Need Help! APN Interview

Trauma Columnist · Dec 5, 2018

1. Your specialty or advanced practice role

I'm an adult and pediatric CNS working in a large nephrology practice

2. Educational background and experience required for your role. Also, how many years did you work as an RN and did you work in a specific floor/department?

I did a piecemeal job on my education: LPN for 2 years, ADN for 10 years, BSN for 2 years, MSN for the past 12.5 years. I worked as an LPN for 1 years in a PICU and 1 year in long term acute rehab unit. As an RN I worked 1 year in adult ICU, 10 years in a level one trauma center ED. These opportunities afforded me the experience to have a solid grasp of nursing and enhanced my MSN and post-MSN education

3. Please share a difficult situation that you have encountered as an APN

End of life issues are always difficult. Our practice is very autonomous meaning I coordinate and facilitate family meetings on at least a monthly basis from families and patients wanting to discuss end of life. Most of my job is spent with chronic hemodialysis patients who are very ill and unstable.

4. What about the difficult situation were you most concerned about, how did you handled it, and what did you learn from it?

Its not just one situation, its the entire role. As a provider, you have much more responsibility than a staff nurse. In my job, I don't have a physician onsite. I do always have the option of texting or calling the MD but as I'm an experienced APN I find that I can usually assess the situation and come up with a plan. Most of my interaction with our MDs is more of an "FYI" type of communication. However, at the start of my APN career I relied on other APNs on the team as well as physicians.

almost.there12 · Dec 5, 2018

Thank you so much!

keshawn007 · Dec 10, 2018

1. I am Family nurse practitioner

2.I am MSN RN, and is is a requirement to have either a MSN or DNP.

I have been RN since 2006, and I have worked as staff RN as well as supervisor and clinical manager. I became APRN in 2016.

3. One day I was carring for the daughter of a physician, and she did not agree with my suggestion to add Prazosin to her daughter, who was reporting night terror. The mother pretty much complained to my supervising physician that I was incompetent. She just did not know that I always review all my patients encounters with my spervising physician, and I was careful not to suggest Prazosin on a knee-jerk reaction(I waited for my patient to report night terror 2 times, with documentation).

4. I told that parent that I respectfully disagree with her assessment of my credentials, and I moved on.

Another time, I called a patient on behalf of my MD. As soon as I set boundaries and said no to the patient's request, he became indignant, and he told me "I need to speak to a real physician". It did not phase me, then I replied that "I may not be your preferred contact... before I say goodbye, is there anything I can do for you?". That patient went into an angry rant.