Aspiring FNP

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

I am seeking advice on what an aspring nurse practitioner could be doing as a staff nurse to prepare for graduate school By the time I enter a NP program I will have 2 years of medical surgical experience. What are some things I can be concentrating on now while still working in the unit? Should I focus heavily on nursing assessment, pharmacology, interpreting lab results, etc? Any input would be greatly appreciated :)

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Your experience in general will help you a ton, an the more diversity you see the better. Pharm is also a big help.

Are the medical teams friendly at your facility? If they are, engaging them in dialogue is probably the best way to learn how to manage a patient, as I personally feel like that is the most difficult transition: owning the patient.

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Specializes in Family Practice, Urgent Care.

Sounds like you're on a good track to prepare yourself. Always look stuff up, stay interested, stay motivated to learn. Very often, I'll think...hey I haven't seen a good case of _________ in a while, and i'll spend some time reading up on the S&S, labs/tests, and treatments to help me recognize it when I see it in clinic. In NP school, you will learn a new way of thinking since your on the provider side rather than the nurse only side.

Best of luck!

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