Primary Care or Family NPs: How many pt so you typically see a day or hour?

NurseNancyNP · Jun 17, 2008

I work in an occupational setting. We schedule patients every 30 mins. However, I work without a LPN or RN to assist except for gu/gyn issues. We also see walk-ins and I dispense my own meds.

prairienp · Jun 17, 2008

I am curious to know what things are like for other people in similar practice settings. Do you get paid per pt ot salary? I work P/T about 27 hrs/week in a private practice with 2 MDs. One day a week I work alone and see pts from 8a to 6 p I have an LPN unitl 2 pm). I see anywhere from 35-55 pt. We, unfortunately, take walk-ins in addition to scheduled appts. I remember doing clinicals in an office where they did not take walk-ins and I think my preceptor saw about 25 pt in 8 hours, and it was much nicer. Although probably not as lucrative to the boss!

The number of patients may not be as significant as the type of patients are you seeing during those 8 hours. As you know sore throats and URIs can be quick, abdominal pain, dizziness, chest pain take longer. What if you are doing procedures ? I know there are days when I see 20 patients in 8 hours and end up dictating for 2 hours afterwards. Another day I can see 30 patients and be done with dictating at the end of 8 hours.

mrspopeye · Jun 25, 2008

I see a patient every 20 minutes, with a medical assistant or LPN assigned to me, and I am paid hourly. At the previous practice, I saw one every 30 minutes with no nurse except for a GYN exam, etc and was on a percentage of collections, which needless to say, did not last long at that pace.

JDCitizen · Jun 29, 2008

I am curious to know what things are like for other people in similar practice settings. Do you get paid per pt ot salary? I work P/T about 27 hrs/week in a private practice with 2 MDs. One day a week I work alone and see pts from 8a to 6 p I have an LPN unitl 2 pm). I see anywhere from 35-55 pt. We, unfortunately, take walk-ins in addition to scheduled appts. I remember doing clinicals in an office where they did not take walk-ins and I think my preceptor saw about 25 pt in 8 hours, and it was much nicer. Although probably not as lucrative to the boss!

Salary

I have seen as few as 5 and as many as 50... Average 20's

The doctor I work with let them know not to do the 50 thing ever again...

Dixiecup · Jul 3, 2008

I am in the FNP program now. The clinic I did my preceptorship in last semester, everything was done on computer. They did all the charting, dictating, etc. right then, while the pt was in the room, so at the end of the day, they were done. No after hours dictating.

I guess I'm kind of confused on this part. I've worked with other Doctors that even when the charting was handwritten, it was done in the room when the patient was seen.

Beef · Jul 9, 2008

I see 20-28 patients per day. Walk-ins for the first 2 hours then scheduled patients. 15 minute slots for routine OV's; more for chest pain, GYN and physicals. I am paid based on productivity but there is an absolute base that is pre-negotiated so I don't dip TOO low.

scribblerpnp · Jul 13, 2008

I work in pediatric primary care. My appointments are 20 minutes apart. I do not have an assigned MA or LPN to help me room pts, dispense medications, give vaccines or injections, or do breathing tx, etc. Sometimes my visits are very short, and sometimes parents have a huge lift of questions and I might spend more than 20 minutes with them.

Lots of times the MA or LPN will help me out, but it is not a guarantee because their schedule may be extremely busy too, and they have to take care of their assigned provider first. If we know ahead of time a pt will need exra time, it is scheduled, but this is not always the case. Our office does not have computerized charting, and I do all charting by hand (I know, we are back in the stone age here).

But really, I don't feel harried or over worked. Some days are bad, but the longest I have stayed after the last pt has been 1.5 hours, and that was mainly because two had to be admitted into the hospital, and I wanted to finish the admitting H&P before I went home.

I work part-time at the office, and it doesn't really seem feasilble to hire someone just for me. We are a small office, and it seems kind of silly. I manage to get in a lot of teaching, interaction with the parents doing those things that the MA or LPN does, and the parents LOVE the fact that once they are called from the waiting room, their child will be quickly seen without waiting a second time in the exam rooms.

It has its ups and downs, but I really like not having an LPN or MA assigned to me. I still like using those nursing skills such as administrating vaccines, st caths, etc.

JDCitizen · Jul 13, 2008

Salary
I have seen as few as 5 and as many as 50... Average 20's
The doctor I work with let them know not to do the 50 thing ever again...

Another thing is satisfaction and that perception will be coming at you from your boss, the patients and yourself....

#1 You know when we are not contributing enough.

#2 You know when feel the numbers are unsafe.

#1 and #2 of what you feel may not be what your boss sees...