Requesting Advice On Career Plan

[RYost234]

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Hello,

I am a recently graduated high school student and I have a career plan that I would like input on. So I have been planning on being a PA for quite some time now, but I have recently thought of starting with a BSN for reasons being:
-Nursing School being easier to get accepted into
-Would have many hospital hours being a Nurse that PA schools would prefer
-Not 100% on PA or NP yet
-Gain maturity before starting PA prereqs (higher grades)
-Fallback plan if not accepted to PA

Do you guys think starting off with a BSN and working for a few years before applying to PA (possibly NP) schools would be a bad idea in my scenario?

Would appreciate all input

Thank You

 

[BreathDeep]

I wouldn't.

1. Don't assume getting in to nursing school is easy. In my area all the programs are extremely impacted. The schools that don't have waiting lists receive hundreds of applicants for ~30 spots. The local state school matriculation statistics show that the average GPA is 3.85 for those accepted, with >80% of them speaking a foreign language too. Sure, this may not be the norm, but it's definitely not abnormal either.

2. PA vs. NP doesn't really matter in any kind of practical way unless you're either dead set on surgery (PA) or psych (NP). I personally think PA is a much better choice, but that's just my person belief.

3. Nursing isn't the only avenue to that. Respiratory Care will give you the same thing, and you can even take all the required PA prereqs for RT school. Same thing applies to becoming a Paramedic.

4. Again, RT or Paramedic also provides the same back up plan. Although RT's make much more than Paramedics, so as far as supporting a family paramedicine can be a bit dicey if you're in an area that doesn't pay their EMS like they should.

I personally would advise against it. But my main reason would actually be because nursing is a profession that should be practiced by folks who want to be nurses. It's hard, demanding work. And there are scores of folk out there dying to get into nursing school to become RN's. Why take a spot from someone who wants to make a career of nursing if you know it's not what you want?

What about going to Respiratory school, or becoming a Paramedic? Your clinical experience would matched only by RN's. If your interested in ICU RT can be great experience since you'll be working in ICU on day 1 most likely, and the pay is strong enough to provide a solid backup like I said before. Or, if EM is your thing, doesn't get too much better than being a Paramedic.

If you like the lab you could always work as a Medical Lab Technician or Clinical Lab Scientist which would be great experience. Ortho or rehab you could become a Physical or Occupational Therapy Assistant. If you love chemistry you could also become a Registered Dietician.

There's lots and lots and lots of options out there other than just becoming an RN.

You might not even need to do any of this either. Look at the PA schools you're interested in, they might not even require much as far as HCE is concerned. If they don't you could easily just get by with some experience as a CNA or EMT-B, and cut-out the middle man of 2-5 years extra schooling.

So this has become really long winded lol. Long story short? If you want to be a PA, focus on being a PA. Get your prereqs done and get excellent grades. Then decide if you want to go straight for PA school, or if you want to pursue another healthcare career first.

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/should-i-do-pa-or-nurse-practioner.1147791/#post-16698222

Do RN for CRNA. More money. Same time.

 

[RYost234]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/should-i-do-pa-or-nurse-practioner.1147791/#post-16698222

Do RN for CRNA. More money. Same time.

Is it about the same difficulty to become a CRNA as an NP? (schooling wise)

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

I have no clue about the difficulty but I can only assume any graduate schooling is difficult. I just know the time it takes to become a CRNA and PA are about the same. I think it usually takes longer to become an NP.

 

[RYost234]

I have no clue about the difficulty but I can only assume any graduate schooling is difficult. I just know the time it takes to become a CRNA and PA are about the same. I think it usually takes longer to become an NP.

I'll definitely look into crna, however I don't think my deciding factor should be about which one pays more because I feel like I would get bored quick if I'm only in for the money

 

[W19]

Getting into CRNA is more difficult than NP since these schools don't accept many applicants... You certainly can do the nursing if your goal is to become a NP or CRNA, but like one poster above said, nursing school is very competitive these days.... However, you can find a pricey private one that is not so competitive... For PA school, you can do respiratory therapy or radiology tech if you are looking for something to make money while getting the hours that most PA schools require...

