Should I get NP?

Specialties NP

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I will be finished with my RN in about two months. I have been accepted into an NP program that starts in the fall but I am having second thoughts. THe NP program will take three years, the first year only one class each semester because I am bridging that year. I am worried about finding a job.

I also have a PhD in a hard science and used to medical research. I have no interest in going back to bench research and I really dont want to move to a large city although I am pretty sure with my back ground that some kind of pharmaceutical job I would be a good fit. They are mostly in the big cities and I like my country life.

That said I have had a very serious chronic illness, controlled now, and actually that is one of the reasons I want to be an NP. I would like to help manage people with chronic illness and I think primary care is the place to do that.

But if I cant find a job I will end up in debt and still not doing what I want. So I would be better off without the debt.

I should add that I also have interest in aethetics like lasers and fillers and things. I am very into art and that kind of stuff I think would fulfill some of my need to "do art" which I love. I actually woul dhave loved to have been a haridresser although why that didnt happen is another story and has to do with family expectations. But if I can ever find the time and money I dream about being about to do that on the side.

Any ideas are GREATLY appreciated. I am tired of sitting on this fence.

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Specializes in CTICU.

In your position, while unsure what you want to do, I would work as an RN and consider the NP later on, once you're sure that's what you want. There is a lot you could do with an RN and PhD, things like technical writing for industry, drug/device manufacturers etc, that could be done remotely and not necessarily require you to move to a city.

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Thanks G for the reply but I need to add here that if I don't go now I can't imagine I would ever do it because I don't want to have to get another doctorate and I feel pretty certain that by 2015 most programs with be doctoral level. I have seen this before with the pharmacy school, they also made it a suggestion in the beginning. So please take that into account if you respond everyone.

If I got I will of course work as an RN while I attend so that would be three years of that. I also have some other training and while I understand that some people don't like people getting NPs without lots of RN experience I have lots of medical experience I just was not an RN

I wonder how I would go about finding technical writing jobs?

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Specializes in CTICU.

I don't care if NPs have no RN experience - there is no demonstrated difference in outcomes between both groups. I am giving suggestions - it's up to you what you want to do with them. I'm not sure what you're asking, if you don't want to defer. Whether to do it at all? Totally up to your career plans.

I imagine if you wanted industry jobs, you'd check their websites or call them...

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Thanks and I honestly never thought of tech writing but that is up my alley, I just didnt think I would be qualified because I am not officially a writer so I will check out the qualifications.

Yes I am asking whether to do it at all. I am afraid of the long term stress associated with staff nursing. I want to do it but I am wondering if my body/brain would hold out fo the rest of my working years doing that as I am a little concerned about all the bs I am hearing about it. In our local hospital it seems most the nurses are not at all happy with their jobs.

SO I started to pursue the NP idea as I think I would like that better anyway. But its lots more education and not too sure about the job outlook although I am in a fairly rural area which might be good. I just dont want to work my butt off and end up with no job.

I already have more education than I ever intended and it wasn't easy to get. But my illness made it impossible to continue in the line of work I was in and by the time I was diagnosed and better enough to try and go back I have lost so many skills it would take me forever to even get back into that line of work. It has advanced and I have stood still.

So here I am. Just asking for any feedback. My career goals are: feed and clothe myself and my son without having to work at a job that sucks the life out of me. That is it in a nutshell.

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Specializes in CTICU.

Honestly, I think it is very feasible to think you could get through the rest of your career as a nurse. Maybe not as a bedside nurse the whole time. There are so many areas of nursing to go into though that your needs should be able to be met. Hospital nursing, home health, offices, schools, industry.. there are any number of areas you could work that are not physically demanding.

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Specializes in Telemetry, ICU, Psych.

My advice is to stick with the NP program. You have three years before you finish and this will give you plenty of familiarity with the nursing field. Also, it may not be as difficult to find an NP job, applying with three years of RN experience as opposed to the 0 years you have now. You are like me, and have many different interests. When you are talking about a three year program, it's better to start it now than to put if off until you have the feeling you will be sure about it. By then, it will be another three year hurdle.

I've also noticed that the more in-depth I go into an area, the more focused I become. Buckling down and focusing on the NP degree may help keep you on the straight and narrow. Once the degree is finished, then you can find the job that fits many of your interests.

Good luck on your journey.

CrazyPremed

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Specializes in Med surg, cardiac, case management.

I also have a PhD in a hard science and used to medical research. I have no interest in going back to bench research and I really dont want to move to a large city although I am pretty sure with my back ground that some kind of pharmaceutical job I would be a good fit. They are mostly in the big cities and I like my country life.

Sounds like me! I'm a former molecular biology MS, didn't like the benchwork, so I went back to RN school. And like you I'm looking at the NP route.

You're smart to check it out to make sure that you'll be able to work after you get your degree. I'd advise you to look to the Bureau of Labor Standards or to specific NP organizations to determine how many jobs there are. Even if you don't find a job as an NP I've heard of NPs working as RN at the bedside when they can't find an NP position.

Also, this is advice that is probably coming too late for you, but you can do the NP degree part-time. Many hospitals will help pay for nursing education, enough to take a class or two at a time. If the hospital has a nursing school with an NP program you can often go for free. The only problem is that if you took longer than 2015 to complete you might have to get the DNP.

And, as I've heard in previous threads, you have to ask yourself what is important to you when deciding on these things. People will give you various bits of advice, but in the end you have to decide what your goals are.

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