Slice of Life, MD
Region: US
Sunday 10 May 2026 13:48:57 GMT
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BROOKE🤸🏼 :
as a PA student (so definitely biased here), i was shocked to find out there are fully online NP programs. and a lot of students work full time as RNs while doing their program. as someone who had to quit working and attend class 8-5 every day, that is just insane to me
2026-05-11 21:29:31
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KC_PA-C :
PA school is far more competitive. Full stop. PA students often have the same prerequisites as med students in addition to research and patient care experience.
2026-05-11 00:20:48
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derekweyhrauch_md :
I was shocked when I learned that NP training (and I’m a big fan of the NP profession!) was not standardized and did not have minimum entry criteria, so you can have a lot of heterogeneity- an NP could be a rockstar 10 year ICU RN that then went to a brick and mortar program and then became an ICU NP, or, could be a new grad RN that goes to an online program with minimal clinical content and only 700 hrs of shadowing type clinical experience.
2026-05-10 23:01:10
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Bigdoosh :
I’ll put it this way: everyone agrees PA school is more challenging than NP school and is more competitive to get into. On top of that, the prerequisite courses for PA school are objectively more challenging than those in BSN programs (for example, organic chemistry vs nursing chemistry). BSN programs have clinicals? Pre-PA students work as CNAs, EMTs, etc during undergrad. NP students work as nurses before NP school? PA students often take at least one gap year to work in healthcare and boost their patient care hours. PAs and NPs both serve as valuable healthcare workers, but if pre-PA classes are harder, PA school is more competitive, and PA school itself is harder, how could the paths to both professions be equal?
2026-05-12 02:54:32
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Midlevel Mater :
I wish people understood how extensive PA program prerequisites are. The heavy prerequisites are part of the reason PA programs can train people in medicine in 2.5-3 years. I needed undergrad organic, biochem, immunology, microbiology and a year of anatomy/physiology. Obviously this was not taken at medical school pace or depth. Also, there are usually no summers off in PA school. It’s 2.5 years straight through. Just based on credit hours, most programs could meet doctoral requirements
2026-05-11 23:16:04
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Karina :
RN here who was initially on a PA pathway. After seeing the difference in training/regulations in NP programs vs PA programs, I would still go the PA school route. There aren’t many advanced practice provider programs that are for RNs, (except trauma NP and CRNA programs) that are regulated enough to provide a solid training foundation. NP Schools need to be more regulated across the board, it’s a disservice to patients. Nursing school should NOT be harder than NP school.
2026-05-11 19:48:51
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Blakeissomid :
What I don’t understand is why NP education often includes coursework on leadership, advocacy, nursing theory, etc….not actual clinical or medicine-related topics.
2026-05-11 00:40:56
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chasing_rainbows_&_laughter :
PA of 25 years, the profession was built around military medics coming back from overseas. It was started as a second career after you have healthcare experience. I feel like the direction over the last 20 years has been to get younger applicants straight out of college and I feel like that is REALLY not beneficial. ‘Back in my day’ my PA class, we merged with the second year medical students and took the same classes and tests with them. We were expected to have the same education base. We took 28-29 semesters hours, basically 2 full semesters in each semester. It was a beast.
2026-05-11 01:30:49
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koifish07 :
PA have to have healthcare experience before going to school
2026-05-11 01:16:20
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Ashley Makelky :
I’ve been an RN for 16years in different fields and have now became an FNP-C. I’m bored with this narrative… let’s stop putting our professions against each other. Everything needs to be more regulated but majority of NPs have a ton of clinical experience! NPs have a different clinical touch that a lot of people love and that’s the nursing heart. We are smart enough to diagnose but also smart enough to know when to use our resources like our specialized MDs. There’s a place/space for everyone. There’s not enough healthcare workers so let’s just be grateful there are more helping hands!
