Pursuing nurse practioner degree without RN experience

Nurses New Nurse

Published

Hi everyone, this is my first thread. I just passed my NCLEX in mid september and is wondering if it's a good idea to pursue nurse practitioner degree without RN experience? Also, how's the market out there for nurse practitioners?

Specializes in OB/GYN, Psych.

If you really want to be an NP (not just because of the bad job market, but because it is a goal you have anyway), then you could look at doing what I am doing: I am going to grad school part-time while working as a RN full-time. I just graduated from nursing school in May, and it will take me 3-4 years to finish my MSN program and become an NP, by which time I will have about 4 years of nursing experience. To me, that is the best of both worlds; it keeps me moving toward my ultimate goal of becoming a NP, but also enables me to acquire some valuable nursing experience.

Great, hard hitting question.

To huangsoRN,

I am hearing a lot of concern about the job market but not much about your passion and vision in nursing.

What do you want to do in nursing?

It is my goal and passion to become a primary family nurse practitioner. Yes I am complaining about job market because I really want to have the experience that will prepare me better to become a nurse practitioner. BSN is my first degree and I'm 23 years old and I admit that I do not have the critical thinking skill compare to experienced nurses. This is why I am so upset about not getting a job in acute care setting. However, I did get some offer from LTC. I am just wondering if experience in LTC will provide me the experience I need to become a FP.

i thought i would share with you a different perspective from a direct entry masters rn. i received my previous b.s degree in pharmacological chemistry in the hopes to either by a pa, pharmacist or md. i decided to go the route of np after much research and meeting some amazing np mentors. the first 16 months of my program i obtained my bsn/rn license, i am now working as a labor and delivery rn (6 months in) while obtaining my msn (will graduate next august). following my msn i will quite my position or kick back to per diem and obtain my np certification. i will then work as an np hopefully with an ob (have already received job offers from some of the docs i work with on the unit). so the question remains do you need rn experience to be an np? i think it helps as far as labs, diagnosis, communication with doctors, ect. but i don't think it is necessary. the doctors i have spoken to agree and i have to say the only resistance i meet is with seasoned rn's. i have to say based on my background i am very knowledgeable in diagnosis, labs, medication. ect but i need to refine my skills (iv starts). but let’s my honest here np's that work in the clinic do not perform these types of tasks. i am not sure why there is so much resistance from other nurses, but you just have to learn to blow them off, seek out the help of knowledgeable rn's that can and will support your education goals and work really hard to pave the way for future np's. much of my support in the hospital comes from dnp’s, nurse educators, managers, and the docs. pick the brains of these individuals and focus on the positive and try to tune of some of the negative chatter.

i hope this helps a bit :yeah:

first, are you planning to work totally solo? like it or not you will interact with experience rns who will have more knowledge than you.

the above posts are correct, practice is not like the book work. many variables and factors figure in..

you are dealing with patients who expect you to look at their total clinical picture and to do so with knowledge and expertise.

picking brains may give you some info, but having a hands on

experience of clinical experiences will give you a well rounded experience before you embark on the np route.

secondly, nurses are involved in the healthcare system on behalf of themselves and loved ones.

i have run into the spectrum of np approaches and in many cases the plan of care and decisions were lacking and no follow through where the np was in charge of the case.

in pleading your case, please know that there is a vast difference in nps and their practice depending upon experience.

many are excellent , but the reality is that many are not..it will take time to place the correct parameters for individuals to be proficient in this somewhat new role.

having a personal clinical background is an asset to the safety

of patient care once one is in an advanced role..

Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.
Absolutely not.

Book knowledge is all well and good (and further education is always good) but to work towards independent practice you need to have a foundation- and no books give you experience- just the "ideal" presentation of diagnoses. Get some exposure to real patients who have 5+ diagnoses and the meds to go with them....get comfy with their labs and diagnostics. Without experience, your value as an NP will be bleak.

Do you want a vet working on your dog who needs the book to perform procedures because he/she never did one before ? (loose example- but you get the idea :)).

I got jumped on for saying this, maybe it is because you are more articulate? Lol.

I wouldn't mind pursuing a degree in Nurse Practitioning, but only after two or so years of experience. I think that experience on the floor is invaluable. And yes, a new grad *may* have all the knowledge, but has never applied it.

Specializes in geriatrics.
Yes. That's true. But who will hire a nurse practitioner with no experience? :eek:

Get ANY job (all skills are valuable). Even part time while taking classes. But don't be a practitioner who's never seen a patient as her "own" patient. :)

Where I live, it's mandatory to have at least 2.5 years before you're accepted to NP programs. As it should be. All the postings want experience, so I can't see very many options with only an NP title. More importantly, you would be putting yourself, your coworkers, and your patients in jeopardy without the hands on experience. How could anyone accurately assess and diagnose a condition which is unfamiliar?

