Acute vs Primary Care NP School..which one for what I want?

[cinzia23]

Hi there...like many others I have debated and beat to death the pros and cons of acute care and primary care programs for NP school. So I have decided to focus instead on where and what kind of work I want to do, and am hoping some of you can point me in the best direction in regards to which degree I should pursue.

If I want to work in an Outpatient setting, but in a specialty office like a Neurosurgery clinic, should I pursue Acute Care or Primary Care?

If I wanted to work in the Palliative Care/Hospice setting, which program would be better.....

My background: 9 years of ICU

While I love the ICU and the acute care environment, I want to care for the complex adult in a specialty manner but I do not want to work in an ICU. But I also don't want to work in a doctors office seeing pt's who are there for flu or colds...that would be too boring for me longterm....

Any suggestions?

[Dodongo, APRN, NP]

Acute care. You can work in a specialty practice.

[ICU2NP]

I am an ICU RN in NP school, and I decided to go for AGPCNP (primary care adult). I shadowed and talked with many of the NPs I work along side or used to work with, who are now in specialty services and clinics. They are all adult/gero primary care. My coworkers who know they want to work inpatient in the ICU after they are done with NP school, are doing acute care. But everyone who wants specialty clinic, went primary care adult. So that's what I did. I want to do the same as you. Acute care does all clinicals inpatient (I believe?), and I wanted to have some outpatient clinicals (but I am also allowed to do inpatient clinicals). I'm sure you could do either, but I would first make sure in acute care school you could do some clinicals outpatient.

[cinzia23]

Thank you for the information :)