Advice!!!

[FutureDr215]

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Good Evening all...I am really pondering what path should I take in the medical field. Emergency medicine always fascinated me. I want to obtain the knodwlege required to manage sickness and a person well being. I also like leadership positions where I am challenged everyday to overcome obstacles. I always wanted to go to med school and become a physcian but lately I question this because I discovered the Np field. I do not want to turn this thread into the whole MD vs NP debate but I need questions answered. I am currently enrolled at my junior college in the Tristate area and I have a little over 60 credits under my belt (no associates degree). So far for med school I took College chem twice and got a D letter grade!! I think thats where my discouragement kicked in. I am 22 and I have a lack of credentials for med school. I started looking for alternative careers after that and stumble upon NP. I have the prereqs for the BSN program (A&P 1&2 and Micro ect) ; basically the classes that do not count for med school prereqs.
P.S my current gpa is a 3.1

Here are my questions

1. What is the underlining difference between an Emergency Physician and Emergency NP? (include lifestyle if you could)

2. Do you recommend that i go from NP to MD? If so can anybody give me the pros and con taking this route

3.What are some of the rewarding factors being a EP vs NP

4. As a NP will you always deal with MDs letting you know you are inferior to them?

5. Is it possible can someone give me an example of the percentage studentloan will take out ya check as an EP and NP?

6. As you read my testimony, what do you THINK i should do?

***All answers are welcomed!

 

[GreenDuck12]

I cannot answer questions 1-4

Question 5 is not formulated in a way that can be answered. The percentage of your paycheck that will be "taken out" (it isn't taken out) depends on 1. debt accumulated for school/training and the relevant interest rates 2. the size of your paycheck 3. the loan repayment option that you choose. Standard loan repayment is 10 years, it can be lengthened to lower your monthly payment but will ultimately result in you paying more due to interest. Do some research on the cost of undergrad +medical school vs NP training. Also do research on https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/repay-loans

Question 6 is obvious: go shadow a variety of NP and MDs to determine which interests you the most and which one you are willing to put in the work for. As of now, your gpa is low for nursing or medical programs. This will need to be addressed moving forward in either direction.

Good Evening all...I am really pondering what path should I take in the medical field. Emergency medicine always fascinated me. I want to obtain the knodwlege required to manage sickness and a person well being. I also like leadership positions where I am challenged everyday to overcome obstacles. I always wanted to go to med school and become a physcian but lately I question this because I discovered the Np field. I do not want to turn this thread into the whole MD vs NP debate but I need questions answered. I am currently enrolled at my junior college in the Tristate area and I have a little over 60 credits under my belt (no associates degree). So far for med school I took College chem twice and got a D letter grade!! I think thats where my discouragement kicked in. I am 22 and I have a lack of credentials for med school. I started looking for alternative careers after that and stumble upon NP. I have the prereqs for the BSN program (A&P 1&2 and Micro ect) ; basically the classes that do not count for med school prereqs.
P.S my current gpa is a 3.1

Here are my questions

1. What is the underlining difference between an Emergency Physician and Emergency NP? (include lifestyle if you could)

2. Do you recommend that i go from NP to MD? If so can anybody give me the pros and con taking this route

3.What are some of the rewarding factors being a EP vs NP

4. As a NP will you always deal with MDs letting you know you are inferior to them?

5. Is it possible can someone give me an example of the percentage studentloan will take out ya check as an EP and NP?

6. As you read my testimony, what do you THINK i should do?

***All answers are welcomed!

 

[Law2Doc]

Good Evening all...I am really pondering what path should I take in the medical field. Emergency medicine always fascinated me. I want to obtain the knodwlege required to manage sickness and a person well being. I also like leadership positions where I am challenged everyday to overcome obstacles. I always wanted to go to med school and become a physcian but lately I question this because I discovered the Np field. I do not want to turn this thread into the whole MD vs NP debate but I need questions answered. I am currently enrolled at my junior college in the Tristate area and I have a little over 60 credits under my belt (no associates degree). So far for med school I took College chem twice and got a D letter grade!! I think thats where my discouragement kicked in. I am 22 and I have a lack of credentials for med school. I started looking for alternative careers after that and stumble upon NP. I have the prereqs for the BSN program (A&P 1&2 and Micro ect) ; basically the classes that do not count for med school prereqs.
P.S my current gpa is a 3.1