 

[RYost234]

Getting into CRNA is more difficult than NP since these schools don't accept many applicants... You certainly can do the nursing if your goal is to become a NP or CRNA, but like one poster above said, nursing school is very competitive these days.... However, you can find a pricey private one that is not so competitive... For PA school, you can do respiratory therapy or radiology tech if you are looking for something to make money while getting the hours that most PA schools require...

I think I am confident in saying I decided as of right now that I'll be going the nurse route because I want to work in the psych field and np's own that field compare to pa's. My biggest question now is whether or not I'll go straight for np or work for a while as an rn before applying.

 

[MyNameWasUsed]

You most likely have to work as an RN prior to NP school. It tends to take more time to become an NP.

 

[W19]

I think I am confident in saying I decided as of right now that I'll be going the nurse route because I want to work in the psych field and np's own that field compare to pa's. My biggest question now is whether or not I'll go straight for np or work for a while as an rn before applying.

You will have to work at least 1 year, preferably in psych... Hopefully Florida is not the state you want to practice. Psych NP can be somewhat limited in FL since they can not prescribe any schedule drugs (i.e narcotics).

 

[RYost234]

You will have to work at least 1 year, preferably in psych... Hopefully Florida is not the state you want to practice. Psych NP can be somewhat limited in FL since they can not prescribe any schedule drugs (i.e narcotics).

I feel like I would work at least 1 year even if it wasn't required so that's okay with me. And no, I'm on vacation in Florida right now I plan to work practice in Illinois since that's my home state.

Side question: I've been reading up on average nursing school acceptance gpa's, and from what I've read the average is around 3.7. Is this about right? I don't mean to offend any nurses, but I find it odd that nursing school is almost as challenging to get accepted into as medical schools are gpa wise.

 

[W19]

I think it's high like that for public schools. It's probably lower for private schools.. They also don't take the same prereqs as med students...

 

[RYost234]

I think it's high like that for public schools. It's probably lower for private schools.. They also don't take the same prereqs as med students...

Oh okay. And yes I know that I should have added it in at the end. I have one more question if that's okay. I'm reading about advantages of rn's, and one is that they can work part-time while in school. Is it possible to start work part time with the bsn out of graduation and go straight to masters without the year or two delay, reducing time to become an np?

 

[W19]

@RYost234 Based on my experience (8 year ago in FL), most employers would hire recent grad as full time employee. However, you probably can request to become a part time employee after 6 months into the job IMO... That was what I did. I started full time--working 36 hrs/wk (3x12hrs) and after a few months, I put a request to become a part time employee, which was granted... I sometimes work more hours, but my status as an employee was part time.

 

[RYost234]

@RYost234 Based on my experience (8 year ago in FL), most employers would hire recent grad as full time employee. However, you probably can request to become a part time employee after 6 months into the job IMO... That was what I did. I started full time--working 36 hrs/wk (3x12hrs) and after a few months, I put a request to become a part time employee, which was granted... I sometimes work more hours, but my status as an employee was part time.

Ahh okay that makes sense. As far as msn school, is the workload doable in terms of getting good grades while also working as an rn part time?

 

[W19]

Ahh okay that makes sense. As far as msn school, is the workload doable in terms of getting good grades while also working as an rn part time?

I don't know... I am a medical student and never did a master in nursing. I worked part time as a nurse while doing my BSN and taking prereqs for med school because I had an ADN. I have a friend who is doing NP right now while working 36 hrs/wk and she told me it's hard... You should be able to do it while working part time in my opinion...

 

[RYost234]

I don't know... I am a medical student and never did a master in nursing. I worked part time as a nurse while doing my BSN and taking prereqs for med school because I had an ADN. I have a friend who is doing NP right now while working 36 hrs/wk and she told me it's hard... You should be able to do it while working part time in my opinion...

Oh, okay. If you don't mind me asking, what made you switch from nursing to the medical route?

 

[W19]

@RYost234 I just PM'ed you...