I’m currently a Junior (class of 2017) and I’m attempting to begin the process of deciding my future. For about a year now I have been set on Pediatric Physical Therapy. As I’ve done further research, I’ve found the DPT process to be extremely expensive and a bit confusing. This has led me to look into other careers and I have found interest in Nurse Practitioners. Can anyone give me and info or insight into these careers or opinions on which path to take? Thank you!
bear98, I am a PT. I’m sending you a private message.
You might want to consider Physicians Assistant as well.
I am not sure that financially there would be an advantage to becoming a NP over a DPT. They both require 2+ years of post undergrad work. I agree with carolinamom2boys that you should also consider Physicians Asst. Being a NP requires that you are first a nurse. I don’t believe it matters what you major as an undergrad to be a PA.
My wife is an NP. One thing that different with PA schools is that the undergrad years are not focused on patient care. You can go in as an Art History major (med school, too, but that is a different discussion). She always recommends working as a nurse first before entering an NP program.
Another consideration, my wife is on call 24 hrs/day every other week. It limits us to being within phone contact. PTs do not have this.
This is a really personal decision.
As others have already stated, in order to get an MSN and become a nurse practitioner you need to have a BSN and licensure as an RN, and preferably some nursing experience. However, giving the national nursing shortage (which MAY or may not apply to your region, btw), there are a proliferation of options. For example, many universities are now offering 3-year programs that allow people with bachelor’s degrees other than nursing degrees to get their BSN/RN and MSN, and qualify to practice as a nurse practitioner, all in one shot. There are also accelerated BSN programs that allow non-nursing majors to get a BSN in 14-18 or so months, and then after that you can work and get an MSN full or part-time.
However, if you are a high school junior, then if you are interested in being an NP the best thing you can do is major in nursing in undergrad.
NPs do have a lot of flexibility. The traditional role of an NP is delivering primary care as a mid-level provider under the supervision of a physician - usually in a hospital or in a doctor’s office. However, given increasing healthcare costs and the need for providers in certain underserved areas, NPs practice more independently. Many states don’t require NPs to be supervised by a physician (although sometimes they have to work “in collaboration” with one); many NPs have their own practices or are in a group practice of all NPs, or are equal partners in a mixed practice with some MDs. NPs (and PAs) also enjoy a high level of autonomy and scope of practice in many hospitals and clinics, where they may make up the bulk of providers. I remember when I was considering being an NP myself clicking through dozens and dozens of pages of listings for nurse practitioners at my local hospitals.
And if ever you don’t want to do primary care provision, nursing has a lot of flexibility. With a master’s degree in nursing you could teach as a nursing professor; you could work in research or public health/epidemiology or health education; you could go into health business, like hospital/clinic administration, director of nursing, health insurance, consulting or pharmaceutical sales; you could work in an advising role at national or international service organizations/NGOs, like the WHO.
There could be a slight financial advantage: DPT programs are three years year-round and generally have to be undertaken full-time. MSN programs are 1.5-2 years and can be done part-time while you work as a nurse. Also, since you will already have a BSN, if you are working at a hospital your hospital may pay for your degree.
Physician assistant is a good alternative suggestion. However, PA programs (which are 2-year master’s degree) require at least 1000-2000 hours of direct clinical care experience for admission; most competitive candidates have double that - so for example, Emory requires 2000 hours but says their successful applicants average 4000 hours. 4000 hours is two years of full-time (40 hours a week) work. As a result, most PAs start their careers as nurses, CNAs, EMTs, or paramedics. It’s not really a program you go into straight from undergrad.
NPs require a masters degree, PT now requires a doctorate. IMO , that is a lot of school and debt that financially may take years to recover from.
If you want to be a nurse practitioner, think of that as a long time goal. Assume you will be working as a RN for many years. It is not easy to be admitted to or to afford a nurse practitioner education.
And in my state, the public university that houses the state’s only nursing program no longer offers and MSN for NPs. It’s DNP or nothing (some of the privates still offer the MSN). The DNP is 4 years of full time study. DPT is 2.5 (year round) or 3.
NP is definitely a long-term goal by the time you get a bachelor’s, work, and then finish the degree. If you are concerned about speed, I would suggest looking at the other programs that interest you.