ANP scope of practice (or ANP/WHNPs out there practicing)

Specialties NP

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What is the scope of the ANP? I understand you can only provide care to individuals 12 or 13 and older.

But can an ANP provide full GYN care? For example if i wanted to work in whnp capacity of student health clinic or planned parenthood? I understand that OB care is very limited if at all, correct?

What sort of practices hire ANPs? Can they be hired in urgent cares or Fast Track ERs (understanding they can't see peds under 12)? Specialty practices?

I also understand that is there a huge revamping of ANP curriculums soon. What does this entail? More Gero? Anything else? What extra clinical hours have been added?

Are there any ANP/WHNP practitioners out there? How have you been using both certifications in practice?

Thanks in advance!

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What is the scope of the ANP? I understand you can only provide care to individuals 12 or 13 and older.

But can an ANP provide full GYN care? For example if i wanted to work in whnp capacity of student health clinic or planned parenthood? I understand that OB care is very limited if at all, correct?

What sort of practices hire ANPs? Can they be hired in urgent cares or Fast Track ERs (understanding they can't see peds under 12)? Specialty practices?

I also understand that is there a huge revamping of ANP curriculums soon. What does this entail? More Gero? Anything else? What extra clinical hours have been added?

Are there any ANP/WHNP practitioners out there? How have you been using both certifications in practice?

Thanks in advance!

I'm an Adult Acute Care NP, not an Adult NP, but I may be able to answer some of your questions.

Our scope of practice is pretty close to what you describe. I don't know of a hard and fast age cut off but I and the ANPs I know avoid kids like the plague. The youngest patient I've ever seen was 17.

Our OB/GYN training is close to nill. I consider myself an advanced practice provider for acutely ill adults but when it comes to kids and women's health, I consider myself a nurse. My training on OB/GYN matters was so abbreviated that I don't feel I could safely practice as an NP in that area.

I don't expect the new Gero thing to really influence anything. To be honest we were always gero focused. Now we simply have it in our name.

As for who hires us, that gets complicated. I'm an acute care variant so we usually work with various inpatient practices. I do some ED/Hospitalist work. Some of my colleagues work with cardiology practices. Others do ICU. In general we cluster around specialty practices where you're guaranteed to avoid kids. ED stuff is actually really tricky for Acute Care NPs because we don't get a lot of primary care training and close to 90% of what we see in the ED is really primary care. We're also competing with FNPs and PAs who are perfectly trained to do urgent care work and don't carry our restrictions against seeing kids.

EDIT: Wow. My spelling is awful at the end of a night shift.

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Do you feel that ANP is less restrictive than ACNP? It seems if one is set on only seeing adults, are jobs more limited in ACNP due to the more specific/narrow patient population. I have also heard that hospitals or acute care settings are much more reluctant to hire you unless you have a lot of RN experience with the same patient population due to the higher risk and more ill patients. If anyone can give advise on the availability of jobs of ANP vs ACNP, that would be great!

Thanks!

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Specializes in Emergency, MCCU, Surgical/ENT, Hep Trans.

Another ANP here. Your correct, GYN care is very limited in the ANP world and I think its so for a purpose. We covered the PAP, STDs and BCPs and that's about it. This is why we have WHNP! Imagine a WHNP applying for an urgent care position?

I started in an urgent care alongside an MD and/or PA with understanding of 12+ patients. It worked. Now in an adult ED. Most of my ANP friends work in Cardiology, ENDO and Internal Medicine. As far as revamping, i believe it's in name only. We did a fair amount of Gero work in my ANP program and about half my patients are > 65.

Best of luck!

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Hi Everyone,

I have this concern that I have been battling with for the last couple of weeks. I am currently applying for the NP programs, and am so so confused as to which specialty to focus my applications on. I find myself swinging back and forth blw FNP, ANP and ACNP. I really don't know which one to settle for between these 3 programs. My main concern is the job market out there in the real world, and the new national APRN consensus program all current NP's are talking about.

I am really so confused with the whole thing, as I have just completed my ABSN program, and I really want to continue with the NP program this fall. I don't want to commit myself to a program, and have regrets afterward, as I have student loans pending from my previous Masters, and now from the ABSN. I just want to quickly do this NP stuff, and forget about schooling, so that I can finally start a family.

I would be more than grateful if anyone out there can give me one or two advices on which way to go, as most application deadline is fast approaching.

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Can someone send the link to what this consensus APN thing is all about?! Not sure if one's NP specialty will matter for current NP students.

Thanksssss:)

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