Which would you recommend to your child?

[heatherwillmom]

I second this, I am also a Nurse Practitioner, I am certified in Acute Care, but I work for a cardiology group. I love my job, I get to do everything a doctor can. The only problem is that in the state of Florida I can't write for narcotics, but in a cardiology group we don't write for narcotics.

If you want to be a doctor, then go for it. It is very time consuming. I think the average age of a doctor when they are done with school is early to mid 30's. So if that is what you want to do then start right out of HS.

Good luck!!!

In Tennessee, NP's can get a DEA to write schedule 2-5 narcotics. Some NP's choose not to get a DEA so they don't have to deal with narcotics. Most doctors offices around here have NP's & PA's, even most of the specialists. Some offices have more than one. In our office, there are 2 PA's & I'm the only NP.

 

[heatherwillmom]

yes this, I am also an NP, so I second this


why not?

please don't ever go into nursing!!
no a Nurse doesn't diagnose and treat but a NURSE PRACTITIONER does. I am an NP who worked for years in an Endo practice. I did everything the MD did in that practice.
I am fortunate to be in a state where I have full prescriptive authority.
NP's can even open their own practice if they so choose.


true also for Np's and MD's






NP's and PA's are professionals

in my whole career I have only encountered one or two patients who preferred to see the MD instead of an NP.
Most people love NP's and PA's.
I think you should shadow those in the professions you are interested in and see what you think.
get a real feel for what their day is like
for instance an RN's day is nothing like an NP's or PA"s
good luck with your decision.

I totally agree with this!! There are a lot of patients in our practice that prefer one of the PA's or me. They say that mid-level providers spend more time with them & listen to them better.

 

[imabrat]

yes this, I am also an NP, so I second this


why not?

please don't ever go into nursing!!
no a Nurse doesn't diagnose and treat but a NURSE PRACTITIONER does. I am an NP who worked for years in an Endo practice. I did everything the MD did in that practice.
I am fortunate to be in a state where I have full prescriptive authority.
NP's can even open their own practice if they so choose.


true also for Np's and MD's



NP's and PA's are professionals

in my whole career I have only encountered one or two patients who preferred to see the MD instead of an NP.
Most people love NP's and PA's.
I think you should shadow those in the professions you are interested in and see what you think.
get a real feel for what their day is like
for instance an RN's day is nothing like an NP's or PA"s
good luck with your decision.

I know that NPs and PAs are professionals, but I guess I'm the oddity. I mean I have been seen by an NP in a gyn/ob clinic (there were no women drs and I don't feel comfortable with a male doctor because I'm young) and when my oncologist isn't available, I see his wonderful PA. But, when it comes down to things like diagnosis', I would much rather be seen my a doctor.

 

[bluesaturn]

It depends on the practice that you work in, but where I am now & the practice that I was at before uses a lot of both NP's & Pa's & we make about the same amount of money. There are a few things that a NP can do in our state that a PA can't. A Np can open an independant practice & can work in a urgent care clinic like the type they have in Walgreens & CVS but a PA can't. I don't know why but a PA friend of mine told me about it.

This is good to hear, thanks! I think PAs need to have a MD supervising them in some capacity, so maybe that is why they can't open an independent practice.

 

[Snowysmom]

If you want to go to medical school I would recommend majoring in a science such as biology or biochemistry. My older DS graduated with a degree in biochemistry and went right to medical school where he is now in his 4th year. His college advisor said not to be a pre med major. It sounds like you are motivated for a health related career and that is great. Good luck.

 

[DawnCt1]

All of the PA's I work with do the work of interns basically for their entire career. If I was going to go that route, I would go to medical school instead. At least at my hospital, an RN with an associate's degree is paid more than a PA, so all around, it doesn't seem like a great choice.

I would agree with that statement with the exception of the salary. I think that they generally do better but they work long hours so perhaps its a wash.

 

[DawnCt1]

Please don't become a nurse. We don't need anyone in the profession for whom it is a last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last, last last resort. Patients are too important to have someone who does not love the profession care for them.

Thank you!

 

[DawnCt1]

Okay, OP here, with some insight into the situation.

I spent a year in a hospital for treatment of my cancer, and still visit the hospital frequently. I've built a social life with the doctors and nurses, they are like my second family. I am absolutely 100% sure that I will go into the medical field being either a nurse or a doctor. I feel like I'm meant to go into the medical field now; I have all this knowledge so why not use it?

The PA or NP field does not attract to me simply because when I have an issue and need to be seen by a professional, 9 times out of 10 I would rather be seen by a doctor rather than an NP. The PA thing, while I had an AMAZING! PA while I was in treatment, it does not attract to me either. She told me about her job when I was first diagnosed and it just doesn't seem like something I could see myself in.

Nursing or being a doctor is by no means my last resort. I have narrowed it down to these two occupations, and I am honestly at a fork in the road. There's a 50/50 chance. The fields I'm thinking of going into are Oncology, Orthopedics, or Anesthesiology. I had lots of experience in Oncology and Orthopedics due to my type of cancer, but when I visit for check-ups next month I will definitely be asking to shadow! My doctors are great and treat me like one of their own, which is partially why I am so drawn to be a doctor.

