Are there any Cardiology NPs here?

DaisyRN, ACNP · Oct 6, 2008

(i posted this elsewhere, but i edited it to give you more info...)

i'm also an adult (ages 12 and up) acute care np in cardiology.

my days go like this:

m-f 7:30a-10:30 (give or take) - supervision of stress testing at hospital

m-f 11-whenever (usually 2-5pm) - i see clinic patients (hospital follow ups, chf patients, etc.) and because i'm still in this "orientation window," i'm not seeing a whole lot of patients on my schedule yet. today, i saw 8 which was higher than average for me, but i was seeing another physician's clinic patients because he was tied up at hospital today. i am usually the go-to person for someone that calls in having problems because my schedule is more open than most of the mds. the docs like that aspect of my being there. plus, the patients like knowing they dont have to rush to the er for every little thing if someone is available to them in the office.

mixed in during the day, but usually isolated to the mornings, i follow our inpatients with my supervising physician. he normally splits up his list patients for me to see and he sees the rest... then we discuss at clinic (sooner if i have questions/problems) and i write orders, discharge planning, interpret testing, etc. the new thing for us is weekend call, where i don't take actually nurse or er calls, but i am in the hospital doing rounds on all the patients left from the previous week so the on-call doctors don't have to do it, usually around 10-12 patients max.

i love my job. i get lots of variety in clinic and hospital... love it.

Kristiern1 · Oct 9, 2008

I work in a cardiology practice as well. Every day of the week is different for me but I will try to share with you. I work with an EP so I do alot of device follow up and interrogations as well.

Most days am in the office or hospital by 0730. If inpatient census is high or there are a lot of new consults I will go see a couple of patients in the hospital.

Mondays: Big device follow up clinic usually from 9-3 patients Average about 20 patients. Solo clinic with only me

Tuesdays: In the office all day with the EP. I see follow-ups, help work-up EP consults etc. Usually in the office till 8 (ugh)

Wednesdays: Help in hospital seeing consults until my office starts at 11:00. This office is more routine follow-up/non EP stuff.

Thursdays: Morning I have a device clinic usuallly till around 1 or so then go back and help in the hospital.

Friday: Is the day I play catch up &/or work in the hospital all day.

Daily basis tasks thrown in that are not above include: reviewing labs, ordered tests. Dosing Coumadin based on PT/INR's, troubleshooting patient calls, troubleshooting other doctor calls, holding the hands of the docs I work for (wink), trying to find an occasional minute to go to the bathroom.

I usually work one weekend a month in the hospital helping the doctor on call round on inpatients and seeing new consults. On those weekends then I will take call one of the nights. I'm sure I do more, but that is all I can think of now. Let me know if you have more specific questions.

Kristie

Kensington · Oct 9, 2008

Hi Kristiern, are you an ACNP? FNP? ANP? Just curious!

Kristiern1 · Oct 10, 2008

I am an ACNP.

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Oct 11, 2008

Thank you so much Daisy and Kristie for letting me know what you do in your work. I went for my interview yesterday for the Cardiology NP position, and I really am so interested in it now after hearing about the position in detail, and meeting practically the entire cardiology dept! Everyone seems so nice, and the job itself sounds exactly like what I would be interested in. My main job would be to help see the Cardiology Consults in the hospital, and to then meet up with the cardiologist who is doing consults that day to talk about what I found, and to then talk about the plan together (after the MD sees the patient too). That kind of team approach really appeals to me, especially because I am a new grad NP and think I would really learn a lot this way too. So I would be working mostly in the hospital, but also see some patients in the clinic too in the future...which sound great to me too. The hours are very reasonable, and everything else about it too. I really, really hope I get this position! I am so miserable in my current position right now...

DaisyRN, ACNP · Oct 11, 2008

yay!! i'm so glad it went well... keep your chin up. things will work out for ya... and yea, it sounds like they are going to be patient with you and you're right... you'll be able to learn loads by they way they are doing it.

best of luck!! keep us posted...