plowboy911 Posted January 28, 2012 Author Share Posted January 28, 2012 I am a registered nurse with about 5 years of experience including ICU. I have long considered the PA route (and also ponder the CRNA route). My question to those in the know: how much will my nursing experience help me getting in to school and while in school, and will my experience count for something when I graduate and begin looking for a job (ie. because I have some acute/critical care nursing experience, am I a more attractive candidate and thus able to command a higher salary)? Any thoughts on PA route vs. CRNA? Obviously two different beasts, but both very attractive to someone like me wanting to do more, increased responsibility, etc, but I am thinking more along the lines of pros/cons to each? I am not interested in becoming a NP. The one downside to becoming a PA is the fact I live in Missouri. Not exactly the most PA friendly state. Kansas is just a few miles away, however... Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plowboy911 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 I am a registered nurse with about 5 years of experience including ICU. I have long considered the PA route (and also ponder the CRNA route). My question to those in the know: how much will my nursing experience help me getting in to school and while in school, and will my experience count for something when I graduate and begin looking for a job (ie. because I have some acute/critical care nursing experience, am I a more attractive candidate and thus able to command a higher salary)? Any thoughts on PA route vs. CRNA? Obviously two different beasts, but both very attractive to someone like me wanting to do more, increased responsibility, etc, but I am thinking more along the lines of pros/cons to each? I am not interested in becoming a NP. The one downside to becoming a PA is the fact I live in Missouri. Not exactly the most PA friendly state. Kansas is just a few miles away, however... Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Nursing experience is very helpful when applying to PA schools and I can only imagine it will make you a more ideal job applicant when compared to someone with no previous experience in healthcare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Nursing experience is very helpful when applying to PA schools and I can only imagine it will make you a more ideal job applicant when compared to someone with no previous experience in healthcare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craigk Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 It all really depends on what you want to do I guess. I was an ER nurse for 18 years before PA school and I'm 6 months from graduation. I found a lot of my nursing experience to be a big help but also a big hindrance. During didactic there were subjects that I had extensive exposure like, EKG's, Lab/xray, Pharmacology, so I didn't have to put as much effort as some of my classmates on these so I could focus on things that I struggled with. Not saying that I completely ignored these topics but it was more of a refresher on some of the topics. The hindrance has come during the clinical aspect of my program. I sometimes find myself falling into a nursing role while seeing a patient, especially doing a H&P from a nursing aspect as opposed to what I'm trained for as a PA-S. I don't do it as much now as I did in the 1st couple rotations but from time to time I still catch myself doing it. Overall I feel my years of nursing to be of great benefit to me during this odyssey. You have to ask what you want to do, I enjoy the patient interactions afforded me in this career path, my backpacking buddy is a CRNA and loves his job. Good luck in whatever you decide. I'm not sure about how nursing experience would play in the job hunt as far as salary is concerned but I've been told that because of my background it does make me a more appealing candidate. I wouldn't think nursing would equate to much higher salary because your role has now changed, may get a little but I'm really not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craigk Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 It all really depends on what you want to do I guess. I was an ER nurse for 18 years before PA school and I'm 6 months from graduation. I found a lot of my nursing experience to be a big help but also a big hindrance. During didactic there were subjects that I had extensive exposure like, EKG's, Lab/xray, Pharmacology, so I didn't have to put as much effort as some of my classmates on these so I could focus on things that I struggled with. Not saying that I completely ignored these topics but it was more of a refresher on some of the topics. The hindrance has come during the clinical aspect of my program. I sometimes find myself falling into a nursing role while seeing a patient, especially doing a H&P from a nursing aspect as opposed to what I'm trained for as a PA-S. I don't do it as much now as I did in the 1st couple rotations but from time to time I still catch myself doing it. Overall I feel my years of nursing to be of great benefit to me during this odyssey. You have to ask what you want to do, I enjoy the patient interactions afforded me in this career path, my backpacking buddy is a CRNA and loves his job. Good luck in whatever you decide. I'm not sure about how nursing experience would play in the job hunt as far as salary is concerned but I've been told that because of my background it does make me a more appealing candidate. I wouldn't think nursing would equate to much higher salary because your role has now changed, may get a little but I'm really not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Research your school choice. Some schools love previous experience while other programs prefer to build their student from the ground