First job but no prescribing

[BostonRN13]

Hi there. Just wanted to get opinions from all of you... I'm a new grad and in talks about taking a Pre-op clinic job that would not include perscribing medications as part of my role. The schedule is perfect and I am familiar with the role and staff since I obtained some of my clinical NP hours at this particular site. My hestitation is that there is no prescribing and little diagnosis. Will this leave me unprepared down the line if and when I take another job?

I am anxious to accept a new job but want to make the right choice!

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

You might not get prescription skills but you will develop very good assessment skills -- you dont' want to miss anything that might put a patient at risk during surgery.

Whether or not to take the job depends on what other options you have. If this is your only offer so far, and the working conditions are satisfactory, personally I would take the job and maximize learning as much as possible. Learn everything you can about the types of surgical patients you're seeing, the indications for surgery, what you need to look out for, possible complications, etc. Become an expert in this area. Build your reputation as an effective NP who knows how to listen to patients and work well with other healthcare professionals and members of the healthcare team. Then, down the line if you want to look for another job, you will be able to point to your achievements in this area and demonstrate that you are self-motivated and capable of advancing your own learning.

Good luck!

[BostonRN13]

You might not get prescription skills but you will develop very good assessment skills -- you dont' want to miss anything that might put a patient at risk during surgery. Whether or not to take the job depends on what other options you have. If this is your only offer so far and the working conditions are satisfactory, personally I would take the job and maximize learning as much as possible. Learn everything you can about the types of surgical patients you're seeing, the indications for surgery, what you need to look out for, possible complications, etc. Become an expert in this area. Build your reputation as an effective NP who knows how to listen to patients and work well with other healthcare professionals and members of the healthcare team. Then, down the line if you want to look for another job, you will be able to point to your achievements in this area and demonstrate that you are self-motivated and capable of advancing your own learning. Good luck![/quote']

Well said, thank you!

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Hi there. Just wanted to get opinions from all of you... I'm a new grad and in talks about taking a Pre-op clinic job that would not include perscribing medications as part of my role. The schedule is perfect and I am familiar with the role and staff since I obtained some of my clinical NP hours at this particular site. My hestitation is that there is no prescribing and little diagnosis. Will this leave me unprepared down the line if and when I take another job? I am anxious to accept a new job but want to make the right choice!

This would be a nice job to complement a urgent care or retail clinic job. I would be hesitant to take a single FT job with no prescribing or diagnosing if you have plans to do that down the road.

[Dembitz, APRN]

You're going to spend ALL DAY doing physical exams on people in a wide variety of health states, plus reviewing med lists and understanding what the medications do and how they interact. Even if this is isn't what you want to do long-term, I think it will be easy to put a big positive spin on this job to any future employer.