And for what it's worth, I am NOT going into either field for the money. I would still go into either field even if it meant I got paid didley squat.

Thank you for your advice everyone!

Medical School entry is extremely competitive, as is entry to nursing school these days. For medical school entrance, plan on at least a 3.6 gpa and something "else" during that time that will broaden you out as an individual; volunteering in a hospital, taking a foreign aid trip, etc.

 

[malibuconlee]

I would say if you are at all considering going into nursing to do a class and get your CNA license.

I was looking into a nursing program at a community college. One of their requirements was you get your CNA license. For two reasons:
1) they had many students get to the clinicals and decide they couldn't work with sick people.
2) there was a huge turnover in the CNA field. Many of the older nurses who hadn't gone the CNA route had little respect for the CNA's. They found if a nurse had gone that route they appreciated them more.

Yes this is what the nursing instructors told us at orientation. Helps weed people out. The program has a one to two year wait list to get into, they don't want people dropping out part way thru!

 

[luvsmickeymouse]

I am a Family Nurse Practitioner. I am licensed to diagnose, treat, write prescriptions ( including narcotics), suture, etc. I work in a practice where there are also 2 Physicians Assistants. We have 1 doctor who works half days. We are pretty much independant. We can ask his advice if we need it, but we make our own decisions. Being a mid-level provider is great. We bascially can do what the doctors do. The money is good & we don't have to deal with some of the things that the doctors do. With a lot of the changes in health care, mid-levels are becoming more sought after. Insurance companies realize that we can do the same things for a better price which drives our salaries up.

This!

 

[imabrat]

Medical School entry is extremely competitive, as is entry to nursing school these days. For medical school entrance, plan on at least a 3.6 gpa and something "else" during that time that will broaden you out as an individual; volunteering in a hospital, taking a foreign aid trip, etc.

I do a ton of volunteer work in the hospital already, so that should help a bunch.

I would say if you are at all considering going into nursing to do a class and get your CNA license.

I was looking into a nursing program at a community college. One of their requirements was you get your CNA license. For two reasons:
1) they had many students get to the clinicals and decide they couldn't work with sick people.
2) there was a huge turnover in the CNA field. Many of the older nurses who hadn't gone the CNA route had little respect for the CNA's. They found if a nurse had gone that route they appreciated them more.

Yes this is what the nursing instructors told us at orientation. Helps weed people out. The program has a one to two year wait list to get into, they don't want people dropping out part way thru!

Yep, I'm in classes to get my CNA certification now. I spend 1/2 a day at my high school taking the core curriculum, and 1/2 day at the local vo-tech earing my CNA certification. I never thought it would be a requirement for nursing school, I looked at it as simply a way to make money during college and after high school/a good place to start where it would hopefully give me an edge on the other students.

 

[kikids]

no a Nurse doesn't diagnose and treat but a NURSE PRACTITIONER does. .

I'd like to briefly address this comment. I am an RN/BSN at a large Detroit hospital and I guarantee that I diagnose and treat every single day - actually continually every single day. There are entire books on Nursing Diagnoses and Interventions/Outcomes. These are symptoms and conditions for which nurses are legally allowed to, and responsible for, managing without physician intervention.
And aside from this, if you are a patient in the hospital, your nurse is there on the unit with you for 12 straight hours per shift. Your doc will come in for maybe 5 minutes if you're lucky. So when something changes with your vitals, your breathing, your circulation, your signs of infection, your level of consciousness, on and on...who is there to know something is wrong and manage it? Yes, first it's the nurse. Of course the docs are paged and make any decisions as to medication changes, etc. But the docs rely heavily on what the nurse reports and advises. And in the mean time, while waiting for the doc to call back, the nurse is indeed treating that bleeding or getting you oxygen.

For those who are considering MD/PA/NP/RN. I agree with the suggestions to find someone in the profession who will allow you to shadow for a day, or at least sit down and tell you about their typical day and what the job stressors and rewards entail. Also, might not be a bad idea to look up your local hospitals and how many of these professions they employ. Our hospital uses a few NP's and PA's but not too many... maybe 20-30, compared to the thousand or more MD's and RN's we have on staff.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Med school is competitive, if that's what you want to do you need to prepare. Yes, you should look ahead and make sure you have taken all of the required sciences. The required science courses for nursing programs may not be acceptable at med schools. Same with math courses. Study and even take a course to prepare for the MCAT. That score means A LOT. You can have a great GPA, if you have an MCAT score under 30 you're in trouble. You need to do something to stand out from the other candidates. Don't just hand out magazines in a hospital, you need to be shadowing doctors, try to spend a summer volunteering in a clinical research department, do some bench lab research, etc.. I have one friend that started med school two weeks ago and another starts next week. They both graduated from Ivy League colleges with great GPAs, had solid MCAT scores, and great research backgrounds. I know someone else that had the same exact background but her MCAT score was a 28. She didn't get into one medical school, she ended up in a DO program.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I would find a doctor to mentor you if that's really the route you want to go. They can advise you on what coures to take, hook you up with valuable volunteer assignements (they are competitive and often given to those with some affliliation), tell you which schools are best for you to apply to, etc..