up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Steve Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 Research your school choice. Some schools love previous experience while other programs prefer to build their student from the ground up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medman2007 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 You will find your Nsg experience quite helpful. Especially with patient interactions and being more comfortable in stressful situations. But as a poster alluded to above the mindset taken toward patient dx/tx/mgt is very different as a pa, but those communication and critical thinking skills learned in ICU will always come in handy. I too pondered CRNA vs NP vs PA for a good while, but in the end knew the flexibility of the PA role (once certified) was the way to go. The pull of CRNA salaries was strong, but you'll be surprised at the income many PAs make. Obviously, on avg, CRNA will make more but there are several PA specialties where one can do very well with very doable work schedules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medman2007 Posted January 28, 2012 Share Posted January 28, 2012 You will find your Nsg experience quite helpful. Especially with patient interactions and being more comfortable in stressful situations. But as a poster alluded to above the mindset taken toward patient dx/tx/mgt is very different as a pa, but those communication and critical thinking skills learned in ICU will always come in handy. I too pondered CRNA vs NP vs PA for a good while, but in the end knew the flexibility of the PA role (once certified) was the way to go. The pull of CRNA salaries was strong, but you'll be surprised at the income many PAs make. Obviously, on avg, CRNA will make more but there are several PA specialties where one can do very well with very doable work schedules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 28, 2012 Moderator Share Posted January 28, 2012 also consider the dual pa/np program at uc davis. 2 yrs, both certs. good option for an rn with a bsn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted January 28, 2012 Moderator Share Posted January 28, 2012 also consider the dual pa/np program at uc davis. 2 yrs, both certs. good option for an rn with a bsn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I think that experience in certain fields helps. In my class, we have nurses, Xray techs, paramedics, and students with little experience. The students with experience seem to struggle a lot less than the ones with little experience. The hard part is putting aside things that you have done for years that no longer apply in your new role as a PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie Posted January 29, 2012 Share Posted January 29, 2012 I think that experience in certain fields helps. In my class, we have nurses, Xray techs, paramedics, and students with little experience. The students with experience seem to struggle a lot less than the ones with little experience. The hard part is putting aside things that you have done for years that no longer apply in your new role as a PA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPA Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Sounds like you got great experience for both PA vs CRNA. With a PA the plus side is you could work in any area of medicine, with CRNA I think you'd be limited. Good luck both are great options for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopefulPA Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Sounds like you got great experience for both PA vs CRNA. With a PA the plus side is you could work in any area of medicine, with CRNA I think you'd be limited. Good luck both are great options for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plowboy911 Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks for the great replies. I continue to weigh my options, as I have been for what feels like forever. I need to make a decision so I can formulate a plan. I go back and forth. It's frustrating. I'm on the right playing field, but just can't figure out if I want to be linebacker or running back... I will soon be 40. I'm not an old man, but i'm also not a young man. Unless I win the lottery, which I do not even play, I need to work for 25 more years. I try to picture myself at 55 as a PA or CRNA. It seems the PA role is one I could work in longer. The majority of CRNAs I work with are all under 40. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Thanks for the great replies. I continue to weigh my options, as I have been for what feels like forever. I need to make a decision so I can formulate a plan. I go back and forth. It's frustrating. I'm on the right playing field, but just can't figure out if I want to be linebacker or running back... I will soon be 40. I'm not an old man, but i'm also not a young man. Unless I win the lottery, which I do not even play, I need to work for 25 more years. I try to picture myself at 55 as a PA or CRNA. It seems the PA role is one I could work in longer. The majority of CRNAs I work with are all under 40. Thoughts? I guess the question you have to ask yourself is whether you would like to sit in the OR doing the CRNA thing for the next 25 years or be able to move around in different specialties as a PA. It all depends on your interests and how restless you get. I love knowing that I can work in one field, take some per diem shifts in another, and switch to something else five years down the line when I feel comfortable in an area and want to continue my learning. If push came to shove and you were a PA but still had that desire to do anesthesiology a few years down the line, you could do a PA to AA bridge and have the best of both worlds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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