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.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

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.

Maybe, maybe not. I think OP is still kicking this idea around and wanted some input. I gave my perspective as someone who has been through a DE program, as OP had asked. OP-what about nursing interests you? Are you interested in psych or do you want to go in an entirely different direction?

There is a lot of "grossness" and "germy" stuff in nursing and in being an NP. You'll have to deal with nasty pelvic infections and STIs if working in women's health. I have little kids sneeze on me all the time, and I have dealt with some really stinky abscesses and ulcers, as has every nurse/NP in the business. Nursing can be tough if you're squeamish, and there's no skipping the gross stuff.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

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.

What are the "right" reasons/motivations for wanting to by an APN?

[HikingNinja, BSN, MSN, DNP, RN, APRN, NP]

Current PMHNP student here. Years ago I was a masters level therapist. Actually started my Phd. But was dissatisfied with what I felt was lazy prescribing by the psychiatrists working with my clients. I decided to go back to school to become a PMHNP. Here's the timeline:

2 years - had to get all those pesky science pre reqs out of the way - I had alot that were more than 5 years old so had to repeat. and remember many are sequential

1 year - accelerated BSN - probably the worst year of my life - I'd never experienced the mayhem that is the nursing curriculum. My MS in psychology was a breeze compared to the BSN curriculum.

5 years - bedside experience - I thought it was important to get a solid foundation as a bedside RN. I really feel this will make me a better prescribing clinician.

2 years - MSN in Education - why not? It knocked out all the NP pre reqs and I've always like to teach

2 years - PMHNP - wrapping it up now

So what is that? 12 years to get to my final goal? Even if you do direct entry, you have to take into account pre reqs, any semesters you may need to take off (for example if you are unable to find a clinical site and need to take a semester off due to this), etc. So that 2 year direct entry suddenly becomes a 5 year process. I was very, very sure when I started my journey. I have no regrets (other than I wish I would have started sooner). My only advice is to be sure this is what you want, because that's years out of your life you can't get back.

[elmtree]

Thanks for your input BCgradnurse, it's greatly appreciated. I have thought about doing psych but I am afraid that if I did I'd end up just peddling drugs and I think that's a big problem. In my current district I see tons of young kids on 5 different types of medications and have strong feelings against it. If I did, I'd definitely want to incorporate psychotherapy, but I don't know how realistic that is. I've been interested in the health tge health field since before I got my graduate training in school psych. I think I have a great temperament to be a nurse and I have a genuine desire and compassion to help others. Anatomy and physiology was my favorite class in undergrad, and I really enjoy learning about how the body functions and holistic alternatives to diseases or health issues. I want to work one on one with patients and educate them to empower them. Another reason why I hate my job now is because I can't see the value in it or that I am actually helping kids due to the bureaucracy of the school system. The pressure of meeting the deadlines that I in no way have the ability to meet also causes me a great deal stress. I really want to make a difference in people's lives and I see there is need for that in healthcare-- so many doctors are in too big of a hurry to prescribe medication after medication, and want to get to the next patient that they aren't listening to patients and meeting their needs (this is not to say that all doctors operate this way, I just see this a lot).

Anyway, I appreciate your feedback. May ask what program you went to? I'm considering Vanderbilt and Emory but looking at others as well.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

I want to work one on one with patients and educate them to empower them...I really want to make a difference in people's lives and I see there is need for that in healthcare-- so many doctors are in too big of a hurry to prescribe medication after medication, and want to get to the next patient that they aren't listening to patients and meeting their needs (this is not to say that all doctors operate this way, I just see this a lot).

Those are certainly good intentions.

But also be aware that NP's also operate under the over arching rules of our healthcare system in the US where insurance companies dictate how long and how often you see a patient and that your value can be tied to your ability to create revenue for a practice. Productivity (translation: amount of patients seen per day) can drive you to a limited interaction with patients less than what you would desire. There is also the frustration of trying to help address medical issues in patients whose lifestyles just don't support healing and health despite your best efforts. Having said that, the NP field is very satisfying in general as it has been for me.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

mw73-I went to Boston College.

[chiromed0]

Forgive me if I'm repeating anything since I didn't take the time to read all three pages of comments but wwwoooohhh! You're a germaphobe and don't like stress and want to be an RN? Okay, you can still be an RN, just work for an insurance company or something like that. It's still doable BUT I doubt if you can get around paying your dues with real, hands on patient care in order to get one of those other positions. The "germs" was never a problem for me-heck, after my first "butt cannon" blasting me in the face with feces it was all good after that. No sense in worrying about germs, just wash. Of course now my eczema is raging from all the washing but that's just a job hazard. The stress?...bedside nursing is ALL STRESS!!! However, as you know, stress is just insecurity and under-preparation. Take care of those two things and not much stress even with dying patients. Having said that handling insecurity and under-preparation is a life long experience as a nurse. So in a nutshell if you want a job with no stress and no germs then I don't really know if "healthcare" is the right one b/c you will ALWAYS have both with human beings. If you like computers then you can do healthcare informatics and not work with patients directly.

[nursemayj]

It sounds like nursing research would be your best bet. You can definitely do fast track programs and research wouldn't necessarily require practice experience, although you will have to do clinicals in school and those will include gross stuff and stress. Otherwise, you'll be hard pressed to find a nursing that doesn't require experience that does involve something "gross" or stress. Maybe decide what gross things you can tolerate and work from there. (Like for me blood is nothing but I can't stand phlegm and poop is a close second. Hence, OR nursing!) Good luck.

[atki]

My situation was very similar to yours - I have a MSW and worked for years as a social worker, I was 32 when I started going back to school to complete prerequisites and 35 when I started nursing school, and I ended up going through a direct entry MSN/FNP program. I'm now 8 weeks away from graduating and while it's certainly been an experience, just know that many before you have done it and you certainly can too. Probably one of the best things about nursing is the ability to work in a variety of settings with different populations and while it may take some trial and error, I'm confident that you could find your niche in the nursing world. Good luck and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have!

[elmtree]

My situation was very similar to yours - I have a MSW and worked for years as a social worker, I was 32 when I started going back to school to complete prerequisites and 35 when I started nursing school, and I ended up going through a direct entry MSN/FNP program. I'm now 8 weeks away from graduating and while it's certainly been an experience, just know that many before you have done it and you certainly can too. Probably one of the best things about nursing is the ability to work in a variety of settings with different populations and while it may take some trial and error, I'm confident that you could find your niche in the nursing world. Good luck and I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have!

Thank you for the reply atki! Where are you finishing your degree, and what did you specialize in? Congrats on your upcoming graduation! :)