Adult nurse practitioner

Le-Lee_FNP, MSN, RN, NP · Dec 14, 2010

I am also a critical care nurse and I will be starting a FNP program next month.

Although I am not already a NP, I have talked to numerous people before I chose a specialty, and based on what I have heard, I would recommend that you either stick with ACNP or do FNP.

ANP limits you a whole lot. You can't work in an acute care setting and you can't see children. Although you aren't interested in PEDs, you don't want to start your career off limiting your job opportunities. FNP is a lot more marketable than ANP. You could still obtain a position somewhere that is primarily focussed on adults with FNP. Plus if you needed to take a job say at like a take care clinic at walgreens or something where you are seeing all ages, just to get your foot in the door and get some experience, you can.

Believe me, PEDs isn't my cup of tea either. I personally would love to use my CV experience and work in a cardiology clinic. I know there are ANP programs out there that will allow me to specialize in cardiology, however i have decided not to specialize right off the bat for the reasons I stated above, marketability.

Whatever you decide i would suggest you look for ANP jobs in your area to see if there is a demand. This is just my two cents but I'm sure some NPs on here will give you advice as well.

Congrats on your acceptance and good luck!

icurn5909 · Dec 14, 2010

Thanks so much for ur reply. I reallly don't want to take care of kids though even to start out although I see what ur saying. I also heard most acnps work in the icu and I reallly don't think I wanna be in thehospital all the time ya know? Anps are really very limitedu hear? What about the docs office or chf or coumadin clinics I really thought I could do anp.......ur post was helpful but if u know any anps or if theirare any that r reading this can pls post with ur thoughts?the acnp program is very focused inthe intensive care setting and compared to fnp and anp the jobs were slim when I searched..........

Trauma Columnist · Dec 14, 2010

Are you able to relocate? If not, I think I would contact your state's APN organization and see what they think the future of APNs is in your area as to marketability.

Then, go with that.

Christen, ANP · Dec 14, 2010

I am an ANP. I would recommend doing ANP or FNP, as the ACNP probably limits you the most. With the ACNP, you can only practice in the inpatient setting. With the FNP or ANP, you can do both inpt and outpt. Obviously, with the ANP you are limited by the fact that you can only see pt's aged 13+. I chose this route due to simple convenience of the NP program I went to. Even though I have NO desire to EVER treat peds, the FNP is great to have because you can, even if you don't want to, ya know?

icurn5909 · Dec 14, 2010

Thank you so much for your response! If you wouldn't mind me asking what kind of facility to do work in, hows the salary, and how easy was it to find a job after school?

carachel2 · Dec 15, 2010

I just wanted to add my 2 cents. I am an FNP who ALWAYS worked adult CCU, ER or ICU. DREADED the thought of working with kids even though I love my own. I work in a family practice office now and I might see 2-3 kids per week, almost all > 10 years old. They are so fun and it is SUCH a nice break from the chronic diseasers with htn, dm2,COPD and CHF! Refreshing to see "no daily meds"! A classmate of mine is working in Internal Medicine and they see zero kids.

icurn5909 · Dec 15, 2010

Thanks for the input :) Im am definitely thinking now either the anp or fnp versus the acnp. You all have been such a huge help!

carachel2 · Dec 15, 2010

Thanks for the input :) Im am definitely thinking now either the anp or fnp versus the acnp. You all have been such a huge help!

Forgot the other part of the question: jobs = had three job offers before I graduated and I would say 65% of my classmates were in a similar situation. All of them had jobs within three months of certification. Salary varies, but average I would say is about 42-46.00 an hour.

Christen, ANP · Dec 16, 2010

I work in a level one trauma center with the hospital medicine team. My salary is good for my area. Probably the hardest part about accepting my salary was that I was forced pretty much to take new grad pay even though I'd worked at this facility for like 6 years. Stupid new grad technicality! I plan on renegotiating once I'm past my one year requirement, and have been collecting a lot of data to prove I should get more $$!

My situation isn't usual - the team I hired on with wanted me and I wanted to work with them, and somehow they got the position created right after I graduated. It really depends on your area and who you know who's looking for a NP. The FNP will open more doors than the ANP will simply because of the broader scope. My job is adult inpts only, so no need for a FNP. However, many job postings were looking for FNP, not ANP - I applied anyway! If the FNP is available and convenient, that's what I'd pick. Otherwise, the ANP is a good second.

kristin_icurn · Dec 17, 2010

Hi! I am also in a similar situation, I have applied to all three specialties at different schools and have been doing a lot of thinking to make my decision about which to choose! I have worked in critical care for many many years and love that specialty, however i am not dead set on having to work as a critical care NP. I also dont really have any interest in working with children. After talking extensively with many NP's that work in my hospital, many pointed out the fact that if you decide you do want to work in a hospital (whether an outpatient or inpatient setting), the trend is going towards needing an ACNP degree (especially if a new grad, however i'm sure years of experience as an NP with another specialty degree trumps that :) ) They also pointed out that most private practices with specialties such as cardiology, oncology etc that mainly treat adults usually hire ACNP's no problem because their training still covers this patient population. I kind of like the idea of having the flexibility of working in an adult practice or having the challenge of critical care or acute care if I desire that at some point too. To the ACNP's and ANP's, do you find this information I got from other NP's at my hospital to be accurate? Thanks for any extra info in advance and good luck with your degree!

Christen, ANP · Dec 17, 2010

My general understanding is that ACNPS can only do inpatient stuff. I can see if you're a cardiology ACNP who's MD admits, you can get around that and see people in the office. You just have to keep in mind your scope of practice, where you're trained to be, and how you will prove that you are qualified to practice where you practice. IE - I work as an inpatient ANP, but I am doing Internal Medicine which I was trained to do as a NP. I'm also going through an orientation phase complete with guidelines to ensure that I am documented as being qualified to practice with the population I am working with.