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Nursing degree before physician associate?

I really want to be a physician associate but I prefer the practical side and don’t really want to do a science degree. If I study nursing would I be able to go onto the physician associate course straight afterwards?
Original post by jamesb1799
I really want to be a physician associate but I prefer the practical side and don’t really want to do a science degree. If I study nursing would I be able to go onto the physician associate course straight afterwards?


Potentially. Most PA courses will accept a nursing degree. Much of the entry criteria is subjective, so they may want you to have some clinical experience prior to offering you a place. It is quite possible if not likely that you would need to spend at least a couple of years working as a nurse before being accepted.

Nursing is a very very demanding course. It involves shift work, long hours and is physically and emotionally draining. I would not recommend it to anyone who does not intend to be a nurse. You simply won't have the passion for it, which is often the only thing that gets nurses through the course.
Original post by jamesb1799
I really want to be a physician associate but I prefer the practical side and don’t really want to do a science degree. If I study nursing would I be able to go onto the physician associate course straight afterwards?




This is gonna be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think a Nursing degree prepares you well for the PA course. That's not to say that there aren't previous nurses out there who are great PAs, but most of them had to dedicate some extra time to the science/anatomy/physiology necessary to get through the PA degree, not covered in nursing.
At the end of the day, the courses focus in different aspects of healthcare. Nursing works in the nursing model, and PA in the medical model. You NEED the science! otherwise your diagnostic skills will be mechanical at best!
If you don't feel any passion about understanding the science and pathophysiology behind the conditions, I would consider rethinking if a career as a PA is the best for you.
I also agree with the person above. A nursing degree is by no means easy and doing it just to be able to get into the PA postgrad might frustrate you.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by j_vicente
This is gonna be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think a Nursing degree prepares you well for the PA course. That's not to say that there aren't previous nurses out there who are great PAs, but most of them had to dedicate some extra time to the science/anatomy/physiology necessary to get through the PA degree, not covered in nursing.
At the end of the day, the courses focus in different aspects of healthcare. Nursing works in the nursing model, and PA in the medical model. You NEED the science! otherwise your diagnostic skills will be mechanical at best!
If you don't feel any passion about understanding the science and pathophysiology behind the conditions, I would consider rethinking if a career as a PA is the best for you.
I also agree with the person above. A nursing degree is by no means easy and doing it just to be able to get into the PA postgrad might frustrate you.


I think when comparing someone who has done a biosciences degree to a freshly graduated nurse undertaking a PA course you'd have a point. However, if you look at the advanced practice courses nurses end up embarking on, the vast majority if them follow the same framework as the PA course. The ACCP course is essentially the PA (A) course with an ITU slant on it. Of course, the foundation of knowledge for nurses undertaking advanced practice courses is gained from several years clinical experience along with post reg courses, so it makes comparing things different.

In the OPs situation, if they don't want to be a nurse at all and are just thinking about using a nursing degree as a springboard to get onto a PA course, then I think they'd be better off studying something else. However, if they wanted to spend time as a nurse I wouldn't write off the potential of being a PA further down the line and once experienced I doubt they'd find the course as much of a struggle as you've suggested. Though, as things are at the moment, in that situation, is suggest advanced nursing practice, as it's a well established role in a lot of areas now.

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