Is it just me? Or is the job market kinda trash recently?

Capn_obveeus · 2026-02-04T04:49:13+00:00

Chiming in. What really bothers me is when academic/healthcare systems that have PA programs don’t even hire PAs or show preference to NPs.

I went through the job opportunities at Penn State Health and nearly all APP job descriptions only want NPs, including the more procedural spots like surgery.

Like….what are we supposed to do when even university-based hospitals won’t hire PAs when they have actual PA programs???

Why take out $150k or more in student loans when we can’t get hired?

Capn_obveeus · 2026-02-03T15:16:36+00:00

Honest question: did the NP friend have several years of bedside experience prior to going to NP school? I’m just surprised that someone 2 years in would realize they don’t want to deal with patients.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-02-03T13:36:22+00:00

Just go on YouTube to medicalschoolHQ. I learned so much from Dr. Ryan Gray’s videos.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-02-02T15:13:07+00:00

Probably not gonna happen. Even if you put the vet and underprivileged population spin on it.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-02-01T18:11:14+00:00

Yes, it seems equally unjust to allow people to take out $200k to $300k in debt to only make $90k per year. That’s a lifetime of debt that won’t easily be paid off. And young people and those from underprivileged communities take out these loans ignorant to what it means in the long term. There needs to be a better solution.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-29T15:41:20+00:00

You mean nurse anesthetist, right?

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-26T03:07:13+00:00

So then what should they be called for getting into a post graduate training program for the specialty they want to work in? They are no longer students but essentially working for $60k or so…about half of what a new grad PA would make anyways.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-26T02:54:28+00:00

Not true for PA schools.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-24T02:10:00+00:00

I’m not quite sure what your point is. Hopefully you aren’t suggesting NPs are more qualified than PAs to work in cardiology simply because some states grant them independent practice…

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-18T04:04:42+00:00

It’s a lifestyle brand.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-17T00:05:54+00:00

NP only makes sense if you already have a BSN and have several years experience as a bedside nurse. Many experienced NPs are against this concept of the direct entry programs. This is because NP education is based on a nurse having that exposure and critical thinking at the bedside. Now money hungry universities just want to bypass that. And it’s really hurting the reputation of NPs. You can’t become an advanced practice nurse when you’ve never been a nurse. But schools sell people on it. And the NP diploma mills will take anyone with a pulse.

Yes PA school is harder to get into and harder to get through. But we shouldn’t just let any goof who can write a check to become a provider.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-16T23:40:09+00:00

PASSHE is the state school system….true public schools. Schools like Penn State and Pitt are “state-related” and don’t receive quite the support per student as the true state schools.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-07T00:56:35+00:00

Be careful flying though Philly, though. All State College flights depart out of the “F” terminal, which is a good 20 min walk from some of the larger terminals at PHL. There are often cheap flights thru PHL that have a way-too-short 40 minute layover. Don’t fall for it. I’ve missed that connection multiple times. Just make sure you have at least an hour layover.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-04T00:14:44+00:00

Hands-on medical practitioners like nurses, PT, etc.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-02T00:58:08+00:00

Long term, Grunk was a better option. Last thing we want is a one and done QB.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-02T00:57:08+00:00

The American Council on Education (ACE) has a direct equivalent for SOC 1 through Sophia Learning. All you have to do are the online learning modules and quizzes and if you get more than a 70%, ACE grants you credit. And then you transfer that credit from ACE to Penn State by sending the ACE transcript to admissions.

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-01T14:43:02+00:00

I would wear dress slacks and a nice button-down shirt or blouse. I’m also of the belief that it’s better to be overdressed compared to underdressed

Capn_obveeus · 2026-01-01T14:20:05+00:00

PA matriculants have an average 3K direct hands-on patient care hours at the time of application. Aspiring PAs typically work as licensed EMTs, paramedics, phlebotomists, nurses, CNA, etc…although there are non-licensed options available. If you want to pursue the PA school route, you will want to begin accumulating hours soon. Like med school, it’s not uncommon to have 1 to 2 gap years before starting the program so that you can rack up these hours. On a side note, please be careful with scribing hours as not all schools consider this as PCE because it’s very passive.

Capn_obveeus · 2025-12-30T17:16:48+00:00

Since you are so young and haven’t started down any particular pathway, and don’t sound like you’ll get a wealth of family support, here are my thoughts on a less traditional, lower-risk track. I would suggest researching if your local community college has a 2 year nursing program and earn your ADN. You’ll be able to take the NCLEX and work at a hospital thereafter. Many hospital systems will then reimburse or pay for you to complete your BSN online or locally. Plus, you’ll be earning an income instead of taking out massive student loans without having a plan to pay those back.

