I have a question regarding physician assistant and nurse practitioner?

[paula123]

I am currently a sophomore at UCSC, and majoring in General Biology.. I want to be a physician assistant or nurse practitioner but i do not know if it's possible to get either job after 4 years of college. I'm pretty confused on where i should start so i can end up to where i really wanna be.. Any suggestions or help?? Also, what job can i get with my BS in general bio after college? Thank you.

[ewmon]

As to you BS in Biology, you could work many jobs in the biopharmaceutical industry, and once skilled there in chemistry, your career could expand into other chemistry work. Also, green chemistry, in vivo research, etc.

 

Right now, your could search bachelor biology on employment websites to get a real life sense of the jobs, the employers, and their locations. I would guess the jobs would range from outdoorsy Fisheries & Wildlife jobs to ultra-high-tech R&D laboratory jobs.

Edited August 11, 2011 by ewmon

[drsteenblock]

I am currently a sophomore at UCSC, and majoring in General Biology.. I want to be a physician assistant or nurse practitioner but i do not know if it's possible to get either job after 4 years of college. I'm pretty confused on where i should start so i can end up to where i really wanna be.. Any suggestions or help?? Also, what job can i get with my BS in general bio after college? Thank you.

 

Hi, you definitely can not get a job as either a physician assistant or nurse practitioner after a 4 year science college degree. However, this may qualify you to take a few more years of training to become one or the other of these. In general physician assistants have better training and do more than nurse practioners since the PA works under the supervision of a licensed physician. The NP seems to be less trained and educated but does have a license to practice independently but has a limited license. You should study both professions carefully and meet with at least one of these types on the job to hear what each of them has to say about their chosen profession.

[LawfulBlade]

You're at a point where you'll need to select one or the other, if you want to continue on immediately after graduation.

 

No, you may not practice either of these with a BS in anything, including nursing. These are both specific advanced degrees, and very, very competitive programs.

 

My understanding is that NPs are easier to place than PAs; they have equivalent amounts of schooling, as both are standard Master's degrees. The applicable fields are specific, but NP's may work independently as generalists, whereas PA's will always be affiliated with a physician.

[teutonic7777]

Since you will have a BS degree it would be better for you to go the PA route. You will have to go back and get a BSN ( Bachelor of Science Nursing) to be a NP. That would take longer.

[MaryMed]

I am currently a sophomore at UCSC, and majoring in General Biology.. I want to be a physician assistant or nurse practitioner but i do not know if it's possible to get either job after 4 years of college. I'm pretty confused on where i should start so i can end up to where i really wanna be.. Any suggestions or help?? Also, what job can i get with my BS in general bio after college? Thank you.

 

I know that if you tell employers that you are majoring in Biology then you will not have any problems getting jobs like medical assistant jobs or something along those lines; this may help you in the future when trying to become a PA or NP. After you graduate, you will have to do some more schooling in order to become a physician's assistant or a nurse practitioner. I know that there are special schools for PA's and a nurse practitioner requires master's degree at the least. Best of luck!

 

Mary