Agency Nursing versus APN Role

[keenkick43]

Hello, newer FNP grad here. I have an internal struggle that I would love opinions/advice on and wondering if other APN are in a similar boat as me. I graduated last January as a FNP and started working as a NP for about 7 months. My background is ER nursing for 7-8 years and I became a NP in a completely different area. It was great to have been able to have a contract so soon after graduating but the company itself wasn't great, very limited resources, no training, collaborative md wasn't involved (part time and difficult to get in touch with) and just lots of other issues I found it was best to walk away from. I started doing agency nursing back in the ED which pays double what they are paying NPs in my area. 

 

I am grateful to be a nurse altogether and have such a variety of options to choose from, but I can't help but feel bad that I am not practicing as a NP. I realized I want to be in urgent care/ED but it's difficulty without experience in either as a NP. I feel defeated because I worry the longer I work in nursing (not practicing as NP) the less likely I will find a job. It has only been a solid month since I have quit my NP job but I am wondering if month after month makes me less likely to land a job eventually as a NP?

 

Are there other NPs out there who have left for agency nursing because the pay is insane at this time? Right after graduation I had the mindset of "don't be picky bc the market is tough for new grad." However I worry the longer I wait to find my ideal job in the field I long for, the more difficult it would become? I LOVE what I am currently doing, back in the ED being able to help in different high need hospitals but I can't help but feel "bad" that I went back for my FNP and not working with it? Is this silly?

 

 

signed,

lost NP :)

[NPdancer]

No, you're not alone. I have been an ER nurse since 2009, graduated with my AG-ACNP in August 2020 and I have been applying for NP jobs and I'm unable to land anything. I have no choice but to continue to work as an ER nurse and travel to get the money. I've also been a travel nurse since 2014, so I know what the travel rates were pre-covid. This is a great opportunity to become debt free, which is what I'm working towards.

I struggle with the longer I work as an ER nurse, the more I will not be "marketable" as a new grad NP. Right now, there's not many places willing to take a new grad. I primarily would like to work as a hospitalist, or be part of a CRRT, or work an adult ER, but I am not having  any luck. I have submitted over 100 of applications, and landed two interviews, and was told in both they had over 50 applicants for one position. So, I decided to continue to travel, make the great money, save, invest, and take a month off between contracts for "rest and restoration".  I thought with an influx of NP's leaving to go back to bedside for travel it would be easier to land a NP job. I have been told by other NP's that a lot of NP's are not leaving because they know a new grad will take their position and make less than them. So if they do leave to go travel as a RN, they will not have an NP position to come back to. At this point, I'm willing to take any NP job just to get my experience, but the thing is I can now afford to work at the NP wage because of the money I'm saving by traveling.