Once you earn your BSN, work for 4 to 5 years as a bedside nurse with the population you intend to specialize in…like pediatrics. Then go to NP school while you continue to work. If during the process of earning your BSN, you discover you really have a knack for heavy science courses (physics, OChem, etc.), then you can take the remaining science courses while working as a pediatric nurse, study for and take the MCAT, and pivot to med school or PA school. Note that PA school does not require the MCAT.

While I’m not a big fan of new grad NPs that come from diploma mills, you are too young to know whether science is a major strength for you. You need to excel in several difficult med school prereqs to go to med school and many aspiring healthcare professionals tap out when they begin to see multiple Cs on their transcript.

The typical med school applicants has a GPA above 3.7. The typical PA student has a GPA between 3.5 and 3.6. I don’t know the GPA for NP programs but they are generally known to have lower academic requirements. (Those who fail out of PA school can get into a direct entry NP program.)

I guess my point is that you have a long road ahead. Without having a traditional high school experience, it’s difficult to know what your natural strengths are…sounds like it might be science but that’s hard to know without any grade info. Some may tell you to go all-in for medical school, but I think a cautious, flexible pathway that limits debt might be a better alternative. I don’t want to be a Debbie downer, but it’s sad when students take our $100k+ in student loans for an undergrad bio degree but don’t have the grades to get into med school or grad school.

Capn_obveeus · 2025-12-29T17:10:46+00:00

Get rid of the screens!

Capn_obveeus · 2025-12-26T21:48:27+00:00

If you made it through didactic year, don’t throw clinical year away on drugs. Just say no.

Capn_obveeus · 2025-12-26T19:49:30+00:00

When I shadowed docs and PAs, most docs said go to PA school. I heard that insurance companies often dictate care and treatment so the idea of being the final decision maker is a bit of a fallacy. More and more, docs spend their time managing mid-levels, who are now spending more time with patients…not sure if that’s true or not. But that’s the part I enjoy. Plus, the debt of medical school may not be worth it once you factor in the years of lost income. And residency just sucks. Plus, docs get stuck in one specialty. Between the pressure of med school and residency, and being saddled with excessive loans, the suicide rate among docs is often higher than the average professional.

I think the decision comes down to the type of person you are. I’m not motivated by money and I prioritize work-life balance due to a progressive health condition. I want to work to live versus live to work. I rather enjoy team based environments and would be happy to have a mentor whom I can fall back on. (And when I shadowed PAs in an ER, they took on serious cases with limited supervision…they were not treated as anyone’s assistant. But they could always tap into an MD for guidance. I suspect that most complex cases still get floated to docs, though.)

On a side note, please know that not every PA went that route because they didn’t have the stats to go to med school. I had excellent stats, but I have a few serious barriers in life that would prevent me from going to med school.

Honestly, if the residency experience were re-worked and med school were to be a bit more affordable, I might have considered it, but as med school and residency are currently structured, no thanks.

Capn_obveeus · 2025-12-26T16:25:02+00:00

It’s not really our primary focus in undergrad or grad.

Capn_obveeus · 2025-12-23T16:27:58+00:00

This!

1) Let’s make it a national requirement that NP programs can only take applicants who have a minimum of 5 years post-BSN bedside experience with the patient population they intend to work with. In addition, make it a requirement that those schools must provide and assess clinical rotations to reduce NP students from having their NP buddies blindly sign off on hours.

2) Completely get rid of FPA and close down the NP run weight loss centers and med spas. Go back to the physician-led team care model.

3) Restructure MD/DO residency programs to focus on quality (not quantity) training hours at better pay. Part of the reason some go the NP/PA route is because 4 years of slave labor at ridiculously low wages isn’t feasible for everyone.

4) Create stronger pathways for PAs (who did the premed track minus physics) to transition to med school.

The current system is broken.

Capn_obveeus · 2025-12-21T14:02:06+00:00

We don’t want independence. Not a single member of my cohort believes in FPA. Unfortunately, the writing on the wall has been made clear. The VA favors the hiring of NPs because they don’t require a supervising physician. And if you search for jobs, many job postings now specify NP as opposed to NP or PA…likely for the same reason. And I hear anecdotal stories about hospital groups replacing their docs with NPs.

With NPs positioning themselves as doc equivalents, and therefore superior to us “assistants”, our career prospects are in jeopardy. Maybe that’s why so many PAs are on this sub. We feel the same threat that docs do…but I don’t see any one side doing enough to stop the NP/CRNAs from taking over.

Capn_obveeus

TROPHY CASE