RNs being negative about NP school

allnurses Guide · Apr 3, 2011

I also think that those RNs who disparage would-be NPs are jealous and maybe a little insecure. I actually had an RN who was taking care of my mom in PACU tell me I was a fool when my mom told her I was an NP! And this woman didn't know me from Adam!! There are always going to be those who have to put down others in order to feel good about themselves. Ignore them. Pursue the dream you want for yourself. There are plenty of NP jobs out there. You may not get your dream job right out of school and you may have to be flexible about location and salary, but once you get some experience under your belt the opportunities will grow. Best of luck to you!

Le-Lee_FNP, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 3, 2011

Yes, I think so. It is due in part to the economy and tight job market. Plus, there are more RN-BSN completion programs that are online and super fast. Once you have your BSN, if you have a decent GPA, your MSN-NP (also online)is a few applications and 18 months to 2 years away. It is getting easier to pursue advanced education in nursing. I believe that is why you are seeing such an influx. Nursing is really on the cutting edge in terms of educational delivery models.
Sue

You are right because vanderbilt offers many advanced practice specialties that can be completed in one year of full time study! and some of them are online format. that's amazing. I'm sure its tough though cause vanderbilt is a very well respected school.

Le-Lee_FNP, MSN, RN, NP · Apr 3, 2011

I also think that those RNs who disparage would-be NPs are jealous and maybe a little insecure. I actually had an RN who was taking care of my mom in PACU tell me I was a fool when my mom told her I was an NP! And this woman didn't know me from Adam!! There are always going to be those who have to put down others in order to feel good about themselves. Ignore them. Pursue the dream you want for yourself. There are plenty of NP jobs out there. You may not get your dream job right out of school and you may have to be flexible about location and salary, but once you get some experience under your belt the opportunities will grow. Best of luck to you!

wow i can't believe that nurse had the audacity to say that to your mom!

caliotter3 · Apr 3, 2011

An RN supervisor was making disparaging remarks about the fact that I was pursuing a BSN when we were in the presence of the other RN supervisors. It was embarassing to say the least, particularly since one of the other RNs had a BSN and the DON had a PhD. Neither of them felt it necessary to defend higher education. I just chalk that kind of talk up to somebody who is vocalizing their own insecurities.

lvICU · Apr 3, 2011

I think that most people who make negative comments like that are just jealous. When I decided to go back to school for my NP, I also got a couple of those responses. However, the hospital that I work at is actually adding more and more NP positions because they have such a great need. There are jobs out there!

mammac5 · Apr 5, 2011

You are right because vanderbilt offers many advanced practice specialties that can be completed in one year of full time study! and some of them are online format. that's amazing. I'm sure its tough though cause vanderbilt is a very well respected school.

It is tough and Vanderbilt's standards are high. But it's doable! Distant education does not equate to lesser education. I've taken online courses in the past at both community colleges and universities, and now I'm in a graduate program which is largely distance. Many of the courses I've had online have been more challenging than "live" courses, on all three levels. In addition to excelling at the coursework itself one must develop self-discipline, maturity, the ability to network with healthcare professionals in your home area, and the organization to schedule all of this around the travel dates for block-format lectures...and keep the rest of your life humming.

Dr. Tammy, FNP/GNP-C · Apr 7, 2011

So many of my RN co-workers are supportive and encouraging about me being in school to pursue my MSN degree and FNP certification. However there are also many that make comments that are very negative and discouraging. Last night when I worked a co-worker told me that basically becoming a Nurse Practitioner is a waste of time and that I won't be able to find a job because EVERYONE is obtaining these degrees and the market is saturated. She also felt the same way about CRNAs. Have those of you who are currently Nurse Practitioners or who are in school experienced this type of negative feedback often? Does it bother you? I know that NP jobs won't be as plentiful as RN jobs, but to say that I just won't be able to find a job ever? I think that is a bit extreme. Do you all feel like the market is saturated with APNs? Many things that I have read speak to an increased demand for APNs, and specifically FNPs due to the continued shortage of primary care physicians and the push for health care reform.
Also do you all feel like there are significantly more people pursuing advanced practice nursing roles now that in the past? If so is this because people are trying to hurry up before the whole DNP requirement is possibly enforced in 2015? just wanted to know what others think...

Welcome to allnurses. If there is one thing you can learn from this site, and learn well is that nurses have been, and will continue to be the most formidable adversary to nursing's advancement. When Dr. Ford developed the NP role back in 1965, she indicated that nurses--not physicians, not administrators--were the biggest barriers to advancing the NP concept. The elite within nursing felt that nursing's place was at the bedside--not to diagnose or treat or formulate treatment plans. Like what is occuring today with the DNP, many, many nurses elected not to get on board with nursing's advancement of the NP role and fought the progression every step of the way.

Fast forward to present day and many of those same nurses have been reincarnated. Different people--same MO. They attack nursing's forward momentum when degree creep occurred for NP's in the form of a required Masters degree and now--the DNP degree. They attack those who are advancing themselves in a positive way, as with your experience.

Prior to that, those same minded nurses attacked the idea of distance education for NP's in that nursing education could only occur in a classroom setting with some bonehead instructor in front of a chalkboard reading off of a card. Now with tier 1 universities such as Johns Hopkins, Duke, University of Colorado and others offering distance advanced nursing education, many of those people have finally got on board with the concept that you don't need to sit on a metal seat at specified times during the week to learn something.

As far as negative comments received, again, check this site with a quick search and review the comments made by nurses against the DNP, and then before that, against distance education nursing programs. Remember, there will never be a shortage of nurses who bash nurses or nursing. Fortunately, as another poster stated--in 10 years these people will not be remembered, and if they are, they will be remembered for being on the wrong side of an issue.

As far as the job market goes, I've heard the same story about the flood of NP's on the market and how tough it is to get a gig. I don't really know where this is coming from because everyone I know in my class (throughout the US and a few outside of the US) are not only working, but passing up many gigs. On a personal note, the day I got my NP license I was working. A few months later, I was made a partner. To date, I have no clue over how many NP gigs that I've turned down because I'm so swamped between teaching, practice and research.

As far as your friends on the unit, just smile, make nice and agree with them that the earth is flat. Walk on your knuckles a bit to fit in, get your degree and beat feet out of there.