Advise wanted. Considering 2nd career as NP

[elmtree]

Hello,

I have been lurking on this site, and finally decided to post. This community seems very supportive and helpful! I am writing because I am looking for some advise. I am currently a specialist level psychologist working within the school system. Long story short, I do not like my job and am beginning to feel like it is not a good fit. Prior to deciding on this career, i was taking prerequisites in order to get my BSN. I am now considering going back to school to become a nurse. I have decided that if I do so, I would apply to one of the alternative (direct) entry MSN programs because it is faster and more cost efficient. I am also leary of working within another "system" like a hospital, as I know there can be political agendas and complexities that may prevent good practice (my own personal experience within the school system).

I want to make sure I am making a responsible decision before applying to these programs, and I am no spring chicken so I am trying to figure things out as quickly as I can. I guess I have a couple of concerns going into nursing. For one, I feel my job is incredibly stressful and wish to get away from that. My current stress consists of deadlines that are impossible for me to meet (due to the amount of work I have been given), being pulled in a million directions by administrators, teachers, and parents, which prevent me from working with kids, endless amounts of paperwork, and meetings, which have no value. Do you think the stress of nursing is similar? Is there less stress in private practice? My other concern is that I will not like the "grossness" of the job. I am sort of a "hypochondriac" and slightly "germaphobic" (neither of which are actually pathological). On the positive side, I love researching health, figuring out how a particular set of symptoms may correlate with one another, and identifying possible causes of these symptoms. On the negative side, I do have a tendency to worry when something out of the ordinary is happening to my body. I do like a challenge, so I believe it is possible to get over this, but what if these tendencies linger and prevent me from being good at the job? I also do not necessarily know which speciality I would be interested in. I am currently really interested in women's health and hormones, but I do not know if it would be wise to limit myself to one area. What if I get bored and want to do something else?

Thank you in advance for any advise anyone has to offer.

[scuba nurse, BSN, MSN, RN]

Have you considered looking into a different school system, or a different district, or what about something else with the degree you have? Nursing is stressful, and gross and germy. Just sayin! Good luck!

[MelEpiRN]

Consider looking into a master of public health degree. You can specialize in women's health, community health, health education, etc.

NPs get paid a heck of a lot more, but based on what you wrote, I think you should consider it.

[elmtree]

Thanks for the comments Dee angel, scuba nurse and MelEpiRN. No offense to anyone with a master of public health degree, but that does not sound interesting to me. I've considered going to other districts, and sort of hit on that in a prev. comment.

It seems that the majority of the comments indicate that nursing is a highly stressful career. Are any of the posters that have commented about this NPs in private practice?

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

You are never going to find a work environment that doesn't have variables that get in the way of good nursing practice. Anywhere that you work, there will be a person or persons whose sole job it is to maximize bang for the buck. These people aren't nurses, and they care about saving money, period. That could mean scrimping on equipment, or supplies, or salaries, or training, or staffing - or any combination of these.

As far as the NP goes, my sister (long-time veteran RN) just finished hers, and she can't find a job with it.

[SunshineNRainbows, BSN, RN]

I do not honestly believe that you want to be a nurse based on your reasons.

I think you should research some other fields, and look at the MPH in Epidemiology.

It sounds like you want a shortcut to the prestige of a medical career, and there are no shortcuts dealing with people's lives.

[Sue Demonas, BSN, MSN, PhD, RN]

The best foundation for a successful nurse practitioner career is to have strong bedside nursing experiences. Entry level nursing (ie bedside care) provides the foundational experiences and skills that are needed to build on for advanced nursing practice. This is why experience is required for applying to most NP programs. When you do an accelerated masters NP, it moves quickly through the prelicensure phase, and you are expected to work through the NP program to gain that experience (up to 2 years) while completing the NP. You wouldn't build a house without a strong foundation and you build a strong advanced practice career by focusing on honing the basic skills.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

The best foundation for a successful nurse practitioner career is to have strong bedside nursing experiences. Entry level nursing (ie bedside care) provides the foundational experiences and skills that are needed to build on for advanced nursing practice.

Do you have a source on this that you can share with us?

[BostonFNP, APRN]

It seems that the majority of the comments indicate that nursing is a highly stressful career. Are any of the posters that have commented about this NPs in private practice?

I believe some of the prior posters are NPs and others are student NPs or RNs.

