NP is it worth it in my situation?

Flo., BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2012

That sounds like a sweet gig. Why do you want to leave?

RNorNP · Jan 19, 2012

It's more OSHA, Case Managment, and Band Aids......lol. I enjoy actually practicing medicine and not the repetition of physicals, return to work, paper work, etc etc etc.

All that time focusing on school, sacrifice, to only make the same if that? Well, I'm not miserable by any means, so that wouldn't make much sense either.

zoidberg, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2012

i live in the south as well. In NC NP's working in primary care/family/etc will not make more than you. From what I have observed NP's in the south can usually only get up and over six figures when acting in more of a PA-esque role in a dermatology, cardiology, or other specialty office, or in Emergency departments or ICUs in larger hospitals. My mom took a school nurse job after all us kids were out and grown up and makes more than a lot of FNPs in family practice since it is an expensive town and she has a masters. Unless you have an MD ready to train you into a specialty, you are willing to work in the ER/Critical care, or you go Psych, the money for NPs is usually not enough to justify the expense of the education.

labbio · Jan 19, 2012

I would stay exactly where you are right now. $84K and all those benefits are sweet. I believe all jobs will become mundane and repetitive after a while. Your education is not wasted. You are good at your job and applying the knowledge from school without knowing it. If you want patient care, perhaps you may want to participate in volunteering at a local free clinic. I am a new NP grad and the job market in the South is not looking bright at this time. I would consider myself to be lucky if I can get a job with a $70K!!! However, I support your decision either way :)

UVA Grad Nursing · Jan 20, 2012

There is no guarantee on salaries. I know FNPs in Virginia who are making 50K in rural counties, and they love their jobs. I know a PNP who is making 100K+ in a suburban ENT practice and hates it (mandatory Saturdays work, on call every other Sunday, etc.). Life is so more than just a paycheck.

nrichmo · Jan 20, 2012

I work in a dermatology office and our NP makes 85K and works about 28 hrs. a week.

nrichmo

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Jan 20, 2012

I started at 84K, (before bonuses which can be 10-20k) with a 15K signing bonus, required to stay one year or pay it back. I work 32 hours a week. I can work any 32 hours I want to, I make my own schedule and come and go when I please. No call, no weekends, great bennies. I have a "boss" in a manner of speaking, but she doesn't ever tell me how to do my job and has always backed me up 110% when pts c/o because I'm running behind or they didn't get something they wanted (antibiotics, pain meds). Basically her job is to run the clinic and make my life easier, not to run my life, lol. My medical director is there for guidance and support, and he doesn't butt in on my patient care unless I ask. I work in a state with independent practice.

A patient was nasty to me last week (long story I'm not going to detail) and today showed up begging for vicodin for a condition I have never assessed nor treated her for. No one pressured me to take a "customer service" approach, lol. I stopped short of having her physically removed from the building, I just told the MA to tell her I said no, and that was the end of it. No apology, no explanation, just no. "No I won't see you today and no I won't give you any Vicodin. Thanks for stopping by, now go home and have a nice day." She can complain until the cows come home, but I am trusted and respected to practice the way I please, and my colleagues defer to my judgement.

I was a highly respected and valued critical care nurse for over 15 years, and still I never got that kind of support. If the ice wasn't cold enough by god, I was kindly asked to bring the patient several samples of ice until they found one they liked and then sit on committee meetings addressing the "ice situation." I kid, I kid. But you get my point.

Money shmuney. Is the kind of autonomy I have now worth it to you? Only you know that. It sure as he// is to me.

