teenyfish Posted February 29, 2016 Share Posted February 29, 2016 I'm in the Boston area, and will be applying to PA school this spring. I have a friend who is going to NP school, and when I mentioned that I was mainly interested in primary care, she said that I would be better off going NP for that in MA. A mentor of mine told me to search jobs that I would like in the area that I would like to live in in the future and see who they are looking for, PA or NP. I did a quick search for a few specialties I'm interested in (FM, Peds, Geri, Psych) and it was much more NP heavy than PA. I found a lot of PA jobs in surgical specialties, which I would not be against and I have enjoyed when I've shadowed but as of now I'm leaning towards primary care. A major reason I want to go to PA school over NP school is the curriculum and diversity of clinical rotations but I also don't want to have a difficult time finding a job in the specialities I'm interested in. What has your experience been in MA? I would eventually like to settle down in MA/RI area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlottew Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 My experience going to PA school in MA was: 1. My thinking about what sort of work I wanted to do changed during PA school. This was also true for probably the majority of my classmates. Getting out on rotations and actually experiencing what it's like to work in that area, can really change your view. 2. Pretty much everyone was able to get a job in the specialty that they wanted. ED jobs are a little harder to come by without prior experience, as is critical care. Doing a residency helps for those. Or you can take a primary care, urgent care or hospitalist job just coming out of school to get some experience. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted March 1, 2016 Moderator Share Posted March 1, 2016 NPs are slightly ahead in primary care Both still need a SP if you write Scheduled meds (not independent there) NP must have the name of their SP on their Scripts - PA's do not Both must have quarterly supervision meetings with their SP NP can sign Death Certs - PA can not NP can sign all MASS HEALTH forms - PA can not Neither NP or PA can sign for VNA or Hospice Practice ownership - NP can direct bill - PA has to own a Corp (see my tag line below - it is totally doable) Biggest issue for you - NP is limited to the field they are trained in. If you want to try surgery, then ICU, then ER and then PCP - no go as an NP (with a few rare exceptions) If you want to do Psych - go for it as a PA - but as NP you had better be a Psych Nurse.... Same with Geri - but they just eliminated Geri NP's so now FNP or Adult gets it..... I believe PA education prepares you far better for practice. NP's are much more politically active Clear as mud..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlottew Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Actually NP's cannot sign death certificates in MA, same as PA's. NP's and PA's can pronounce death, however. That's my understanding, at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidccs Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 So you are ready to apply to PA school now, so Im assuming you HCE, PA shadowing, all the classes, the grades, the LORs, etc. How much longer would it take for you to be able to apply for NP school? From the limited info, it seems like it would take you at least at extra year to be ready to apply to NP school (again, limited info), plus the loss of income associated. On the flip side, NP school is a lot cheaper than PA school, and it is geared towards working nursing with a good schedule whereas PA is the opposite (im sure you know this) Also consider that PAs are trained to assist in surgery as well as perform some procedures that would require an extra course in NP school, but you wanting to go into PC would negative the need for that, unless you decided you hate PC and now wanted to return to EM (as happened to a NP I know) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted March 1, 2016 Moderator Share Posted March 1, 2016 Actually NP's cannot sign death certificates in MA, same as PA's. NP's and PA's can pronounce death, however. That's my understanding, at least. not true changed after the 2012 cost containment bill Best piece of advocacy I have ever seen - this is the same bill that gave huge amounts to PA's with maybe 10 parapraghs in the bill The NP's had a single line..... NP's can sign anything a doc can..... BOOM They can sign all forms except federal Last year the DOH actually changed all the form Yes, NP can sign death cert..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teenyfish Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Hmmm, very interesting. Thanks everyone. I think I will continue on my path to becoming a PA, just wanted to check with those who are practicing here to see what the job climate is like. Charlottew you are right, I really won't know what I like until I get into rotations, and the beauty of being a PA vs NP is that I don't have to choose upfront. I would like to do a residency after school anyway, so I wouldn't be looking for a job right away. Davidccs - I would apply to direct entry MS programs for NP school. However, I didn't like that I had to choose right away which track I would be on, and the curriculum and smaller amount of clinical hours did not appeal to me as much. I would only have to take nutrition I believe to be eligible for NP programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlottew Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 not true NP's can sign anything a doc can..... BOOM They can sign all forms except federal Last year the DOH actually changed all the form Yes, NP can sign death cert..... Sorry for the late reply, but a little Googling confirms that indeed you are right, under MA state law NP's can sign death certificates. I guess this means they can be on-line certifiers, too? At my institution at least, we do not allow NP's to sign death certs, they have to do pronouncements just like PA's. I guess we are still living in 2011. Hunh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted April 9, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 9, 2019 On 6/10/2016 at 11:32 PM, charlottew said: Sorry for the late reply, but a little Googling confirms that indeed you are right, under MA state law NP's can sign death certificates. I guess this means they can be on-line certifiers, too? At my institution at least, we do not allow NP's to sign death certs, they have to do pronouncements just like PA's. I guess we are still living in 2011. Hunh. NP and PA can sign. Yes to online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlottew Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 Yes, in the nearly three years since my prior post, the law in my state has been changed to allow PA's (as well as NP's) to certify, and we are now rolling out online certification of death by both PA's and NP's, at my institution. About friggin time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator ventana Posted April 15, 2019 Moderator Share Posted April 15, 2019 Now we just have to get OTP passed, get ride of SP agreements.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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