Adult Acute care NP vs family NP

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Hi everyone !

I am currently and RN looking to further my career. I have worked in a nursing home for a year and an ER for 3 years. I’m currently working full time in the PACU and perdiem in the ER. I have thought about crna before, but I feel NP is more for me. I believe I want to start applying to programs now to hopefully get into a fall program. I am unsure if I want to resume an ER positions as an NP or work alongside a hospitalist or cardiologist in the hospital. I have been to seminars before to find more information about A particular NP program but I’m still torn which route to choose. I prefer working with adults and gerontology. I don’t believe I ever want to work with children in a pediatrician office, but would need my FNP if I wanted to work in an ER setting due to having to treat children there, which I don’t mind. However the seminar had told me if I wanted to work with a cardiologist/hospitalist/intensivist I would need my acute care NP. So I am looking for suggestions and insight from people who are NPs and which route did they decide to take and which specialty are they actually working with. I want to pick the program that will be most versatile, yet train me well enough to do either of those jobs , Thank you !!

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Welcome to allnurses.com

We moved your thread to the Student NP forum where Students as well as NP's will reply.

Good luck with your plans.

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Same dilema except that I am half way through my FNP. I sort of want to switch to ACNP but unsure as to what is better overall.

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Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

There is currently a strong movement to NOT hire FNPs in ERs. There is a new Consensus Model that has been discussed in-depth multiple times elsewhere on this forum.

FNP programs DO NOT provide any acute care education or clinical time. NONE.

If you know you want to work in the ER, I advise a PA program. Otherwise, you can get an ACNP Adult MSN or DNP and then do a post-master's certificate to cover the Peds. In addition, it is strongly advised you also do a post-master's in Emergency Medicine.

If you really want to work in the hospital in Cardiology, Neurology, etc, then an ACNP Adult is perfect.

Good luck.

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Find a combined FNP/ACNP or ENP program. Or bite the bullet and decide if you want to be in the hospital or out. If you aren't sure what you want to do as a NP, maybe you should take some time and figure it out.

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If you do an ACNP degree, does that allow you to switch into an FNP role later in life? or are you stuck in a specialty once your choose?

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