Nursing Student--PA school or DNP program? HELPP

[pg93]

I am currently an undergraduate in a 5 year nursing program.

I was wondering what the actual difference was between a PA and DNP.

I know that PA's have received more clinical training, but it seems that DNP's are in school longer and of course get to have the doctor in front of their name.

I chose to be a nursing major so that I would be able to have a job right out of school and so i would be able to work (save money and pay for my own grad school) while getting the experience i need to either be a PA or DNP.

 

I keep hearing different things about both professions, but it seems to me that both function at the basic same level of competency, so what is one doing having a doctrate while the other is only at the masters level and why is the master's level being paid more?

I have also heard that hospitals prefer to hire DNP's because htey have more experience in actual patient care...

 

I am just extremely conflicted in between the two professions. I did not want to be a doctor because I don't want to be the one that everybody looks at waiting for instructions on how to proceed to save a person's life. I want to aide the doctor, but mainly i want to be a support for the patient through their illness.

Especially because of the new healthcare plan that has recently come into effect, i know that the PA and DNP professions are on the rise since they offer cheaper services.

 

 

 

What should I do?!?!?

[EMEDPA]

another option...do both. there is a dual pa/np program at uc davis for folks entering with a bsn....

[Contrarian]

Or.... Go to PA school, for the better training then while working as a PA... enroll in a online DNP program.

[MedicinePower]

another option...do both. there is a dual pa/np program at uc davis for folks entering with a bsn....

 

Link? I never imagined such a program could or would exist.

[EMEDPA]

Link? I never imagined such a program could or would exist.

BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.STANFORD USED TO HAVE THE SAME OPTION:

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/fnppa/

[Joelseff]

BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME.STANFORD USED TO HAVE THE SAME OPTION:

http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/fnppa/

 

True. Stanford dropped it in 2007 because the nursing board mandated EVERY NP program be attached to a Nursing school which Stanford does not have and grant a MS in nursing which they couldn't do since they did not have a Nursing school so they decided to be strictly PA.

 

BUT......

 

According to this paper:

PCAP.Stanford.edu/program/FNP%20Option%20Change.pdf

 

If the BSN Pcap student gets the MMS from SFU, they can get CA FNP licensure but not nationally due to the nursing school masters requirement.

 

BUT AGAIN....

 

According to the paper, that was too limiting for PCAP graduates that they decided to drop the NP program....ok done..I should really not post in between.charting and patients...LOL. carry on smartly.

 

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[rnfromAZ]

Nursing is a great way to get HCE... and lots of it. I am in the same boat as you... deciding between NP and PA (Ive been a nurse for almost 6 yrs) . It boils down to what you want to do when you are done. If you want to work with a group of intensivests/surgeons and or first assist in the OR-- go PA. If you arent sure what you want to do- go PA bc you can switch specialties after you are certified whereas NPs cannot. The education is way different too- do you want a doctorate in nursing research and theory? Or a masters (I think all programs are masters- correct me if I am mistaken) in medicine. I chose PA- based on the specialty I want to do and the medical model education I will recieve. I am just pre PA now so I cant offer much more than that at the moment