I never fully grasp what people are thinking when they mention a fondness/preference for either PA or NP “model” of care or education, because I think there are issues to consider that surround more than simply the delivery method. I think PA education is robust, but I don’t like the restrictions their profession carries, not do I like the cost or delivery method (up until Yale jumped in with an exciting online program.... really more of a hybrid, but ground breaking nonetheless for folks who don’t want to relocate for school or remain captive in a classroom in the 21st century). So whether or not I like the nursing model, it is only one of many factors that helped cinch my pursuit of my NP degrees. You should also decide what factors are the best fit for you. I can appreciate how you want to work as a nurse while you pursue your NP, because I’m doing that currently, and it’s working out very well. However, you might find it rewarding to shoot through one year of class and one year of clinicals to become a PA. Your job market may have preferences in the specialties you want to work for either PAs or NPs, so that should factor in.
But I wouldn’t get preoccupied with issues around “models”. Think about things like whether you want to be a nurse doing nurse work while you strive to be someone that carries a prescription pad. That kind of practical thinking puts your goals in perspective more than theoretical aspects of how to “treat the whole person”, vs “treating the problem”.
I’m a nurse, and rarely in my studies have come across the fluffy nurse mantras about holistic care that I feared I’d encounter, but it’s out there, and it sounds ridiculous. I think proponents of that seem to make the assumption that the medical folks don’t look at the whole person like the nurses do. Yes, I understand where some of my nursing peers are coming from when they say things like that, but most nurses struggle to find a way to adhere to the pure nursing fantasy. Reminds me a bit of the folks who say that communism keeps failing because the true form has never been appropriately implemented. It never hurts to keep a broad perspective of what ails a patient, but practical constraints often limit what problems providers can tackle in one brief and expensive visit. The best solutions are often very specific in scope and treatment.
