LKPAC Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 We've all seen the articles for years. PA is the top job in the US, or at least near the top of the short list. As a PA, I'm glad, but curious why we don't see NP up there higher and more often. After all, they often get better publicity. I invite a discussion and your thoughts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 It's a trap to saturate the market with PAs and not NPs. Just kidding...but can you imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cop to pa Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 My guess? NP is an upper echelon job for nurses with several years of experience and a professional credential (RN) in hand when applying to school, while PA is quickly being considered as an entry level career (low HCE entry requirements and no professional credential to enter training). This can be attractive when mom and dad are discussing future career possibilities with junior based on their newest US News and World Report that came in the mail... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAdmission Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 It might be because out of school NPs are about as bright as a sack of potatoes and PAs are awesome. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Paula Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 ^^^^^ LOL!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NationalPAEducation Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I have to agree with cop to pa above. It likely has alot to do with the respect given to each profession, but it also has to do with the income. I wrote a blog post that hits hard on this topic here: http://www.physicianassistantstudyguide.com/MedicalJobSalaryComparison.html Sorry its not completely finished, but just finding the data took me hours! Feedback welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db_pavnp Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 PAs have a sexier model. They align themselves with the "medical" model which has an element of superiority. NPs must pick up an RN which largely requires effort that does not directly translate into practice as a clinician. That is to say, PA programs offer a straight shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonlegit Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 while PA is quickly being considered as an entry level career (low HCE entry requirements and no professional credential to enter training). This so much. When you read the Yahoo article or whatever, notice its always spun as a grad school to consider for people in undergrad, or even pre-college. Very different than how the profession is in our heads. Reality is probably somewhere in between. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 My guess? NP is an upper echelon job for nurses with several years of experience and a professional credential (RN) in hand when applying to school, while PA is quickly being considered as an entry level career (low HCE entry requirements and no professional credential to enter training). This can be attractive when mom and dad are discussing future career possibilities with junior based on their newest US News and World Report that came in the mail... That said, I know many NPs who got a BSN and when right into an NP program with no nursing job to speak of. It may not be the common route, but it could certainly become that they way PA has over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 My guess it has to do with.....wait???? Viagra without a prescription! Whoo Hoo!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I wonder how the groups that measure the growth and salary of each profession tracks its data Are they tracking NPs as RNs? How are they categorized etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andersenpa Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 and also calling NPs "bright as a sack of potatoes" makes you look stupider than you accuse them of being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAdmission Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 and also calling NPs "bright as a sack of potatoes" makes you look stupider than you accuse them of being. Then it is fortunate that I don't calibrate my self worth against what others think of me. If it makes you feel any better, the Potato Association of America also contacted me to complain about the simile. http://potatoassociation.org/ But seriously, there is no comparison between the knowledge base out of school. The NP curriculum is crap. Sure, they can eventually build a decent knowledge base, but it is hard to do on a crap foundation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delbert Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Either profession you choose, I'd say it do it now while you're young. Money is something you can always re-gain, loans can always be paid back, but years of life are precious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 That said, I know many NPs who got a BSN and when right into an NP program with no nursing job to speak of. It may not be the common route, but it could certainly become that they way PA has over time. I'm too lazy to try and find actual data, but my experience is the same. I know several NPs that did a straight shot out of undergrad where the RN portion was included in the NP program. I'll also say that these NPs tend to think the "nursing model" is silly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceBanner Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 I agree that there is perception that being a PA is an "entry level" profession. The path to becoming an NP is less direct. It's unfortunate, like many perceptions of PAs. I think the outlook is good for PAs in the workforce, e.g. we will all likely have jobs going forward, but I think the outlook is poor from the standpoint of our autonomy and evolution as medical providers. The assistant title, the ambivalence of the AMA and physician leadership, the lack of a meaningful lobby, and the market saturation of new grads taking bad jobs for low pay----all anchors around our neck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpRegulated Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 It might be because out of school NPs are about as bright as a sack of potatoes and PAs are awesome. Just a thought. Nah, I think it's the PA's annual salary compared to similar roles: Vet's Assistant $23,130 Nurse's Assistant $26,250 Dentist's Assistant $35,260 Executive's Assistant $35,330 Physician's Assistant $90,930 <Ducking for cover.....> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cop to pa Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 The two highest paying jobs on your list (Executive's and Physician's) have the most number of letters. Correlation or causation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpRegulated Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 The two highest paying jobs on your list (Executive's and Physician's) have the most number of letters. Correlation or causation? Anesthesiologist's Assistant $130,000+ I say causation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMPA Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 and also calling NPs "bright as a sack of potatoes" makes you look stupider than you accuse them of being. Ha ha!!! you said "stupider" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
camha92 Posted October 24, 2015 Share Posted October 24, 2015 is it so difficult to respect our NP colleagues? this constant argument of which is the better profession makes us sound very insecure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NationalPAEducation Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 I wonder how the groups that measure the growth and salary of each profession tracks its data Are they tracking NPs as RNs? How are they categorized etc You can find statistics for any type of categorization you can imagine. Here is the Bureau of Labor Statistics groupings for PA's: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#29-0000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted October 27, 2015 Moderator Share Posted October 27, 2015 Nah, I think it's the PA's annual salary compared to similar roles: Vet's Assistant $23,130 Nurse's Assistant $26,250 Dentist's Assistant $35,260 Executive's Assistant $35,330 Physician's Assistant $90,930 <Ducking for cover.....> bam! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAAdmission Posted October 27, 2015 Share Posted October 27, 2015 is it so difficult to respect our NP colleagues? this constant argument of which is the better profession makes us sound very insecure. Argue? Who is arguing? This is not an argument. This is a history lesson. Make no mistake: while there are great individual nurses, by and large "organized nursing" has always been against PAs. The young people here might not have been around to witness it, but acting purely out of self-interest, nurses fought us at every turn. Do you want to know why Mississippi was the last state to license PAs? It was because of nurse lobbying efforts. You will find the same pattern in the state before Mississippi and the state before that. If organized nursing seeks to befriend PAs today it is because they have an agenda and they think they can manipulate us to forward it. Most likely, they think that we can serve as a useful distraction to physicians while they push their doctoral degree and their independent practice. I liked it better when they were openly antagonistic. The false friendship is seriously fooling people. It might be unpopular to do so, but call a spade a spade: Nurses have attacked us without apology and have done nothing to earn respect. NP training adds very little to basic nursing training to teach you how to take care of sick people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatswain2PA Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 It might be unpopular to do so, but call a spade a spade: Please report to the Human Relations office immediately for additional sensitivity indoctrination....errrr.... training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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