NP Direct Entry Route?

[hughesn2]

Hello, lately I have been talking with family friends who keep talking to me about the NP route instead of podiatry. Currently I am studying for the MCAT so I can apply to the 2015 cycle for podiatry. I have a backup plan, which is Biostatistics, but really I know I would enjoy the medical route whether it was PA or NP.

I talked to a family friend who did suggest the NP Direct Entry route. I have a Human Physiology degree, so I do not have a nursing degree. The main reason I didn't want to go down the NP route while in college was because I went down the PA route after freshman year, then a year later went down the podiatry school route. I am concerned more because there aren't many Direct Entry NP schools to choose from and I only have a 3.19 GPA (classes took a toll when I took way too many 400+ level in a semester). After my sit down with these people the NP route sounds amazing and nothing like I assumed the career path was.

I have a CNA certification and worked at a rehab center. The way I see some RNs I don't like that route and that is what the NPs have told me that they disliked their jobs while they were just RNs, but loved the job as NPs. I was wondering how competitive many NP Direct Entry programs are for the non-nursing major students. Also, really any further info some people who have gone through this same situation would be great.

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[pamac]

Direct entry programs aren't really that common, despite what a some folks say. They have higher academic requirements because of the regimen of coursework they have you run to get your RN then your NP. I looked into them, but the cost of it didn't make it much different than going to PA school for me. I wasn't convinced the training would be better. I got my RN and am now working towards my np.

 

[AnnoyedByFreud]

I'm in a DE NP program. Yes, some RNs don't like them, but honestly it doesn't seem to affect hiring decisions, at least not around here. That's probably because most DE NP programs are at prestigious schools, so the reputation helps students get their first job. A novice NP is a novice NP. Also, many students work part-time RN gigs while in NP school. You are correct that these programs are quite competitive. The 3.19 GPA will be an obstacle, but it can be mitigated by a strong GRE, a sincere and well-written goal statement, etc. If you are willing to move and apply broadly, I'm sure you will get in somewhere. There are a ton of threads about the direct entry NP programs on allnurses, so I suggest checking them out (ignore the rest of the content on that site though, it will lower your IQ). You are right that the RN and NP roles are extremely different. Many people still don't know what an NP is, and it's always interesting to see their reaction once they understand what an NP actually does.

 

[hughesn2]

THANKS!! Like both of you said the NP direct entry programs are hard to find. Thank You for the advice. I took an Intro to Nursing course my freshman year at MSU because I was contemplating my route between med school, PA, and RN. One of my mom's maid of honors was a nursing professor at MSU and when she talked to me about the RN route it simply did not appeal to me. Unfortunately, she was not an NP and we never came across the NP route so I never went down the nursing route. I know friends that are recent grads with their BSN degree and at the time they like the pay for being a 23 yr old, but they do not want to be a hospital RN their whole life and want to go down the NP route soon.
I would rather go down the PA route than the NP route, but I am still going down my dream of podiatry med school. Really I screwed up by not trying to go down the Post Baac route for this upcoming school year.

 

[AnnoyedByFreud]

It sounds to me like you need to step back and consider what you want to do. You've mentioned three different careers (Podiatry, NP, PA). You have plenty of time to decide what you want and it isn't too late for anything. Do not rush into a program based on expedience. Shadow the people who are in the roles that you are interested in. Do not shadow an RN, but rather an NP. Shadow a PA and then a Podiatrist. Think about your career goals and do research on each field. Then make an informed decision and put a plan into place and go from there. Don't just rush into podiatry or whatever because it feels like that's what you 'should' do or that it's 'too late' for you to do nursing. Do what you actually want to do. You have time.

 

[hughesn2]

I have shadowed a podiatrist and PA. That is why I still have a passion for both of them. It isn't like a week ago I woke up and thought "Hey those two career choices sound like fun." I was pre-podiatry or pre-PA all 4yrs while I was in undergrad. It was just recently that I talked with someone who talked to me about the direct entry NP route. I was pre-podiatry from August 2012 to now, but just thinking of other plans in the medical field.
If I had to choose between PA and NP I would select PA, but really for me it is the competitiveness of PA schools and it was a bad idea to quit my job as a nurse aide at a crap nursing home.

 

[Whyyyyy]

I have shadowed a podiatrist and PA. That is why I still have a passion for both of them. It isn't like a week ago I woke up and thought "Hey those two career choices sound like fun." I was pre-podiatry or pre-PA all 4yrs while I was in undergrad. It was just recently that I talked with someone who talked to me about the direct entry NP route. I was pre-podiatry from August 2012 to now, but just thinking of other plans in the medical field.
If I had to choose between PA and NP I would select PA, but really for me it is the competitiveness of PA schools and it was a bad idea to quit my job as a nurse aide at a crap nursing home.

Um, I am pretty sure a direct NP would be very competitive...
I think you shouldn't give up on being a PA if that's what you really want to do (2nd to podiatry lol) Why don't you try retaking classes or getting some great health care experiences?

 

[sarjasy]

There are a ton of threads about the direct entry NP programs on allnurses, so I suggest checking them out (ignore the rest of the content on that site though, it will lower your IQ).

Lower your IQ it certainly will. The NP area is better, but still... Npforum.net is better. It's new, so still relatively small, but the discussions are of much higher quality.

 

[fab4fan]

Lower your IQ it certainly will. The NP area is better, but still... Npforum.net is better. It's new, so still relatively small, but the discussions are of much higher quality.

You weren't kidding about that site's ability to lower one's IQ. Reading the posts there made me want to weep for their abuse of the English language.

 

[AnnoyedByFreud]

Lower your IQ it certainly will. The NP area is better, but still... Npforum.net is better. It's new, so still relatively small, but the discussions are of much higher quality.

I checked out that forum but it doesn't seem very active. :-/