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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm 38, have 2 kids, and am a nurse practitioner.  I was just telling a patient yesterday how glad I am I never really considered going to medical school.  What I do (outpatient clinic, in a specialty field which I love) is very similar to what the physicians I work with do, but my debt load is way less and I don't have to take call or work weekends.

All of that said, even becoming an NP (or a PA--which is different, with some limitations on practice--which I'd look into and consider before heading too far down either path) is not something you can do in a year or two.  Any program I'm aware of would expect you to have some medical background--EMT, hospital volunteering--and you would likely need updated pre-reqs.  Becoming an NP requires a Masters and even though there are a handful of direct-entry NP programs I have to tell you they are really frowned on by all of the nurses and NPs I know.  I think it would be possible to find a job after one of those programs but not a great NP job.

In my case, I went back to school for a second bachelors (BSN) in my late 20s (after a year of pre-reqs while I was working in a medical field and volunteering in a hospital), worked as a bedside nurse for many years while having my kids and also getting my MSN part-time, and became an NP in my early 30s.  All told I've gone to school for so long I could have done med school BUT I was able to do school in a much more flexible, sometimes part-time way which would have been impossible had I been doing med school.

So, I don't think you're crazy but I would do a lot more research before settling on a path.  Good luck![/quote]

Thanks, PP. This is really informative![/quote]

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