2026-05-13 00:29:22
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Mountain :
Now do AA vs CRNA. Similar story
2026-05-10 20:41:58
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IncRay :
Being a PA I see the huge difference in NP students rotating in our office and I mean huge! Some have no idea about anything, had to find their own rotations and usually only do front desk or back office in their rotations. Some have been RNs in offices and know a little more but still strongly tend to act as a nurse who takes orders instead of a provider who focuses on diagnosing, assessment and plan.
2026-05-12 00:39:52
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Katie Trent :
I’m a former ER RN who went to PA school and is now an ER PA. I chose PA because it was much more rigorous and because I didnt want to take fluff classes. SO happy I did. My education was extremely intense and thorough and as a provider I am so thankful for them
2026-05-11 23:19:42
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Landen Day :
PA programs far superior
2026-05-11 18:07:12
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Aqueos :
It's also worth noting that PAs answer to the medical board which is part of the reason they almost never have independent practice authority
2026-05-11 01:11:55
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Eileen :
But you clearly don’t realize that a lot of NP’s have ICU experience for 5 to 10 years before becoming NPS and that is way more valuable than anything that PA is due in school
2026-05-11 23:27:25
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dman35 :
I’ve known it for years. In med school we interacted with the PA students fairly regularly. Shared instructors with them for classes like gross anatomy, and worked along side them for many rotations. The same when I was in FM residency. We were a teaching site for med students and PA students alike. I never once learned with or rotated with an NP student in all my years of medical education. So IDK what they’re learning, how they’re learning it, or from whom.
2026-05-11 08:47:54
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yonk :
the majority of PA schools require 1000 hours of patient care before admission, the way you describe it makes it sound like many do not. it’s rare that they don’t have requirements, and that’s often a red flag for the program.
2026-05-11 18:28:57
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Meh :
As a nurse practitioner, I wish that more people understood that when we went through nursing school we had that Monday through Friday clinicals on the weekends in every department prior to going to grad school. We had the rigorous school work prior to going to grad school. So while people may see a NP school is all online prior to starting grad school. We had two full years to get our bachelors of a difficult program. That being said, I do think that NP school needs to be overhold. There needs to be a standard and I think they need to demand experience bedside prior to becoming an np. I
2026-05-12 02:26:55
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user867887801993 :
PA here. I did a fellowship in EM and got a PA doctorate (seems insane like what is a “PA fellowship” and why a PA doctorate not MD/DO? I want people to know I don’t want to be a physician, I don’t want independent practice. I’ve got 10 years experience in healthcare before PA school, most of that in the ER. Went into healthcare wanting to be a provider with lateral mobility. I don’t want to burn out of EM and have $400k in student loans and no way to pay them off, hence PA. I’m also smart enough to know that EM isn’t really the specialty with much wiggle room when it comes to not killing people by missing a potentially deadly diagnosis, hence my fellowship. Fellowship was glorified hand holding, very helpful didactics, and the doctorate component. The doctorate was mandatory with the fellowship, honestly a waste of money if you ask me but it will allow me to teach when I burn out. Love, PA who would never call herself doctor outside of an academic setting.
2026-05-11 03:15:51
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C :
I think a lot of people (including myself until going to PA school) don’t know that the certifying organization for PAs (NCCPA) had standardized regulations created by the AMA & continues to be sponsored by several organizations for physicians which can show how strictly supervised the programs and education for PAs are to ensure quality of education
2026-05-11 12:32:18
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sierrranicoleee :
NP programs also aren’t required to help find clinical placement so they can either make connections anywhere they can & pray the school accepts it, or pay out of pocket for a preceptor which still doesn’t guarantee a good teacher/learning 🤷🏼♀️
2026-05-11 10:07:58
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Jonnelle Dietz :
As a NP I abhor the offer of “fast tracking” because it has become so money oriented. You truly don’t know what you don’t know. I am so thankful that I spent years working in an academic hospital because there is so much lacking in some of the NP schools. Not to say there aren’t amazing NPs out there.
2026-05-11 01:29:30
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