Thoughts on FNP with limited nursing experience

[INN_777, BSN, RN]

Hi all:

I am starting my MSN-FNP this Fall (well, actually, later this month:)). I currently have 1.5 years of RN experience on a busy/acute Medical Oncology unit and now also work in more of a Med-Surg/Oncology setting. By the time I graduate/license I will have anywhere from 4-5 years of experience as an acute care RN. I am 45 (nursing is my second career), hence did not want to delay grad school, but have some trepidation about entering the NP career with limited nursing experience. I see NPs and PAs in my current line of work who have limited "field" experience prior to and they are doing really well, which is encouraging. At the same time, I see many of my colleagues and future classmates who have 15+ years of experience prior to grad school and that makes me think....

Anyway, would love to hear from those of you who became an FNP with limited nursing experience. Do you feel like you are at a disadvantage? Do you wish you got more experience prior to going back to school? Or do you feel at a reasonably level footing with your more experienced colleagues.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

I'm one of those ones with 15+ years of experience. I don't know what it would've been like going back to school sooner than I did, but I can tell you there is a lot that I know because I saw it as a nurse, not because I learned it in NP school. But if you continue to work through school, 4-5 years is a good amount of time. You'll be fine! :) Best wishes.

[Rod, Male Nurse]

I started NP school with 3 years of experience. I am almost done and will have about 5 years under my belt. I worked med-surg/tele/ortho but moved into intermediate care/progressive care. If I had any recommendations it would be to move up a level of care and experience a little more. ICU/CCU will certainly help you in grasping many concepts youll study in NP school. I have no other advice, your experience is adequate and I wouldn't worry about that.

[tellabella21]

I don't think that you need years of experience to become an FNP. Doctors are never asked if they worked in a certain job before going to medical school. Just study the material and "know your stuff" and you will be fine! Sure some things are easier to grasp while in NP school because of the experience of being an RN but in no way should any nurse delay their career just to get experience!

[INN_777, BSN, RN]

Thank you all for your supportive messages, very encouraging. @Rod, Male Nurse - I am thinking along the same lines - to move up to intermediate care in another year or so.

[TammyG]

I started NP school with 1 year of experience and finished with 5 years of experience. Most of my classmates had similar amounts of experience, some had much less. I think 4-5 years of acute care experience is a very good background. I think it is the quality of experience rather than the years. It also depends what you want to do. If you want to do primary care for example, I am not sure ICU is going to help that much.

[INN_777, BSN, RN]

Thanks, @TammyG. What experience do you think will help with primary care? I am afraid what nurse do in, let's say, doctors' offices is pretty limited.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

Early in my career I worked for just over 3 years in a federally qualified community health center....that experience has come in handy in NP school. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I started IVs, catheterized people, taught diabetes ed classes, helped I&D wounds, memorized the immunization schedule for adults and kids like the back of my hand, and helped keep a lot of people out of the ER (green tobacco sickness, cellulitis, etc.) It's a different skill set and a different pace, but there is much more to it than may appear from the outside.

[INN_777, BSN, RN]

Early in my career I worked for just over 3 years in a federally qualified community health center....that experience has come in handy in NP school. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but I started IVs, catheterized people, taught diabetes ed classes, helped I&D wounds, memorized the immunization schedule for adults and kids like the back of my hand, and helped keep a lot of people out of the ER (green tobacco sickness, cellulitis, etc.) It's a different skill set and a different pace, but there is much more to it than may appear from the outside.

Interesting, food for thought. Thank you!

[BostonFNP, APRN]

In my professional experience as both a practicing NP and clinical precepting both medical and NP students I have come to a very simple thought on the topic: all previous experience, in medical field and outside of it, have both benefits and drawbacks. That sounds like a no-brainer, but it's true. There is also a tremendous amount of variability between individuals. I have had some NP students that absolutely needed years of nursing experience prior to thinking about the NP role while I have had others with no RN experience that have been fantastic. I have had long-time nurses struggle with the outpatient side of care and other that have been way ahead of their peers.

I honestly feel like students know themselves, deep down, how much experience they need. Not all nursing experience directly translates to NP practice, but it may help in other ways. It is what you make of it.

[Malenurse1235954]

There are plenty of people that would say NPs require RN experence to be competent; however there is no research to support this. In fact, there is research that suggests the opposite is true.

Does Prior RN Clinical Experience Predict Academic Success in Graduate Nurse Practitioner Programs? - PubMed - NCBI

Does RN experience relate to NP clinical skills? - PubMed - NCBI

...Plenty others if you do a lit review

Personally, I think with a strong study ethic anyone can be successful.

[Buyer beware, BSN]

OP: I don't wish to be unkind or disrespect you in any way. But the "nursing experience" I feel is essential to becoming a competent nurse practitioner. This I believe gives the NP an edge on the PAs or others that see patients as merely a morass of biological systems. This isn't a touchy-feelly point of view but a way to affirm that nurses bring more to the table then merely seeing people as just another science project.

To use a journalistic analogy good nursing teaches how to ferret out the story behind the story or, say in an ederly patient's case, the alienation of old age behind the somatic complaint.

But the so-called nursing leadership has dropped the ball here once again by caving-in to the cash cow of NP schools that are spewing out NPs and relgating them to "a dime a dozen" status.