QuirkyMedKid Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 This is my first post on here but I'm very stressed about a big decision I have to make: continuing with my Biochemistry B.S. or switching to Nursing for a BSN. Either way, I really think I want to be a P.A. I absolutely love chemistry but I do not desire to pursue chemical school and am not interested in Pharmacy/Medical school because of the number of years it takes to become either. Therefore, if I got my Biochemistry degree, my only desire would be to pursue P.A school. However, I have been talking a lot to my older sister who is a pharmacist with many friends in various spectrums of the medical field and she says that it's extremely difficult to get into P.A school without a lot of prior HCE. She also said that a lot of the people who get accepted are people who are nurses or other medical professionals and usually older. I don't mind the idea of becoming nurse for a few years or even pursuing nurse practitioner but my worry about being one permanently is that I may not enjoy nursing model occupations as much as I would a medical model occupations. This leads me to my question: Is it wise to become a nurse if I am seriously entertaining the idea of P.A school? If so and I don't enjoy nursing, I know that I could bite the bullet a few years until hopefully getting accepted into a P.A school. If not, I don't want to take that risk. The reason that I am thinking nursing instead of a Biochemistry degree is because I don't want to be left hanging until I can get into a P.A school. Plus, I'm afraid that if I continually don't get accepted I might get discouraged and then have nothing but a Biochemistry degree and no real job. I feel that if I had less pressure by having another job to fall on, I am the type of person who would be more likely to succeed in achieving my goal. To describe myself, I am in my first year of college and have a 3.7 GPA after having taken a weed out General Cellular Biology Class and Chemistry I Honors class. I got a B in the Bio class and an A in the chemistry class. Right now, I am fighting Chemistry II Honors (by fighting, I mean I have a C+ currently). I also have to contend with a recent diagnosis with ADD (which I'm being medicated for) so I have a tendency to have focus issues at times. I was 5th in a senior class of 420. However, I'm contending with what has been dubbed as the "the most rigorous chemistry department in my state." I get discouraged easily about failure (which I know I will deal with no matter where I go) but I'm trying to figure out the best option that will make me feel the least pressured. If any of you out there are N.P's or P.A's, could you describe the difference between "nurse model" and "medical model"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyMedKid Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 This is my first post on here but I'm very stressed about a big decision I have to make: continuing with my Biochemistry B.S. or switching to Nursing for a BSN. Either way, I really think I want to be a P.A. I absolutely love chemistry but I do not desire to pursue chemical school and am not interested in Pharmacy/Medical school because of the number of years it takes to become either. Therefore, if I got my Biochemistry degree, my only desire would be to pursue P.A school. However, I have been talking a lot to my older sister who is a pharmacist with many friends in various spectrums of the medical field and she says that it's extremely difficult to get into P.A school without a lot of prior HCE. She also said that a lot of the people who get accepted are people who are nurses or other medical professionals and usually older. I don't mind the idea of becoming nurse for a few years or even pursuing nurse practitioner but my worry about being one permanently is that I may not enjoy nursing model occupations as much as I would a medical model occupations. This leads me to my question: Is it wise to become a nurse if I am seriously entertaining the idea of P.A school? If so and I don't enjoy nursing, I know that I could bite the bullet a few years until hopefully getting accepted into a P.A school. If not, I don't want to take that risk. The reason that I am thinking nursing instead of a Biochemistry degree is because I don't want to be left hanging until I can get into a P.A school. Plus, I'm afraid that if I continually don't get accepted I might get discouraged and then have nothing but a Biochemistry degree and no real job. I feel that if I had less pressure by having another job to fall on, I am the type of person who would be more likely to succeed in achieving my goal. To describe myself, I am in my first year of college and have a 3.7 GPA after having taken a weed out General Cellular Biology Class and Chemistry I Honors class. I got a B in the Bio class and an A in the chemistry class. Right now, I am fighting Chemistry II Honors (by fighting, I mean I have a C+ currently). I also have to contend with a recent diagnosis with ADD (which I'm being medicated for) so I have a tendency to have focus issues at times. I was 5th in a senior class of 420. However, I'm contending with what has been dubbed as the "the most rigorous chemistry department in my state." I get discouraged easily about failure (which I know I will deal with no matter where I go) but I'm trying to figure out the best option that will make me feel the least pressured. If any of you out there are N.P's or P.A's, could you describe the difference between "nurse model" and "medical