Everyone is in NP school !

Specialties NP

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About half of the nurses in my Hospital are in NP school , about 75% of the RNs in the Atlanta area hospitals are in NP school. Where are the jobs to support the 17 millions new NPs in the graduation pipe line ? I have thought about NP school, I just can't see the job availability in the future. How is your neck of the woods ?

Exactly @smileyfacefee.. ANCC, ANA, SBON's have all posted several peer reviewed articles showing the statistics now and in the future on the shortage of primary care physicians and how NP/PA can help reduce the shortage..even still with the projected growth of midlevels they still expect a shortage ... Here is what one article states: "Without changes to how primary care is delivered, the growth in primary care physician supply will not be adequate to meet demand in 2020, with a projected shortage of 20,400 physicians. While this deficit is not as large as has been found in prior studies, the projected shortage of primary care physicians is still significant." They go on to say, "Under a scenario in which the rapidly growing NP and PA supply can effectively be integrated, the shortage of 20,400 physicians in 2020 could be reduced to 6,400 PCPs."

So I really think the growth is good. I think there should be a requirement based on how soon you can enter into a program don't get me wrong. It still should remain an elite field where NOT everyone and their mother can get in.

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Enough

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In my 34 years of nursing, I'm at my wits end. My staff is 1/2 new AD or BSN grads (ready to enroll in NP or CRNA school)and 1/2 NP students. In a few years will there be any bedside nurses left

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Could not have said it better. So should their be a cap on how many NP's, PA's, MD's, DO's there should be? Should we cap on how many military personnel we need? Should we cap on how many policemen and women we have? Never thought I would hear so many people complain about people wanting to further their education so they could take on the ever changing and complicated health care system we work in these days to ensure the best and safest outcomes for patients. People are only getting sicker and less compliant meaning more ER visits/ admissions/ etc etc etc.......I think having so many people interested and motivated to become practitioners is a good thing? And that is not to say that everyone is made out to be one though.... I agree that programs should select top academic and well rounded students (I have met some pretty horrible book smart practitioners. Being able to pass a test doesn't qualify you as a great NP, PA etc.). Like I said before not everyone and their mother should be granted access into these programs. Yes, some will slip in but all in all I think we are headed in the right direction

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Enough of this madness. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. In every profession, knowing your worth is key, some people know how to sell themselves while some don't . Life is a choice , live it I am JS

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Specializes in Urology.

Myself I do not have a problem with individuals wanting to become a practitioner. My issue is with the decision to become a practitioner for many isn't based on actually wanting to be a practitioner but rather because they aren't happy in with their current work as a bedside nurse. A lot of NP's and prospective students I personally know have stated that they chose to be an NP/student solely due to the schedule they would have. They are tired of working late hours or not being home on the weekends. While this is an appealing prospect, it should not be your first motivator to be a practitioner (in my opinion). It's not even a guarantee that a job like that will fall into place. For example, Urgent care typically has weekend and evening hours.

The decision to become an NP should involve more than just a proposed lifestyle. It should not be an easy decision! CRNA is another high profile advanced nursing practice job that get allure from the high dollar salary that attracts many but limits its ranks due to a rigorous program. Many don't make it to school and several will drop out along the way. It was my first choice actually before NP school but after working several years in the PACU I decided that it just wasn't for me. I made an informed decision that wasn't driven by money but rather what was required of the job. This should be the primary motivator for NP. What does the job entail? Many entering the program don't understand the enhanced liability that encompasses being a practitioner or that you might be the sole provider for a patient. Some are just not cut out for this role.

What I'm getting at is many are not making an informed decision to enter the profession, many have not networked well enough if at all, many have little nursing experience (if any), and many are unprepared for what the job entails. While we will have many great practitioners in the future, with the bar being set low we will also have many bad practitioners entering the field. I'm not saying that medicine or any of the other professions have their bad apples, its just they do a better job of mitigating them at the gate. If the profession is to be taken seriously as a whole their needs to be a high standard of quality.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Interesting thread. When I was in my undergraduate RN program 17 years ago, the same concerns were voiced. I had many people attempting to discourage me by saying "everyone wants to be a RN" and the field is saturated etc...

I'm delighted I didn't listen because I would not be where I am today.

You can't blame nurses for trying to get the best quality career that they can. Bedside nursing can be hard on home life and physical health.

I agree that the multiple online programs that make it easier to advance make it very competitive...however if you have a real problem with it, go to your state board of nursing and write to ANA and complain. If you aren't willing to do that don't fault the next person for attempting to have what you have.

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I agree that the multiple online programs that make it easier to advance make it very competitive...however if you have a real problem with it, go to your state board of nursing and write to ANA and complain.

How do they make it "very competitive"? There's very little competition to get into NP school. The multiple programs, if anything, make it easier to get in. Not more difficult.

And we both know the ANA won't do a darn thing. NP schools are money makers in large part.

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How do they make it "very competitive"? There's very little competition to get into NP school. The multiple programs, if anything, make it easier to get in. Not more difficult.

And we both know the ANA won't do a darn thing. NP schools are money makers in large part.

The best NP schools have extremely competitive admissions. And getting through a good NP school is also very hard. Then a new grad has to pass the license exam. None of this is easy.

Are you an NP or NP student? I'm asking because it appears from your screen name that you are not an NP, so I fail to see how you are such an expert on NP schools.

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Are you an NP or NP student? I'm asking because it appears from your screen name that you are not an NP, so I fail to see how you are such an expert on NP schools.

There's a difference between easy, and competitiveness. It is not hard to get in to most NP programs. Quite easy when compared to PA programs. However, I'm sure top tier, top education programs are competitive. Absolutely.

No, I am not an NP or NP student, nor do I need to be in order to participate in this discussion. I never claimed to be an expert on the topic. You created that title.

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Competitive in regards to job opportunities. Obviously the more candidates available for any career increases job competition. Fortunately most NPs I personally know all attended schools with high admission requirements. Also I work at a university teaching hospital with plenty of NPs that would make all of us proud. It's unfortunate that people claim to know so many NP that are just the opposite.

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I currently work with 5 NPs, still working in the ED as RNs who cant find an NP gig. They are all excellent nurses.I always thought I wanted to be a FNP but not sure about investing 3 years and 40-50 grand just to stay at my old job. Maybe it's just my neck of the wood.

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