Many aspects of nursing are far from textbook.

Specializes in FNP: Urgent Care & Primary Care; RN: Med-Surg.

@Jollie

Thank you so much. I have applied to a direct entry program. It seems that the only negative thoughts come from "seasoned RNs." From posts that I've read, they seem to convey the idea that "seasoned RNs" are the best and never make any mistakes. Yes mistakes can be dangerous, but doctors make mistakes, "seasoned RNs" make mistakes, and yes NPs make mistakes. But just to discount someone because they have not spent 20 years right next to a patient seems unfair. To me it airs on the side of jealousy and comes off very arrogantly. If you are good your good, if you are bad your bad. This includes doctors and nurses. The rivalry needs to stop.

Specializes in med/surg 1 year, ER 5 years.

I think that it is very unsafe for a NP to have had no previous acute care work experience. If doctors and PAs need experience before practicing, how much more does a NP need it?! OP, please please please do not become an NP before getting at least 2 years experience!! You are young and you have time!

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i thought i would share with you a different perspective from a direct entry masters rn. i received my previous b.s degree in pharmacological chemistry in the hopes to either by a pa, pharmacist or md. i decided to go the route of np after much research and meeting some amazing np mentors. the first 16 months of my program i obtained my bsn/rn license, i am now working as a labor and delivery rn (6 months in) while obtaining my msn (will graduate next august). following my msn i will quite my position or kick back to per diem and obtain my np certification. i will then work as an np hopefully with an ob (have already received job offers from some of the docs i work with on the unit). so the question remains do you need rn experience to be an np? i think it helps as far as labs, diagnosis, communication with doctors, ect. but i don't think it is necessary. the doctors i have spoken to agree and i have to say the only resistance i meet is with seasoned rn's. i have to say based on my background i am very knowledgeable in diagnosis, labs, medication. ect but i need to refine my skills (iv starts). but let's my honest here np's that work in the clinic do not perform these types of tasks. i am not sure why there is so much resistance from other nurses, but you just have to learn to blow them off, seek out the help of knowledgeable rn's that can and will support your education goals and work really hard to pave the way for future np's. much of my support in the hospital comes from dnp's, nurse educators, managers, and the docs. pick the brains of these individuals and focus on the positive and try to tune of some of the negative chatter.

i hope this helps a bit :yeah:

as a seasoned rn, i can tell you that you don't know what you don't know. you don't think you need bedside experience to be an np -- and you can certainly go through school and become and np without it. the nursing school will take your money. i imagine it's possible to even become a good np without bedside experience, though it's unlikely. rather than blowing off the seasoned rns who think you need some bedside experience, why not listen to them and try to learn from them. if you pay attention, they'll teach you much of what you need to know. especially if you're humble.

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
@jollie

thank you so much. i have applied to a direct entry program. it seems that the only negative thoughts come from "seasoned rns." from posts that i've read, they seem to convey the idea that "seasoned rns" are the best and never make any mistakes. yes mistakes can be dangerous, but doctors make mistakes, "seasoned rns" make mistakes, and yes nps make mistakes. but just to discount someone because they have not spent 20 years right next to a patient seems unfair. to me it airs on the side of jealousy and comes off very arrogantly. if you are good your good, if you are bad your bad. this includes doctors and nurses. the rivalry needs to stop.

perhaps the only negative thoughts you've paid attention to come from seasoned rns, or perhaps you've just developed an attitude against seasoned rns. as an rn of more than three decades experience, i will admit to you that we all make mistakes. everyone -- experienced nurses, inexperienced nurses, physicians, nps and everyone else. as far as i know, though, no one is suggesting that you spend "20 years right next to the patient." we're advocating that you have some bedside experience before going on to become a nurse practitioner. five years would be ideal, two might be adequate and anything less is just not good enough. this is neither arrogance nor jealousy -- it's an educated and experienced opinion.

frankly, anyone who dismisses those who disagree with her as "airing on the side of jealously" comes off pretty arrogantly in my book. (did you mean "erring"?) i can assure you that i'm not jealous of anyone who wishes to become an np. if i wanted to be an np, i'd go off and obtain the necessary education to be one, and i think most of us seasoned nurses for whom you seem to have so little respect would agree.

i would suggest that whether or not you spend some time at the bedside before rushing off to an advanced practice degree, you can learn an awful lot from the seasoned nurses you encounter. unless you're too arrogant to listen to them.

I understand where you are coming from. When I was getting ready to graduate nursing school just over a year ago I thought that I would put in my two years as a bedside nurse and then I would go right back to school to get my master's because I know I really want to be an NP. BUT...after a year on the floor I have realized what I couldn't have possibly known before...How crucially important bedside nursing experience is to be a good nurse practitioner and that it's going to take probably at least 5 years before I feel like I have the experience, knowledge, comfort level, and expertise to be the excellent NP I know I want to be.

