CSCH Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 Thanks for all the replies! This helps me better understand why it is so hard for PAs to gain rights. Don't worry, I'm not going to jump out in the middle of PA school. It's going really well, and that would just be crazy. I've looked at LECOM, and also LMU's doctoral programs, but of course I want to get out there and practice for at least a few years before I make any additional moves. I've also looked at MPH programs, as a way of expanding my practice to the community level and perhaps as an extra feather in my cap, if you will. ACNPstudent, I especially appreciated your input and honesty. I'm so proud of my boyfriend for getting into a really amazing program. Guys, can I ask a kind of dumb question? Why are there two professions to begin with? I've always assumed it was because nursing programs were hostile to non-nurses, but my boyfriend's situation proves that wrong at least in some circumstances, and/or points toward a change in attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk732 Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 I have never and will never want to be an NP. Wasn't even a consideration. Our education is night and day - this is confirmed by my multiple NP friends who are shocked how ill prepared they are to actually be critical thinkers and diagnosticians once they leave school. Also confirmed by the fact that nearly every single smart as heck ER doctor I've worked with said that they are more impressed by and comfortable with the new grad PAs than they are with the NPs with ten years of experience. They say we are trained to think like physicians... Pity none of these folks step forward to the State Medical Boards/VA, etc with these opinions. Like folks are saying in this and other threads, talking amongst yourselves/ourselves is pretty much useless - grabbing the problem by the external genitalia and getting speaking out to the State/Provincial/National Organizations, to the media and to government is what changes things up. $0.02 Cdn SK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 20, 2016 Moderator Share Posted December 20, 2016 CSCH- if you are getting an MS for PA school seriously consider a doctorate of some kinds next. for the price of an MPH(another masters), you could get a doctorate like a DrPH or a DHSc or DMSc. just something to think about. I also considered MPH a few years ago but decided that since I already have a masters it just made more sense to go the doctorate route. see my thread "taking the DHSc plunge" in the recovery room section here. it is a 4 yr long thread of my decision process and class by class progress through my doctorate program in health sci and global health. hope it is of assistance in your decision making process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaepora Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 there is a move to have independent state boards of PA medicine in all 50 states. I believe that is on the AAPA agenda. a few states have this already. it's one step from there to independence. My understanding of these PA boards are that they are "the Physician Assistant Board of the Medical Board of...". So really still under the auspices of the medical boards. If there truly are completely separate PA boards in some states then that is extremely promising. I'm glad he's going to one of the better programs. The completely virtual schools are (should be) an embarrassment to the profession but, for whatever reason, the certifying bodies don't seem to care much, and those with poor stats will continue to apply and pay for a substandard education. This should be the first and easiest narrowing criteria when choosing schools - are you required to come to an actual campus? Then go from there. Oh well. When I graduate and start to practice I plan to become a very squeaky wheel about this issue. It's really the FNP programs that have these problems though. One of the reasons I chose ACNP (in addition to being an ICU RN). But that's a completely separate issue. And I totally agree with EMEDPA. Get a doctorate. Unless the MPH is exactly what you want, don't constrain yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TWR Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Just curious if any of the doctorates for PA's has opened anymore doors or increased your income or just made you feel better (and smarter). I think an MPH or MHA would open a lot of doors and diversity and pay big bucks. IMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted December 21, 2016 Moderator Share Posted December 21, 2016 Just curious if any of the doctorates for PA's has opened anymore doors or increased your income or just made you feel better (and smarter). I think an MPH or MHA would open a lot of doors and diversity and pay big bucks. IMHO opened doors( better overseas/international/disaster leadership opportunities). increased income(teaching) and made me feel smarter...:) also the Govt(state dept, etc) pays FOUR salary staeps higher for a doctorate in a health care field if you ever see yourself doing public health service, state dept, etc my DHSc covered most of the MPH coursework plus another 20 units in global health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSCH Posted May 9, 2017 Author Share Posted May 9, 2017 Just wanted to jump back on and say that my boyfriend's program didn't turn out to be what it said it was going to be. He's doing a master's entry into nursing, so at the end of his 5-semester program, he'll be an MSN who can sit for NCLEX and become a RN. In order to become an NP, he can go directly into another 5-semester program. In order to be a DNP, he has to work for a year, and then go to school for another 2-3 years. So he is definitely not getting a doctoral degree in the short period I thought he was. Just wanted to clarify. He's decided he doesn't want or need a doctoral degree because he just wants to practice, so he's planning on going directly into an NP program. Looking back at all of this, I really don't think his path has any advantage of mine, and now that I'm out on clinical rotations, I'm really seeing how happy I'm going to be with the scope of practice of a PA. Eventually, I'll look again at the doctoral PA degree (hopefully by then it will be available at more schools beyond just LMU) and see if it will add to my resume in a practical way or if it's being actually recognized by employers. And I look forward to advocating for myself and my profession as a PA to push for different supervisory language in the laws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2234leej Posted May 11, 2017 Share Posted May 11, 2017 You're going to do great things with whatever you decide to do. I chose going the NP route because I had already obtained my doctorate in physical therapy. I am also interested in primary care and psych which is an area that NPs (as well as PAs) really flourish in. There is a shortage of nursing faculty that is on the rise, and with so many schools across the country, teaching and administrative opportunities are endless. Nurses are chief officers, surgeon generals (hah even though I'd rather not have that), etc. They have way too much political clout to it take into consideration when deciding a career. Those were one of the main reasons going the NP route was a better fit for me. If you have any questions feel free to message me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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