AGAC, AGPC, or FNP?

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · Oct 11, 2023

FiremedicMike said:

Did you miss my post about going ACNP if they want to be on the trauma team?

Some very large hospitals have separate adult and peds ERs, but most do not.

Problem with ACNP is that they have to declare Adult or Peds as a specialty. If they want to do both, then they need more school. PA is the better way to go then.

The NP profession was created to serve in primary care, and the vast majority of NPs work in primary care or other out patient specialties. The PA role is better suited for hospital work, as PAs can perform more procedures like running central lines and even some surgeries. NPs can't perform surgery. It seems to me that someone who wants to treat trauma patients should choose the provider role that will best enable them to do this. In this case, PA is better than NP.

But hey, OP can do what they want

FiremedicMike, RN, EMT-P · Oct 11, 2023

FullGlass said:

Some very large hospitals have separate adult and peds ERs, but most do not.

Problem with ACNP is that they have to declare Adult or Peds as a specialty. If they want to do both, then they need more school. PA is the better way to go then.

The NP profession was created to serve in primary care, and the vast majority of NPs work in primary care or other out patient specialties. The PA role is better suited for hospital work, as PAs can perform more procedures like running central lines and even some surgeries. NPs can't perform surgery. It seems to me that someone who wants to treat trauma patients should choose the provider role that will best enable them to do this. In this case, PA is better than NP.

But hey, OP can do what they want

Did you miss my other post where I mentioned why I shorten AGACNP to ACNP?

NurseTechNurse · Oct 12, 2023

Glad the OP asked this question!

As others mentioned, it is true that FNPs are not trained for the ER, yet, there are ERs requiring for NPs to have their FNP certification (and the ACNP certification may not suffice), and there are private practices looking for FNPs with critical care experience - granted you can get critical care experience as an RN, but, I am referring to the practices looking for critical care experience as an NP...talk about an "oh boy" dilemma.

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · Oct 12, 2023

NurseTechNurse said:

Glad the OP asked this question!

As others mentioned, it is true that FNPs are not trained for the ER, yet, there are ERs requiring for NPs to have their FNP certification (and the ACNP certification may not suffice), and there are private practices looking for FNPs with critical care experience - granted you can get critical care experience as an RN, but, I am referring to the practices looking for critical care experience as an NP...talk about an "oh boy" dilemma.

Then the PA route is the best option. There are also some schools that offer a dual NP/PA program. UC Davis used to, maybe they still do.

PAs are also trained in primary care. Their schooling is more rigorous than NP schooling. This just seems like a no-brainer to me. Someone who wants to work in ER providing trauma care would be better served to become a PA.

Trauma ICU Guy, MSN, APRN, NP · Apr 3

FullGlass said:

Then the PA route is the best option. There are also some schools that offer a dual NP/PA program. UC Davis used to, maybe they still do.

PAs are also trained in primary care. Their schooling is more rigorous than NP schooling. This just seems like a no-brainer to me. Someone who wants to work in ER providing trauma care would be better served to become a PA.

But why would the OP , who is an RN, want to go over to the medical model , which the PA program visages? I think the OP can further advance the practice (advanced practice, that is) of the Nursing Profession by going on to pursue the NP pathway.

As what NurseTech stated earlier, and I do concur, going the FNP route is the best model. Once that foundation is completed, then the APRN can further gain additional certifications as an ENP, or AGACNP (or PMHNP) after he or she narrows his or her desired specializations.

Speaking as one who has years of Intensivist Nursing background, one can't go wrong going the FNP + AGACNP pathway.

To the OP: There potential in going the FNP pathway, and add on further certs later on. Remember, nursing entails continuous education, learning. Rise to the challenge !

Regards,

FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP · Apr 3

Trauma ICU Guy said:

But why would the OP , who is an RN, want to go over to the medical model , which the PA program visages? I think the OP can further advance the practice (advanced practice, that is) of the Nursing Profession by going on to pursue the NP pathway.

Just because someone is an RN, does not mean NP is automatically the best next step for them. PA is a better option for some people. It depends on what kind of work the person wants to do. PAs can perform some procedures and surgeries. Even an Emergency NP can't do all of those tasks. So if someone wants to work in the ER and provide hands-on care to patients, including trauma patients, which will require some procedures and surgeries, then PA is a better route.

There is nothing inherently superior about the nursing model vs the medical model. The pay for PAs and NPs is about the same. So the person should think about what kind of work they want to do and then choose the role that allows them to do that.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Apr 4

Trauma is a specialty that is not limited to the ED and not all ED's are trauma centers. Emergency physicians help stabilize a trauma patient in the ED but ultimately Trauma Surgeons take over their care. There are NP's working in Trauma Surgery in Northern California. Some have the RNFA role as part of their job description. They are involved in the care of trauma patients from ED admission, OR, ICU, floor, discharge, to out patient follow up. I am friends with a few actually and they are trained as ACNP's.

These are places where they work: (the SFGH site is old, BTW):

Natividad Medical Center Trauma Program

San Francisco General Trauma Program