<p>I'm currently doing nursing (too late for me to back out but I like nursing too. I just like pa and dental too. dental the most actually) and I'm thinking about pa school or dental school as backup plans. I won't have a problem completing all the required classes and the tests. it is looked down upon and dental colleges wont like it if I have a bs in nursing? will my admission chances be lower? my gpa is okish. 3.8ish</p>
<p>Why not apply to both?</p>
<p>Another thought is a nurse practitioner program. I can’t imagine why anyone would look down upon a nursing degree.</p>
<p>One thing to check is your science coursework. </p>
<p>Some schools offer 2 or 3 different versions of basic science classes: one for non-science majors, one for nursing and allied health profession majors, and one for science majors.</p>
<p>If your school does this and you have not taken the ‘science major’ version of bio, chem, ochem, biochem, micro, etc. then your coursework may not meet the admission requirements for PA or dental programs.</p>
<p>Please consult with the health professions advisor at your school to see if your coursework meets requirements for PA or dental schools.</p>
<p>Can’t think it would matter so long as you fulfill requisite courses and score well on standardized tests.</p>
<p>I’d be careful. Sure you’ll qualify as long as you complete all th prereqs and do reasonably well on the DAT, but the problem is that Nursing majors are often looked down upon when applying to other healthcare professional schools like medical, dental, and PA. This is because Nursing is already its own profession with principles, work, and educatiion that is very distinct from the others, so majoring in Nursing and then applying to another professional school is often seen as a lack of interest in that profession. Even though you’ll get clinical experience early on as a nursing major it is likely unrelated, so you will still need to shadw, volunteer, or work in a clinical setting where you directly observe or experience what it is like to be a dentist or PA. Also be prepared to explain in your interviews exactly why you want to go to dental or PA school when you are already close to becoming a nurse.</p>
<p>I started with a nursing degree from Cornell. I worked med/surg and then on psych units. I’m absolutely sure that my nursing background helped get me accepted into a masters program in psychology and then a fully funded PhD program. The nursing degree gave me paid experience in the medical/psychiatric field. People I knew who had undergrad majors in psychology had a harder time finding a good job.</p>
<p>Rather than PA, get your RN, work in nursing for two years, and then take the courses to become a nurse practitioner.</p>
<p>^^^</p>
<p>i agree with Thumper and others who’ve suggested becoming a Nurse Practitioner.</p>
<p>The problem with applying to Dental or PA schools is that nursing science courses (their versions of Chem, Ochem, and Bio) aren’t usually the right versions for Dental or PA school. But, are fine for becoming a NP. :)</p>
<p>A dentist told me that most dental schools require that you spend time inside a dental office before you can apply. I guess they saw too many people go to dental school who had no idea what it was really like.</p>
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<p>If you work as a nurse, you will increase your chances of being accepted to a nurse practioner program and hopefully you will find an employer who may help you with the costs of grad school.</p>
<p>I do not know about Dental except I heard that it is harder to get into than Medical school. Well, Medical School and PA are not easy to get into at all.
I am not sure if you find any employer paying for Dental / PA school at all. There are none who would pay for Med. School as one absolutely cannot work while at Med. School. Is that true/false for Dental / PA? I do not know. The reason why med. students cannot work is bacuase they do not have enough hours to study even without working, they never ever feel that they studied enough, just too much material. I imagine that Dental / PA would be somewhat in the same range.</p>
<p>Dental school is extremely tough to get into. The nursing science courses are not the same as required for DS. No employer is paying for DS unless you are fortunate enough to get the armed services to pay. However, then you have to give them years of service in exchange for tuition/room/board/dental supplies.</p>
<p>It is very difficult to work during dental school. Those who did worked very part-time on the weekends.</p>
<p>If you think you may want dental, go shadow in a few offices to see the daily life of a dentist. You will be looking at DS costs at $50K per year or more. That’s a lot of loan money, so make sure that you LOVE dentistry before you pursue that path.</p>
<p>One of my classmates in my PhD program (who also was a nurse) completed a NP program after her PhD because she found that she could practice more independently as a NP, particularly with regard to prescribing meds. There are so many options for nurses and nurse practitioners. Being a dentist isn’t one of them, of course.</p>
<p>These are radically different programs and careers. Which one do you really want to do?</p>
<p>I would suggest that you talk directly with dental and PA schools (and NP programs, as was suggested).</p>
<p>Dental school is a much longer road. </p>
<p>If you are willing to work in underserved areas, there are great loan repayment programs for both PA and dental degrees.</p>
<p>look into nurse anesthesia!!</p>
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<p>I think it is because nursing is viewed as less academic/intellectual than other majors preferred by medical or dental schools.</p>
<p>Why become a PA when you can work a year or two and then go back to school for nurse practitioner? They do pretty much the same work as a PA, and in fact work more independantly than a PA is allowed to do.</p>
<p>The bio you took may be fine, the chemistry probably isn’t. PA and dental programs in my area want a full year of gen chem and o chem. PA schools want biochem, too. Check the websites of the PA and dental schools you might be interested in for exact requirements.</p>
<p>Nursing, and I admit to being familiar only with programs in my region, requires just one year of chemistry. I certainly can’t speak to all programs, but the nursing curriculum is often so full that there’s no way to squeeze in those extra chem courses.</p>