RNorNP · Jan 20, 2012

I started at 84K, (before bonuses which can be 10-20k) with a 15K signing bonus, required to stay one year or pay it back. I work 32 hours a week. I can work any 32 hours I want to, I make my own schedule and come and go when I please. No call, no weekends, great bennies. I have a "boss" in a manner of speaking, but she doesn't ever tell me how to do my job and has always backed me up 110% when pts c/o because I'm running behind or they didn't get something they wanted (antibiotics, pain meds). Basically her job is to run the clinic and make my life easier, not to run my life, lol. My medical director is there for guidance and support, and he doesn't butt in on my patient care unless I ask. I work in a state with independent practice.
A patient was nasty to me last week (long story I'm not going to detail) and today showed up begging for vicodin for a condition I have never assessed nor treated her for. No one pressured me to take a "customer service" approach, lol. I stopped short of having her physically removed from the building, I just told the MA to tell her I said no, and that was the end of it. No apology, no explanation, just no. "No I won't see you today and no I won't give you any Vicodin. Thanks for stopping by, now go home and have a nice day." She can complain until the cows come home, but I am trusted and respected to practice the way I please, and my colleagues defer to my judgement.
I was a highly respected and valued critical care nurse for over 15 years, and still I never got that kind of support. If the ice wasn't cold enough by god, I was kindly asked to bring the patient several samples of ice until they found one they liked and then sit on committee meetings addressing the "ice situation." I kid, I kid. But you get my point.
Money shmuney. Is the kind of autonomy I have now worth it to you? Only you know that. It sure as he// is to me.

Thanks for the response, so are you a DNP? Are you in the south? Your position doesn't sound typical just as mine is not :) Money and schedule are very important factors to me and many nurses. From what I gather most nurses go on to become NP's for two reasons 1) Is schedule 2) Is money..... and I guess you added a third one I totally forgot about respect!!!

I am far removed from the hospital setting!! I have been in Occ Health for 7 years and it's not comparable in the slightest. I have no direct boss per se I work 100% autonomously. I have wellness programs, certains systems that need managing, and then the occassional injury at a site. I contract two MD's once a week to see employees etc which is awesome, but other than that my actually treating of people is very limited.

As you can see I spend 80% of my time in administration and 1 day a week treating people. I miss treating people and that is why I posted asking about pay in the south. It seems like it would be a wash at best unless I really was to get lucky.

I may still look into it and see go part time keep the advice coming I would love to hear more!!

mammac5 · Jan 20, 2012

I'm a new grad adult NP and I work in a hospital in the South. Without over-sharing I can tell you I do NOT make $84K/year. I do have good benefits and I can work out a good schedule for myself with lots of time off. It is great experience for me and will be wonderful on my resume, but I don't know that I will continue to work for this pay when my contract is up at the end of this year.

One opportunity I turned down was in a family practice office with a lot of autonomy possible, I would also have seen pts in a SNF setting. I was offered $60K with the potential to make about $12K in productivity bonuses per year, but in reality I knew I would never hit those numbers in (at least) my first 6 months in practice. It is a privately-owned practice in a smallish town; almost NO benefits other than CME. Also when I checked into the billing habits of that practice I was not really happy with what I found.

allnurses Guide · Jan 23, 2012

I'm an FNP with 2 1/2 years experience, which was all spent in primary care. I started at a fairly low salary, but was eligible for loan repayment cause I worked in a community health ceneter with an under-served population. I recently started a new job in a specialty practice making well over $84,000 plus bonuses, with great benefits. I can easily see my salary being over $100,000 in a few years if I stay with this practice and do a good job. I don't have to work any weekends, nights, or holidays. I don't have to cover for anyone if someone is out sick. I'm not the boss of anyone, which I love. The only paperwork I deal with is writing notes. I am treated with respect and we have a great support staff. I don't know if my situation is the norm, but I'm pretty happy about it. I am not in the South, which might make a difference in salary. For what it's worth, I left a high paying job in another profession to go into nursing. The money was great, but my stress level and quality of life were not. My quality of life is much better now and I'm very happy working as an NP.

KenH · Jan 25, 2012

My wife wife is a FNP after working 30 years at the same hospital, CNA, LVN, RN to ICU, House sup

Now FNP, she loves it, but don't fool your self, its all about how many patients you can see, the test you can order and how much you can bill out.

Our system is fee for services provided

It will be only worth it if that the direction you want to go in for personal growth