I am currently a college student taking prerequisites for nursing school. One of my goals in life is to get my RN/BSN degree then work a couple of years to save money and gain experience prior to becoming a nurse practitioner. I am so much interesed in becoming an NP because of their job of prescribing medicines and helping doctors develop treatment plans for their patients. However, A couple of therapists told me that i’m better off becoming a therapist because of the quality of life in the job, more pay, less stress and they’re more in demand nowadays and nursing is everything but that. How true is this? I want to become an RN/NP but what they’re saying is making me too concerned about my future. I know that the nursing field isn’t easy, however , what makes me want to go into this profession is the countless specialties that come with it, including advance practice degrees such as NP, CRNA and the like. Anyone have insights on this? what do you think? Are nurses running out of jobs or am I being too paranoid?
I am also considering Physician Assistant as well.
Keep in mind that only a small percentage of RNs will ever become NPs, and they you will need to work for years as an RN before you can be considered for a NP education.
There are a few programs that offer a joint bachelors/masters in PT in 5 years with direct entry from High School, but I believe most programs are 4 plus 2, and are competitive for entry into the masters program. That extra two years of education can be expensive.
Most PT programs are now doctorate (DPT) programs and require 6-7 years to complete. If you don’t start as a direct entry freshman, admission is very competitive to the graduate programs. For OT, there are still masters degree programs which can be completed in 5 years, if starting as a direct entry freshman. I’m not sure how competitive admission to graduate OT programs is, but I would imagine it’s at least moderately competitive. And I agree that masters/doctorate level graduate programs are expensive, often with little financial aid available other than loans. I’ve heard that PTs are also having trouble finding jobs, at least in certain areas of the country, as PTAs are able to be hired at much lower salaries.
Exactly! i’m not really looking into becoming an NP within a few years, since i plan to work as a bedside RN to gain experience in the field, the best NPs around have xyz years of bedside nursing experience.as for PT and OT i know that their jobs arent as stressful as nursing but they lack specialties.i don’t want to do the same kind of skills over a long period of time…
I’d try to spend as much time as possible finding out what each of those careers typically involve in an average day, and see which one suits you better. You can also apply to both types of programs and keep your options open for a later decision. There are also some universities that offer both programs, with a similar first year schedule, that might offer an opportunity to transfer from one program to the other.
(It is dangerous for anyone to pick a career you will start in 4 to 6 years based entirely upon the current job market, particularly what you hear about in your own hometown. In the end, if you have the aptitude and the interest in the work, and are willing to relocate, you will do well in either.)