I am a private practice NP. Nursing is a stressful career. Nursing at the APN level is perhaps less physically stressful and more mentally stressful. You are responsible for the life of 1500-3000+ people in a job where one miss or one mistake could significantly impact the quality or quantity of life in any one of those people. Additionally, there is a significant amount of administrative red tape which is also stressful. As is just dealing with people at times :)

[foggnm]

Well if you become an NP you'll most likely work outside of the hospital as, just like MDs, the majority of provider jobs are outpatient not inpatient. Healthcare is generally not a very political environment. If you're competent you're valued. Of course there is variation in workplaces. After reading your post, I didn't get a good idea of why you're interested in healthcare, being a nurse, or a provider. I think you should see a career counselor and/or spiritual counselor to work some of these things out. And nursing is, generally, a very high stress career. If you don't like a fast-paced, high stress, highly physical, highly emotional, low reward environment, then nursing isn't for you. Also consider that your nursing pre-reqs often are good for things like pharmacy, radiology/ultrasound, PA school, etc. Don't limit yourself in a healthcare career to one of the dirtiest jobs there is.

[elmtree]

I appreciate everyone's responses. Ocra I think you make a very good point and I agree with you. Pappa2v EMT B, epidemiology does sound interesting, but I would rather work with people one on one instead of in an administrative role. I think you're making a big assumption regarding your comment, "making a shortcut to the prestige of a medical career." I have already completed a graduate training program that took me 4 years to complete, and I do not want to work in a hospital setting or in acute care, as I don't think either of those would be a good fit for me. This seems like the best option to me when it comes down to area of practice, time and cost.

Sue Demonas, I am sure you are right that nurses who have built a strong bedside nursing foundation have a leg up compared to those who when the direct entry route. However, I don't think that means those who decided to take this path to being an NP aren't good at what they do.

BostonFNP, thank you I think that puts things into good perspective when considering the stress of the job. Same to you fognmm. I think it is a great idea to speak with a counselor to help. I actually am going to speak with one tomorrow morning! :) Just out of curiosity, why do you say low reward environment? I would think nursing would be a highly rewarding field...

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

I am a Direct Entry grad who has been practicing as a FNP since 2009. I had a lengthy career in another health profession, but really wanted to be involved in direct patient care. I have no regrets about obtaining my NP through a direct entry program. I worked harder in this program than I ever had in my life. I was only able to work a limited number of hours per week, as school took precedence and the volume of work was high. My program's standards were high, as they should be. It was stressful, but I never felt that I couldn't handle it or that I had made a mistake. Maybe that's a benefit of going back to school as an older adult. I worked in a community health center for a few years, which was very stressful due to lack of support and resources. I'm now in a private specialty practice, and I don't find it to be very stressful. I'm paid well, I'm good at what I do, I have a great work-life balance. Oh yeah...I also really help my patients.

If you choose to go the DE route, make sure you choose a reputable program with stringent admission standards. Do not settle for a for-profit school that will admit anyone willing to pay. I personally chose a 100% brick and mortar, no online component school. I felt that being in a classroom and working with other students was a better way for me to learn. I also liked meeting with faculty face to face and being able to ask questions in real time. I think it's also important to find a program that will help you find preceptors for your clinicals.

Best of luck to you.

[SunshineNRainbows, BSN, RN]

It sounds like you made a wise decision. However, OP's statements for why they want the Direct route and motivations for FNP, sound off. nothing they have said instills the assurance tha they are doing this for the right reasons.

I am a Direct Entry grad who has been practicing as a FNP since 2009. I had a lengthy career in another health profession, but really wanted to be involved in direct patient care. I have no regrets about obtaining my NP through a direct entry program. I worked harder in this program than I ever had in my life. I was only able to work a limited number of hours per week, as school took precedence and the volume of work was high. My program's standards were high, as they should be. It was stressful, but I never felt that I couldn't handle it or that I had made a mistake. Maybe that's a benefit of going back to school as an older adult. I worked in a community health center for a few years, which was very stressful due to lack of support and resources. I'm now in a private specialty practice, and I don't find it to be very stressful. I'm paid well, I'm good at what I do, I have a great work-life balance. Oh yeah...I also really help my patients.

If you choose to go the DE route, make sure you choose a reputable program with stringent admission standards. Do not settle for a for-profit school that will admit anyone willing to pay. I personally chose a 100% brick and mortar, no online component school. I felt that being in a classroom and working with other students was a better way for me to learn. I also liked meeting with faculty face to face and being able to ask questions in real time. I think it's also important to find a program that will help you find preceptors for your clinicals.

Best of luck to you.