Ask Dr Nerenberg | Health and Fitness

Nursing for pre-physician assistant a good idea?

I am currently on track twords applying to physician assistant school and am currently doing my undergrad major in nutrition. I just dont like nutrition that much for a career lol. So i am a little worried because if i were not to get into med school i still want to have something good to fall back on and be able to make decent money in the field that i love. So i was wondering if I could do my pre- reqs apply to a nursing program, get a bachlors in nursing, then apply to pa school? is this a good idea? I am a male and currently reside in houston texas. I have a 3.8 gpa and am working twords making it better lol. What are my options? your answers will be greatly appreciated. thank you

Hi Chris,

Before I went into PA school I had a degree in Biology, which is a pretty useless degree unless you’re going on to something else and NOT trying to get a job. After I had decided to do the PA route, I ended up being a Patient Care Technician for 2 years while I was waiting to get into school. Had I got a degree in nursing, I would have been getting better experience and getting paid twice as much.

That said, many nursing schools have a long wait to get in, which could hold you back. I also don’t know if admissions committees have any bias against nurses (being afraid you’d have trouble switching from nursing to medical mindset). None of the folks in my class were nurses before they got in, but that could be a fluke. I’d ask some advisors at PA schools about that.

The employability is certainly a plus. Nutrition is certainly a good basis to have though, as, let’s face it, many patients have health concerns that are directly related to their diet/nutrition!

Anyway, I hope this helps!

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