specific programs. PAs undergo a more generalized education, but can also specialize in areas like emergency medicine, orthopedics, and general surgery. Things get worse from there. The PAs/NPs primarily see what are essentially "Urgent Care" or slightly higher acuity patients. They participate directly in patient care, taking medical histories, examining and diagnosing patients, developing treatment plans, …