Should I become medical assistant or practical nurse?

Should I become a physician Assistant or a nurse practionner ? Is there a better or worse option ?

• Should I become a physician Assistant or a nurse practionner ? Is there a better or worse option ? Or are they just different. I do know that NP's have to work as a nurse first ...show more

• Answer:

  Your answer from the NP was great. I will add my PA 2 cents. But first, all states allow prescriptive rights at this point (although why the ability to write an Rx seems to be such an important part of this I am not sure!). I work in California & Maryland & have my own DEA number. I went to PA school because I did not really agree with alot of the nursing junk in nursing school, and I saw NPs who were forced to work as nurses on days nurses were short--something I did not want to do. As a PA I was always considered a "doctor type" and did not have to fill in in another capacity. I also was more interested in the medical model of education than the nursing model. I wanted to do trauma, critical care, emergency and PA was (at that time) the better route. I started out as a medical technologist (which is a BS) as well so I didn't want to add a lot of nursing years onto my training beyond what I had already done (an AA). My BFF was a NP student at roughly the same time so we compared a lot and for what each of us wanted we made the right choices. I went into pediatric critical care and then into the ER. I handled most of the trauma and did procedures (which I love) and which the doc's were happy to give up. I was able to pick my schedule and work what days I wanted. I was also able to pick up locum tenens (traveling) jobs which took me to Maryland for the summers (the Chesapeake bay). There really was never a time when I felt that I was being cheated out of jobs by not being a NP (except maybe those minute clinics0---but hey, those look BORING!). Salaries are overall fairly equal (some times NPs make more some times PAs--but the difference is minimal). Only big difference is malpractice--NPs get nursing malpractice (cheaper) PAs get MD--but that will change as more get sued. Also, this autonomy thing--I never would want to be completely autonomous anyway--that MD safety net is priceless in my experience. I would shadow each for some time & decide if you want to specialize as well. Perhaps that will help your decision.