So can you go straight into getting your master's? You sure can. But you don't even realize what you don't know because you haven't even been on the floor yet. Seriously, nursing is something that the more you learn the more you realize how little you know. I still study after my shifts. I am constantly doing CEU's, reading research, and will be going to my first conference this year. I want to sit for the CCRN exam as soon as I can. So I am still accomplishing things. I am working as hard as I can to learn as much as I can. But NOTHING beats the experience @ the bedside. No book, no conference, no degree can replace it. So please I urge you to work at least a year before you make the decision to go back to school. I'm sure this is not what you want to hear but it's the truth. I also feel like going straight to getting your master's you'll miss out on the joys of being @ the bedside. The dynamic is SO different as an NP. I wish you all the best in your journey!

Specializes in FNP: Urgent Care & Primary Care; RN: Med-Surg.
perhaps the only negative thoughts you've paid attention to come from seasoned rns, or perhaps you've just developed an attitude against seasoned rns. as an rn of more than three decades experience, i will admit to you that we all make mistakes. everyone -- experienced nurses, inexperienced nurses, physicians, nps and everyone else. as far as i know, though, no one is suggesting that you spend "20 years right next to the patient." we're advocating that you have some bedside experience before going on to become a nurse practitioner. five years would be ideal, two might be adequate and anything less is just not good enough. this is neither arrogance nor jealousy -- it's an educated and experienced opinion.

frankly, anyone who dismisses those who disagree with her as "airing on the side of jealously" comes off pretty arrogantly in my book. (did you mean "erring"?) i can assure you that i'm not jealous of anyone who wishes to become an np. if i wanted to be an np, i'd go off and obtain the necessary education to be one, and i think most of us seasoned nurses for whom you seem to have so little respect would agree.

i would suggest that whether or not you spend some time at the bedside before rushing off to an advanced practice degree, you can learn an awful lot from the seasoned nurses you encounter. unless you're too arrogant to listen to them.

youprove my point. you are just lurking waiting to find mistakes so that you canmake yourself feel more important. i don't get it. so, from your logic isuppose you would not see a first year doctor or dentist? unless of coursethere was a "seasoned" doctor breathing down their necks. after all"they don't know what they don't know." or is it perhaps justprejudice against the young nurse practitioner because she has excelled without30 years of bedside care. the prejudice against new nurse practitioners is whatis arrogant. why not offer support. physician assistants, of whom are mostly male, still make more in somestates, just because they are male. how much bedside care experience do theyhave before practicing? would schoolssuch as vanderbilt and emory, even employ such programs if they werenot proven. these programs are not easy. this is advanced material taught by topprofessionals at top schools. how do you know how much experience is "goodenough?" are we all made of the same fabric? plus a nurse practitioner isnot necessarily doing the same job as an rn. perhaps next time you are peekingaround the corner trying to prove that the nurse practitioner did not cross her"t" you should try learning something. i suggest that whether or notyou spend some learning from that which you are against, you try to learn anawful lot from the nurse practitioner you encounter. unless of course you aretoo arrogant.

i don'tneed to go to work every day facing prejudice and grudge heartedness. if we should offer assistance to each other, nomatter 1 year or 50 years, nursing offers something new every day. why notsupport each other?

Specializes in FNP: Urgent Care & Primary Care; RN: Med-Surg.
I understand where you are coming from. When I was getting ready to graduate nursing school just over a year ago I thought that I would put in my two years as a bedside nurse and then I would go right back to school to get my master's because I know I really want to be an NP. BUT...after a year on the floor I have realized what I couldn't have possibly known before...How crucially important bedside nursing experience is to be a good nurse practitioner and that it's going to take probably at least 5 years before I feel like I have the experience, knowledge, comfort level, and expertise to be the excellent NP I know I want to be.

So can you go straight into getting your master's? You sure can. But you don't even realize what you don't know because you haven't even been on the floor yet. Seriously, nursing is something that the more you learn the more you realize how little you know. I still study after my shifts. I am constantly doing CEU's, reading research, and will be going to my first conference this year. I want to sit for the CCRN exam as soon as I can. So I am still accomplishing things. I am working as hard as I can to learn as much as I can. But NOTHING beats the experience @ the bedside. No book, no conference, no degree can replace it. So please I urge you to work at least a year before you make the decision to go back to school. I'm sure this is not what you want to hear but it's the truth. I also feel like going straight to getting your master's you'll miss out on the joys of being @ the bedside. The dynamic is SO different as an NP. I wish you all the best in your journey!

Thank you, I appreciate your encouragement. Unitedness-not separation-is what will help us to fight diseases such as cancer and not each other. Thank you.

+ Add a Comment