I am looking for advice on where to do my final clinical rotation as an ACNP student. I am interested in working in cardiology and do have a job prospect. So far I have done: Internal Medicine, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Renal and Cardiology (office and inpatient). I have the option to continue in cardiology and do my final intensive rotation with the group that I will hopefully be working with, or I could do a hospitalist/ICU type rotation.

There are no jobs available in the latter field, but it is my area of weakness. I'm not sure if I should base this last rotation on where I need the most learning, or where I am interested in working. I know 200 hours in an ICU rotation will not prepare me to work in an ICU, so maybe I should immerse myself in a specialty I want to work in. However, I don't want to miss out on learning opportunites either. Any cardiac NPs wish they had done something different or have any advice after being in the field?

The job I am hoping to get will be a combination of office and inpatient cardiology patients. And my potential "boss" does want me to continue the rotation with him.

Thanks!

I'm not a cardiac NP, rather, I'm an ICU NP. The common denominator for both you and I in why we decided to put the time and effort to go through a nurse practitioner program is to eventually work as an NP. With that said, I would go with the strategy of picking the last clinical rotation with a specialty I will have the highest probability of getting a job in. In a job market where our options can be limited, being savvy about the direction you want your career to go to is the key.

I would suggest a few things to think about and plan if you feel that your weakness lies in the IM/Hospitalist and Intensivist NP roles. Cardiology patient management is very broad. It encompasses out-patient care including primary care of HTN and the comorbid conditions that go with that all the way to critical care of the full-blown cardiogenic shock seen in the CCU. Because Cardiologists start out as internists, they usually have priviledges to admit patients under their primary service in a hospital floor or ICU. Would it be possible, this time around, if you could tailor your last rotation more towards in-patient management in the tele floor or ICU? you'll have to ask this physician if this can be accommodated, of course. I just think that this way, you will still have the hospitalist/intensivist exposure though not directly from the typical services that provides this level of care.

Thanks Juan. Between your response and the morning I had during my rotation today (involved balloon pump, temporary pacer and hour long code) I think I will be able to gear the rotation to meet my needs. I think what happened this morning was a sign! Thanks for replying!