Need Advice

[jps1987]

Hello!

I'm a nurse with my strongest background in med-surg. I've got 4 years of experience, a med-surg certification, and work in the float pool also floating to tele/stepdown units. I want to become an NP/PA as my main goal (a whole separate issue) but I hate the thought of knowing so little about critical care and going to school for my NP. I am VERY interested in the ICU. However, it is a tough decision as my husband and I just bought a house and my salary as a PRN float would be halved to be a FT nurse. I would also miss the freedom of self-scheduling.

My question: am I worrying too much about having ICU experience prior to going to school? I know a few people who went straight to NP school, and I just feel like I want to know EVERYTHING. (except for peds. yuck. )

TIA!

[Biffbradford]

Depends on your final destination I guess. If you work internal medicine or family practice, I don't see much value in ICU experience.

[seaofclouds21, BSN, RN]

I agree that it depends on what you want to do as a NP. It also depends on the requirements for the programs you are interested in. What kind of NP do you want to become? Have you looked at programs you may be interested in attending?