PA Vs Nurse Practitioner

[RB_Dez]

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Hello I'm pretty new here so what's up lol.


I just graduated highschool, and I want to become a PA like my dad. I am going to major in Biology, and getting all my prerequisites for the PA school I want to attend that my dad attended. But I was researching stuff about PA school's, and I noticed I needed alot of HCE to be accepted to most schools. My dad did not become a PA until he was like 35 ( he used to be a teacher), and now I am in a pickle. He told me alot of the students in his class where also in thier mid-to-late 20's with bunch of experience in the health field. How would I stand a chance freshly graduating college applying to PA school with very little hours in HCE vs older people?

I know that NP and PA's are pretty much the same in the sense that they both get paid equally and nearly do similar work. Should I just major in nursing, and work as an RN for a while, then apply to become a Nurse Practioner? I think it's a better route since I can find more highly paid jobs as an RN, then a biology major before PA school.



thanks for the advice/help

 

[Qex]

Many have done a nursing degree (BSN), gotten 'on the floor' experience at a hospital or similar (and paid off their student loans) before signing up for the more detailed education that a PA school offers compared to the NP stream. It's still a science degree, and you can always take some physics and some bio- & organic chemistry to impress the admissions committee when applying to PA school.

 

[kbio15]

I'm currently in PA school so hopefully I can shed some light on the subject. You do need HCE for PA school but it varies quite a bit in how much and what type you need from school to school. Working as a CNA, EMT, or MA are the usual routes people go. Some schools are now starting to accept scribe work for HCE as well. I got accepted in to PA school directly out of undergrad and I worked as a CNA all throughout college. There are a lot of younger (even as young as 20) people in my class so it's not uncommon to start PA school directly after undergrad. I would recommend going to http://www.physicianassistantforum.com and browsing around, there is a lot of great information there!

 

[RB_Dez]

^ thanks for the advice man appreciate it

 

[Chemistry>Physics]

Try for med school! You can be as ambitious as you want now, especially when you haven't step foot in college

 

[Cytarabine]

Try for med school! You can be as ambitious as you want now, especially when you haven't step foot in college

Not everyone WANTS to be a doctor, you know

 

[TheWorldWarrior]

Not everyone WANTS to be a doctor, you know

This. This so much. You have to really want it.