Nurse practitioner

Becoming an NP seems the best alternative for those that don't go into medicine. From this week they can charge medicare, prescribe meds (including heart meds!), vaccinate and basically most things a GP can.

Their pay is around 90k but with overtime and other benefits it exceeds 100k easily. It's like becoming a GP but with only about 5 years education and 2-3 years training. So about 7 years to become an NP vs 12 years to become a GP. The pay is practically similar and you do the same stuff.

In the US NP's will be required to do a doctorate in nursing practise by 2015 so all NP's will be knows as Doctor! In Australia you can just do a PhD.

Best of all you can run your own practise. While legislation recommends a GP is overseeing things some clinics are planning on running it completely independent of GP's so you get autonomy.

"While the proposed clinics would work in collaboration with existing GP practices, other clinics such as the Revive Clinics group see themselves as operating more independently, saying there is "nothing in the [rules about] collaborative arrangements saying you have to have a signed agreement with a local GP", according to The Australian."

Awesome. Nursing for me next year.

Anyone else planning on going into the field? It's just awesome. My mum's a nurse and she's planning on studying for a Masters in Nursing practise and maybe a PhD so she will become a doctor. And I will follow suit

Whoaaaa okay hang on.

Originally Posted by crickethunger

Becoming an NP seems the best alternative for those that don't go into medicine. From this week they can charge medicare, prescribe meds (including heart meds!), vaccinate and basically most things a GP can.

That is not most things a GP can do.

Their pay is around 90k but with overtime and other benefits it exceeds 100k easily. It's like becoming a GP but with only about 5 years education and 2-3 years training. So about 7 years to become an NP vs 12 years to become a GP. The pay is practically similar and you do the same stuff.

It does not take 12 years to become a GP, you don't do the same stuff, and the pay is not similar.

In the US NP's will be required to do a doctorate in nursing practise by 2015 so all NP's will be knows as Doctor! In Australia you can just do a PhD.

You should have a bit of a read about the difference between degrees in Australia and the US.

Also, you know that a PhD is a doctorate level degree?

Best of all you can run your own practise. While legislation recommends a GP is overseeing things some clinics are planning on running it completely independent of GP's so you get autonomy.

Which I think most clever people would avoid because of the possible legal potholes...

"While the proposed clinics would work in collaboration with existing GP practices, other clinics such as the Revive Clinics group see themselves as operating more independently, saying there is "nothing in the [rules about] collaborative arrangements saying you have to have a signed agreement with a local GP", according to The Australian."

Awesome. Nursing for me next year.

Anyone else planning on going into the field? It's just awesome. My mum's a nurse and she's planning on studying for a Masters in Nursing practise and maybe a PhD so she will become a doctor. And I will follow suit

A PhD does not make you a doctor. It makes you a person with a PhD.

The pay for experienced NP's who do overtime can sometimes be about 130k. My family GP claims to get paid 150k and he work about 55 hours a week.

I was only mentioning a few examples of what NP's can do. They can also order imaging (eg. xrays), pathology, provide immunisation and a whole host of other things.

Getting a PhD changes your title to doctor (Dr.)

If Australia follows anything the US does (which it has by introducing NP's), nurse practitioners will be allowed to work in sole practise with no GP practise.

Plus the clinic I quote earlier is planning on opening a LOT of clincs with basically no GP's to supervise.

In every way one looks at it NP seems the best alternative to medicine. Better to start next year before enter scores goes through the roof

Originally Posted by crickethunger

The pay for experienced NP's who do overtime can sometimes be about 130k. My family GP claims to get paid 150k and he work about 55 hours a week.

You are quoting figures of a job that has hardly any basis in Australia yet. The wages would likely be very labile as the job establishes itself within the industry. If more and more people sign up, wages will likely go down. I think 130k is really, really pushing it, and I wouldn't sign up hoping for that.

I was only mentioning a few examples of what NP's can do. They can also order imaging (eg. xrays), pathology, provide immunisation and a whole host of other things.

Getting a PhD changes your title to doctor (Dr.)

I'm quite aware of that. I was pointing out the fact that getting a PhD does not make you a doctor.

If Australia follows anything the US does (which it has by introducing NP's), nurse practitioners will be allowed to work in sole practise with no GP practise.

Plus the clinic I quote earlier is planning on opening a LOT of clincs with basically no GP's to supervise.

I think what you will find, if this takes off, is NPs doing the relatively boring, bread-and-butter part of general practice, with the more complicated (interesting) aspects going to the doctors. This is my opinion.

In every way one looks at it NP seems the best alternative to medicine. Better to start next year before enter scores goes through the roof

Go for it if you want. At the very least if you decide you don't want to go towards NP you can stay as a nurse. If I was in the same position, I would wait a while to see how the industry pans out.

Yeah I would like to wait it out for a bit longer but I have no time. I would ideally like to become a GP but it's just wayyy too much training. Plus there are long waits for residencies these days.

Most people consider general practise boring- I don't mind. I study optometry so know what a boring job is like.

Mum has NP friends in the US and they earn heck of a lot more than other health professionals and some even as much as the same as family practitioners. Plus they have much lower uni debt. From 2015 the US is making "doctorate in nursing practise" compulsory as well as state and national board registration. This is the same level of recognition and professionalism as the MD's and DO's in the US.

