Any NPs here who wished they'd stayed an RN?

Jo Dirt · Jun 26, 2008

As I toil away trying to finish a BSN and plunging right into an MSN program, I am wondering the same thing.

Maybe I'm wearing rose-colored glasses, but with an MSN/NP I am expecting better benefits, a more flexible and family-friendly work schedule. I'd like to teach some.

Trauma Columnist · Jun 26, 2008

I loved the level one ER that I worked at for 10 years. Miss it every single day. The job that I have now pays more, and is more flexible with wonderful benefits. However, the work is repetitive and boring. Do I wish I were still an RN? Yes, some days I do.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Jun 26, 2008

And that's the beauty of it.... you can still work as an RN after you finish your MSN. You are held to a higher standard, but you can still work as an RN....

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Jun 28, 2008

I just graduated from my NP program and will start my first NP position in late August. For now I am still working in my staff RN position in med/surg/tele and I have to say I am glad to be moving on. Among other things (more responsibility, more decision making, more challenges, etc...) I am getting so burnt out being a staff nurse. Take last night for instance, I had 4 patients who were very, very sick and I was so busy dealing with all their issues that I never had a chance to go sit down for a few min to rest (never mind eat!!) and I had such a horrible migraine headache -and on top of that they started off our shift with cancelling two nurses (for a low census) and THEN proceeded to give us PACUs and ERs and more ERs and more PACUs and I finally said no more! I can't take any more patients! I am already extremely overwhelmed with all I have to do for these patients (and also help give IV pushes for the LPN's patients) -my patients had critical labs and fever workups and extreme pain and you name it....I was so tired. I felt like a slave honestly. I asked the charge nurse for help 4 times (and she did help those 4 times) but I still was so drowned in all the work. Ugh. I'm sure many of you have similar stories. I still love med/surg but honestly am so happy to be moving onto something different-even all the NPs I know at my work say the same thing "No one works as hard as the staff nurse." I truly believe that -even though I know it's still going to be stressful as an NP, at least it will be a different role for a change, and more managing situations, which is what I want.

VivaRN · Jun 28, 2008

I just graduated from my NP program and will start my first NP position in late August. For now I am still working in my staff RN position in med/surg/tele and I have to say I am glad to be moving on. Among other things (more responsibility, more decision making, more challenges, etc...) I am getting so burnt out being a staff nurse. Take last night for instance, I had 4 patients who were very, very sick and I was so busy dealing with all their issues that I never had a chance to go sit down for a few min to rest (never mind eat!!) and I had such a horrible migraine headache -and on top of that they started off our shift with cancelling two nurses (for a low census) and THEN proceeded to give us PACUs and ERs and more ERs and more PACUs and I finally said no more! I can't take any more patients! I am already extremely overwhelmed with all I have to do for these patients (and also help give IV pushes for the LPN's patients) -my patients had critical labs and fever workups and extreme pain and you name it....I was so tired. I felt like a slave honestly. I asked the charge nurse for help 4 times (and she did help those 4 times) but I still was so drowned in all the work. Ugh. I'm sure many of you have similar stories. I still love med/surg but honestly am so happy to be moving onto something different-even all the NPs I know at my work say the same thing "No one works as hard as the staff nurse." I truly believe that -even though I know it's still going to be stressful as an NP, at least it will be a different role for a change, and more managing situations, which is what I want.

I agree. I am also an NP student to start my first position in August. While I do at times miss the "adrenaline rush" of an emergent situation, my life as a staff nurse was unsustainable. No food, no time to give good care, the occasional abusive MD, exhausted. As much as I enjoyed the patients, I felt like I was losing myself. I'm sure I could've found a more posh RN position somewhere else but I wanted to work with underserved populations in the (dangerously understaffed) county hospital. I found a way to do that as an NP and it is something I can do for years. It is never boring, with the mix of colorful characters and disease processes... and I always feel like I made a difference.

If that yearning to do the RN thing ever strikes strongly enough I can always do prn.

JDCitizen · Jun 29, 2008

I'm just curious if you'd choose to do it over (amazing how I can keep finding questions to ask )
I know that being an NP can be a real grind, especially if you work in primary care (like most do). I also know experienced RNs can make more money than NPs. And being an NP requires additional education.
So, would you do it again?
Not an academic question for me. I've spent not only a lot of money but a lot of time on my MSN. Even if my employer will pay for it I'm not sure I'm going to want to go back to school for yet another degree.

Nope! No more swing shifts, no more short staffed, no more being pulled, etc.

I work about 5 days a week on call every 6th weekend, all holidays off.

When I want to take off I tell the staff to rearrange my schedule. When I have a problem I leave "my office" go next door to the doctors office and get feed back... If I want my patient to have test I order it, if I believe the patient needs a consult with a specialist I write the order. If a doctor is a smart a** with me or my patient form then on my patients are then sent to his/her competition.

Sure primary medicine is a grind at times but than other times it's not.