Advancing to Nurse Practitioner School Causing Friction

[athey1999]

I have started nurse practitioner school and while I would have been content not to tell anyone what my plans were, someone asked me about something and there was no way around it but to tell them that I am in NP school. I usually try to keep my business private and not tell others what I am doing because of all the gossip mongering that takes place. Anyway, I have noticed since then that some attitudes towards me have changed, particularly from the nurse assistants or techs. They are suddenly not being so nice and trying to find fault with what I do. My job performance has not changed and certainly I am not attempting to do school related stuff on the job. Generally, I don't really let others get to me, which begs the question, why am I writing this post? Well, I wouldn't be human if I didn't feel a little hurt and bothered by the fact that suddenly others are treating me in a not-so-nice way since finding out that bit of information. I guess what I am asking is, what's that all about and how would you go about handling it?

[JBMmom, MSN, NP]

It's impossible to get a good feel for your situation based on the information you can give. It's possible that people feel that because you're in school you're just using your current position as a stepping stone to move on. People may assume that you're less invested in being good in your current position because your focus is more on school and your future career. Or, you may be perceiving a change that isn't there because you had concerns about sharing this information and you maybe assume a change that others don't intend. 

If you feel you need to address it with anyone in particular you might ask whether they're concerned about your schooling. Personally, I would not worry about it. I was in NP school throughout my four years in my current position and it's never been an issue. It only came up in passing, I didn't do school work while at work, and all of my coworkers know I'm committed to being the best nurse and coworker I can be when I'm there. You can't take responsibility for other people's reactions, on your own actions. Good luck!