Am I missing something? Direct Entry FNP vs PA.

[FiremedicMike]

I feel like I'm missing something here, so I'd really like some input on my understanding of the choices in front of me.

I have been working for the last 6 years or so to complete my undergraduate degree with the intent on going to medical or PA school.  I wrapped up my degree in public safety management and began to lay the pathways out for medical school and PA school and found that the pre-requisites were nearly identical.  As I was lamenting over which pathway I should go, I caught wind of a direct entry FNP program at a local, respected university.  I spoke with a student advisor who said that the workload during school was 1 day per week in the classroom and 12 hours per week of clinicals, and that as long as I had some flexibility in my job (I do), it's not hard to work full-time while attending their program.  The pre-requisites; anatomy and physiology, microbiology, pharmacology, and an STNA certification... (sadly, my experience as a paramedic doesn't count for STNA)..

So my current plan is to wrap up my pre-reqs for NP school (should take another 3 semesters), complete the FNP course, obtain an ACNP certificate on top of that, at which point I'll have my years in to retire from the fire dept.  My goal is to work in a semi-rural hospital near where I live either in the ED or as a hospitalist.

While I do understand that the FNP training is far less rigorous, I also feel I am an open minded person when it comes to identifying my own knowledge gaps and then working to teach myself in areas that I am deficient.  

So, seriously, tear my plan apart.  No this isn't a "looks like you've made up your mind" type of post where I'm just looking for validation, I honestly feel like these direct entry FNP programs are too good to be true.  I want to know if I'm really looking at this correctly, and who better to ask than those with the experience!

Thanks!

 

[DiggySRNA]

What program is this, maybe we could look at the curriculum and see what it entails.  

1 day for classroom + 1 12 hr shift/week clinical? I don't think that's right. 

Solely for comparison reasons, I'll be attending an ABSN program and so far my schedule consists of classes 3-4x time per week (+ an online course) and then 1 day for immersion (clinical) per week. 

[FiremedicMike]

I apologize, that was slightly misleading.  There is more than 1 day per week of class, however only 1 day per week that needs to be done in the classroom itself, the rest is done via distance learning.  Then there's clinicals on top of that.

 

 

 

 

[DiggySRNA]

Ah, I see, that makes more sense.

Well it seems there a ton of NP programs that are completed semi-online and it depends on what type of student you are. If you feel like you can excel in the program then why not. 

I for one need a brick-and-mortar program lol. Direct entry FNP programs allow you to streamline into becoming a provider where you obtain both your RN and FNP licensures simultaneously.

So far, it looks like you have a solid plan.  

[EMEDPA]

Do a bit of research into potential future jobs. in may parts of the country the rural ER jobs go to PAs only. this may be different where you live/want to live. while a paramedic background is great, most NP curricula will not be close to what you could get in PA school to prepare you for a future doing rural ER work. many np programs consist of 500 hrs of clinicals, mostly in primary care. even the acnp programs often only have 800 hrs of clinicals. compare this with the 2000-3000 hrs in a typical pa program. for example I had 54 weeks of full time clinicals , around 3000 hrs, including rotations in EM, peds em, trauma surgery, etc. 27 of 54 weeks spent in em or trauma surg with all my electives em related. also had all the nl primary care stuff (Hospitalist, psych, ob, FP, etc).

just because a pathway is easier doesn't always make it the right choice. do your research and make sure the jobs you want are out there when you are done. good luck whatever you decide.

[FiremedicMike]

Thanks for that feedback, that's something I hadn't considered..  I would hate to go through all that schooling and not have the career mobility that I thought I did. 

I am in Ohio, which I'm told is more NP friendly than PA friendly, but I should definitely check around with some local resources to find out how true that really is..

 

 

[EMEDPA]

I would be surprised if PAs or NPs could do solo/rural coverage in OH. it is not a very pa/np friendly state overall....