model"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ceschlorff Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 sorry, but I found this thread after reading your other thread....If you are so worried about getting HCE hours it might be a good idea to pursue the nursing degree because it will help you get those hours...My undergrad was in athletic training, and I got most of my HCE from athletic training or connections through the program (I got several physical therapy tech jobs because of people I knew in the AT program). It's nice because you are getting HCE hours while keeping your GPA and everything up...you also knock out a lot of the prereqs you need for PA school.......there's nothing wrong with being a nurse or AT prior to be being a PA...they asked me at my interviews why I chose to leave my original profession, but I just said that I enjoyed athletic training, but I knew I wanted to do more...I also talked about it in my CASPA narrative.....however, if you really hate nursing idk if it's a good idea....I didn't hate athletic training (I enjoyed my time working in the profession), I just knew that it was temporary because I really wanted to go to PA school... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuirkyMedKid Posted November 8, 2013 Author Share Posted November 8, 2013 sorry, but I found this thread after reading your other thread....If you are so worried about getting HCE hours it might be a good idea to pursue the nursing degree because it will help you get those hours...My undergrad was in athletic training, and I got most of my HCE from athletic training or connections through the program (I got several physical therapy tech jobs because of people I knew in the AT program). It's nice because you are getting HCE hours while keeping your GPA and everything up...you also knock out a lot of the prereqs you need for PA school.......there's nothing wrong with being a nurse or AT prior to be being a PA...they asked me at my interviews why I chose to leave my original profession, but I just said that I enjoyed athletic training, but I knew I wanted to do more...I also talked about it in my CASPA narrative.....however, if you really hate nursing idk if it's a good idea....I didn't hate athletic training (I enjoyed my time working in the profession), I just knew that it was temporary because I really wanted to go to PA school... Excellent points! A smidge late but helpful none the less, thank you. I did decide to keep with biochemistry but I know that the nurse route is always there if things don't turn out. The reason I chose to stay with my path is that I love raw science too much to give it up. Plus, many said that if nursing isn't something I would be passionate about, I shouldn't pursue it. After some personal research, I realize medical model education fits my personality and interests more than nursing model. Not to say nursing is inferior; I'm at a college with a very elite nursing program so I see all of the hard work! It's just a matter of personality. You did make an excellent point about killing two birds with one stone though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted November 8, 2013 Share Posted November 8, 2013 If you wanna stick with biomed I would suggest pursuing EMT or CNA and working part or full time through school. I was a CNA through undergrad, enjoyed my job mostly, paid the bills and had more than enough HCE when it was time to apply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvilla_007 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Try being a cna first... nursing isnt fun all the time, its busy (hospital setting) so busy that you cant always give your patients the time they deserve and it can get discouraging. Ive been a cna for about 5 years and ive thought about leaving healtcare all together because of this. Im in nursing school right now and im doing the opposite of you, finishing my 11mo lvn program and getting a bachelors in something else so i can get into pa school and help my patients in a dofferent way, a way that i know i will be able make a difference in peoples lives without having to worry about rushing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted November 12, 2013 Moderator Share Posted November 12, 2013 i know i will be able make a difference in peoples lives without having to worry about rushing... lots of PAs have to rush through their days as well, either because of 15 min appts or working in a busy er, etc. I have days when I see 50-60 pts in 12 hrs...not a lot of quality time there. basically exam, testing, d/c, move on to next pt, repeat all day... over the last few years I have gravitated to rural depts which tend to have a slower pace and higher acuity. more interesting for me and more interaction time w/ pts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gducky5 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Glad you were able to come to a conclusion for your future. You have LOTS of time ahead of you if you are still in your freshman year (or even sophomore year). Take things one day at a time and know that you will achieve your goals. There are plenty of opportunities to get HCE. Also, don't be intimidated by people who say you can't get into PA school without HCE, because it happens all the time. You seem like someone who truly means well. I wish you the best of luck, and to enjoy your time as an undergraduate. That time is precious, so relish it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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