Back to Australia, if you look at seek a lot of the NP jobs offer close to 100k salaries. And the quoted figures are for standard hours, so doesn't include overtime.

If I wait for any longer- I'll get older and the entry requirements would sky rocket. Already entry req. for nursing is at historical highs (monash nursing I think is very close or at 90 TER). With this week's announcements, the marks may become out of my reach in a few year's time. You have to consider the massive numbers of med rejects (like myself) that usually go into optometry, pharmacy and dentistry. Some of those people would probably flock to nursing.

And nursing is probably the only profession that has a huge shortage in terms of qualified nurses AND students.

Originally Posted by crickethunger

Yeah I would like to wait it out for a bit longer but I have no time. I would ideally like to become a GP but it's just wayyy too much training. Plus there are long waits for residencies these days.

Most people consider general practise boring- I don't mind. I study optometry so know what a boring job is like.

Mum has NP friends in the US and they earn heck of a lot more than other health professionals and some even as much as the same as family practitioners. Plus they have much lower uni debt. From 2015 the US is making "doctorate in nursing practise" compulsory as well as state and national board registration. This is the same level of recognition and professionalism as the MD's and DO's in the US.

No it's not, again you need to have a look at the type of degrees offered in the US. They're not regulated like they are in Australia.

Back to Australia, if you look at seek a lot of the NP jobs offer close to 100k salaries. And the quoted figures are for standard hours, so doesn't include overtime.

If I wait for any longer- I'll get older and the entry requirements would sky rocket. Already entry req. for nursing is at historical highs (monash nursing I think is very close or at 90 TER). With this week's announcements, the marks may become out of my reach in a few year's time. You have to consider the massive numbers of med rejects (like myself) that usually go into optometry, pharmacy and dentistry. Some of those people would probably flock to nursing.

And nursing is probably the only profession that has a huge shortage in terms of qualified nurses AND students.

Well if you think it's the best idea then go for it.

Originally Posted by crickethunger

Becoming an NP seems the best alternative for those that don't go into medicine. From this week they can charge medicare, prescribe meds (including heart meds!), vaccinate and basically most things a GP can.

Their pay is around 90k but with overtime and other benefits it exceeds 100k easily. It's like becoming a GP but with only about 5 years education and 2-3 years training. So about 7 years to become an NP vs 12 years to become a GP. The pay is practically similar and you do the same stuff.

In the US NP's will be required to do a doctorate in nursing practise by 2015 so all NP's will be knows as Doctor! In Australia you can just do a PhD.

Best of all you can run your own practise. While legislation recommends a GP is overseeing things some clinics are planning on running it completely independent of GP's so you get autonomy.

"While the proposed clinics would work in collaboration with existing GP practices, other clinics such as the Revive Clinics group see themselves as operating more independently, saying there is "nothing in the [rules about] collaborative arrangements saying you have to have a signed agreement with a local GP", according to The Australian."

Awesome. Nursing for me next year.

Anyone else planning on going into the field? It's just awesome. My mum's a nurse and she's planning on studying for a Masters in Nursing practise and maybe a PhD so she will become a doctor. And I will follow suit

NPs can only prescribe a VERY SMALL number of meds that are relevant to their area of speciality. So you would only be able to prescribe cardiac meds if you were a cardiac nurse practitioner, and then you wouldn't be able to prescribe other meds. Nurse practitioners are not GPs and never will be, they are nurses and pride themselves on this. This means their focus is not on diagnosis and pharmacological treatment but patient care.

Becoming a NP is VERY LONG ROAD. I know, I am a nurse and I know people who have done the NP route in Australia. Be aware the US is very very different and unless you plan to live and work there I wouldn't base your career decision on the US situation. While NP might only be 5-6 years of uni education you are required to have many years practical experience in your field. This means:

3 years undergrad
1 year graduate nurse program
1-2 years post grad study part time in specialised area
3 years or so more years experience
2 years FT masters or part time equivilant...

Then you need to draft your scope of practice, sit the board exams and viva voce etc etc...

My friend who is an NP went down this route as she didn't want to go back to square one by going to med (she was already an experienced nurse). She now realises it was more work, study and time to go down the NP route.

As for being known as Dr... any with a PhD in any discipline has the right to call themselves that. If you think having a PhD and being Dr Nurse Practitioner is any different from being Mr Nurse Practitioner then you might want to think again.

Don't get me wrong, NP is a great initiative and I fully support the role of NPs in primary health care. However do not go into nursing believing that you will become a GP with a different name.

Originally Posted by crickethunger

While legislation recommends a GP is overseeing things some clinics are planning on running it completely independent of GP's so you get autonomy.

I wonder what you see as being advantageous about this autonomy?

It seems a little dodgy to me for someone who is not a medical doctor to describe themselves as Dr and have an individual practice in a health field. Nursing isn't medicine, and a NP is not a GP. It's somewhat misleading really.

I plan to start nusing next year (assuming i miss out on med) and if i miss out on grad med i think i'll either do a masters in NP or 2yrs postgrad physio at usyd...