Here are my questions

1. What is the underlining difference between an Emergency Physician and Emergency NP? (include lifestyle if you could)

2. Do you recommend that i go from NP to MD? If so can anybody give me the pros and con taking this route

3.What are some of the rewarding factors being a EP vs NP

4. As a NP will you always deal with MDs letting you know you are inferior to them?

5. Is it possible can someone give me an example of the percentage studentloan will take out ya check as an EP and NP?

6. As you read my testimony, what do you THINK i should do?

***All answers are welcomed!

1. An EM physician has a lot more training, and will be competent to deal with much more complex patients, with no supervision. NPs in the ED are generally working under the supervision of an attending and often assigned the more straightforward appearing ED patients. The pay for physicians is substantially higher (but somewhat offset by the years of training and debt) and because of shift work, the hours probably aren't all that disparate.
2. You have to figure out your own career goals.
3. See number 1. As a doctor you'll be better trained, handle more complex patients independently, and earn more.
4. Your schooling and training as an NP WILL be many years fewer, so you will be a lesser trained cog in the healthcare machine. MDs aren't generally going to give you any issues about that directly, but it might be a cause of angst inside your own head.
5,6. See above posters response.

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

In my opinion, it's not so much that doctors are better trained but rather that they're trained differently to take on a very different role than NPs. As an EM doc, you'll be trained to handle everything from sprained ankles and sore throats to gunshot wounds and severe sepsis. You'll work as a part of a healthcare team along with RNs, NPs, and PAs, but you will be in a position of leadership/authority in that team. In the hospital I work at, NPs work alongside physicians and seem (at least from my perspective as an outsider) to have a fair degree to autonomy. However, they generally only treat patients with the least severe complaints. And ultimately, they are expected to present their treatment plan to the attending physician for approval.

I think you should spend some time shadowing both MDs and NPs (and probably some PAs as well). That will give you the best sense of how responsibilities differ in each field. It's certainly possible to go from NP --> MD but I wouldn't plan to go that route simply because it's a waste of time and money and med school is already long and expensive. I also think, in terms of academics, that you should spend some time figuring out why you got a D in chem. Was it an issue of poor study skills? Lack of conceptual understanding of the material? Even if you decide med school isn't the best route for you, it's always good to understand what your weaknesses are as a student. If you do decide on med school, your GPA will need a boost. I don't know as much as about the competitiveness of NP programs but obviously, a GPA boost wouldn't hurt there either.

 

[FutureDr215]

In my opinion, it's not so much that doctors are better trained but rather that they're trained differently to take on a very different role than NPs. As an EM doc, you'll be trained to handle everything from sprained ankles and sore throats to gunshot wounds and severe sepsis. You'll work as a part of a healthcare team along with RNs, NPs, and PAs, but you will be in a position of leadership/authority in that team. In the hospital I work at, NPs work alongside physicians and seem (at least from my perspective as an outsider) to have a fair degree to autonomy. However, they generally only treat patients with the least severe complaints. And ultimately, they are expected to present their treatment plan to the attending physician for approval.

I think you should spend some time shadowing both MDs and NPs (and probably some PAs as well). That will give you the best sense of how responsibilities differ in each field. It's certainly possible to go from NP --> MD but I wouldn't plan to go that route simply because it's a waste of time and money and med school is already long and expensive. I also think, in terms of academics, that you should spend some time figuring out why you got a D in chem. Was it an issue of poor study skills? Lack of conceptual understanding of the material? Even if you decide med school isn't the best route for you, it's always good to understand what your weaknesses are as a student. If you do decide on med school, your GPA will need a boost. I don't know as much as about the competitiveness of NP programs but obviously, a GPA boost wouldn't hurt there either.

Okay thanks for the advice. I really do believe i got the D twice because of poor study skills. This time around I am extremely focused. I just have one more question. Do medical school/DO schools accept science courses taken in the summer?

 

[thatwouldbeanarchy]

Okay thanks for the advice. I really do believe i got the D twice because of poor study skills. This time around I am extremely focused. I just have one more question. Do medical school/DO schools accept science courses taken in the summer?

Yes, as long as the courses are taken for credit. Just be careful, though--sometimes summer courses are shorter and more fast-paced. Med schools will definitely accept them but they may be end up being more challenging than classes taken during the school year. I'm sure this varies by school and the course itself but at least that's how it was at my postbacc school. 🙂 Just something to think about. Good luck.