ACNP OR FNP

Nurses General Nursing

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I am currently a nurse in the neuro ICU. I want to further my career and become a nurse practitioner. I want to continue to work in the ICU setting or even the ED. Would it be better to pursue my FNP or ACNP? Are FNPs allowed to work in the hospitals?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Recovery.

Acute care is designed for setting like icu, specialty practices such as cardiology/surgery, or other inpatient roles like hospitalists. FNP is designed for primary care in the outpatient clinic, or urgent care, or emergency dept fast track. You will see some fnp rounding on inpatients, but this is supposed to be the exception, not the rule. At my hospital, fnp are not able to round on ICU patients at all.

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Are ACNP allowed to work in the ED?

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Specializes in Critical Care; Recovery.

If an ED will allow them to only see adults, I don't see why not. My understanding is that for the fast track they prefer an FNP due to the fact that they can see all ages.

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Oncology.

Sounds like ACNP is the better choice based on your goals. I just interviewed with several programs for my masters and known that FNP programs do all of their clinicals in primary care settings, so they will not prepare you well for work in a hospital setting with acute patients.

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