Did any of you get your NP position without prior RN experience?

mammac5 · Nov 2, 2014

I never worked as an RN.

I had many years of experience as a medical assistant in outpatient practices, had done some teaching in medical assisting programs in a local college, etc.

I completed a bridge program and had no trouble getting my first NP job, mostly due to contacts I made on my clinical rotations.

pig&fish · Nov 2, 2014

This is very encouraging! I am currently in a bridge program as well and hoping to find a NP job after. What state are you in? I am in California.

I never worked as an RN.
I had many years of experience as a medical assistant in outpatient practices, had done some teaching in medical assisting programs in a local college, etc.
I completed a bridge program and had no trouble getting my first NP job, mostly due to contacts I made on my clinical rotations.

medic97RN09 · Nov 2, 2014

I have nothing against anyone who attempts to further their education. However, I don't understand why anyone would go through all the headache of becoming a NP without EVER being a RN. A Physician Assistant can go from nothing to a PA with no problem. Someone who goes from nothing to NP raises flags in my mind. The FIRST question that ALWAYS pops in my head was why didn't you go to a PA program instead? The SECOND question that pops in my head is were you TOO GOOD to work as a nurse?

With that said, this past Friday at our practice, we had a "roundtable" interview for a potential candidate (NP) to join our practice. I can honestly tell you if that person had ZERO experience as a RN they would NEVER have received an invitation for an interview.

Just to be 100% clear, this is NOT my intent to start a FLAME war. This is NOT a personal attack. Its just MY honest 2 cents. I graduated from a bridge program myself and went from nothing to NP. However, I was ADAMANT about being able to put on my resume that i had 4 years of FULL TIME ICU experience on my resume. I paid my "dues" as a RN and in my opinion, my resume shows this.

If you spend any time perusing the discussion boards on Allnurses.com you will see numerous posts of NP's experiencing difficulty obtaining employment. In the city where I live the University is churning out class after class of BOTH Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners PLUS there are 4 other NP/PA programs within a 3 hour drive churning them out also. UNLESS you networked your way into a job. UNLESS you know a physician who is ready to hire you already. You would not be able to find a top-tier employer willing to hire you in my area. (Even if you have a 4.0 GPA)

allnurses Guide · Nov 4, 2014

I am an NP who has never worked as an RN. My background is in laboratory medicine (over 20 years), so I was not a total newbie in the medical field. I feel my previous positions have greatly contributed to my success as an NP. I wanted to work part time as an RN, but no one was hiring when I passed NCLEX. I kept my part time job at the lab until I finished my MSN and took my boards. I graduated in 2009 and had no trouble finding a job. Most employers were more concerned about my lack of NP experience, and not my lack of RN experience. I worked for 3 years in primary care and now work in a specialty practice. I use very little of what I learned as an RN. It's not that it isn't valuable-it's just not applicable to what I do. I precept NP students now and I think both those with and without RN experience do well. It's up to the individual. As a matter of fact, I've has a couple of students with loads of RN experience who struggled with the concept of being autonomous, making decisions, and writing orders-not just following orders. The transition was difficult for them. I've also had direct entry students who didn't do well, for various reasons. One caveat-I do think that anyone who wants to be an acute care NP should have some hospital nursing experience. I think that environment can be very complex and it would be extremely difficult to go in as a new NP without having some previous exposure as an RN.

FWIW-I think "having to pay your dues as an RN" is a load of bullpuckey. Getting experience that will help you in your job or career is always beneficial. Having to "pay your dues" sounds like college sorority hazing.

mammac5 · Nov 10, 2014

I have nothing against anyone who attempts to further their education. However, I don't understand why anyone would go through all the headache of becoming a NP without EVER being a RN. A Physician Assistant can go from nothing to a PA with no problem. Someone who goes from nothing to NP raises flags in my mind. The FIRST question that ALWAYS pops in my head was why didn't you go to a PA program instead? The SECOND question that pops in my head is were you TOO GOOD to work as a nurse?
With that said, this past Friday at our practice, we had a "roundtable" interview for a potential candidate (NP) to join our practice. I can honestly tell you if that person had ZERO experience as a RN they would NEVER have received an invitation for an interview.
Just to be 100% clear, this is NOT my intent to start a FLAME war. This is NOT a personal attack. Its just MY honest 2 cents. I graduated from a bridge program myself and went from nothing to NP. However, I was ADAMANT about being able to put on my resume that i had 4 years of FULL TIME ICU experience on my resume. I paid my "dues" as a RN and in my opinion, my resume shows this.
If you spend any time perusing the discussion boards on Allnurses.com you will see numerous posts of NP's experiencing difficulty obtaining employment. In the city where I live the University is churning out class after class of BOTH Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners PLUS there are 4 other NP/PA programs within a 3 hour drive churning them out also. UNLESS you networked your way into a job. UNLESS you know a physician who is ready to hire you already. You would not be able to find a top-tier employer willing to hire you in my area. (Even if you have a 4.0 GPA)

Hard not not to take that personally with all the all-caps and holding.

I pursued NP education/training rather than PA training because I prefer the nursing model of care over allopathic medical training. I knew I wanted to care for people in a very personal and intimate way; I knew I had no desire to do procedures and PA training is usually procedure-heavy.

I am glad you are proud of your ICU experience. I am quite proud of my life experience as a medical assistant, full-time wife & mother, home-schooling mom, former fat & prediabetic lady who decided to completely change her life. My patients seem happy to benefit from my experience as well. I work full time in a hospital (my first job out of school was inpatient care...without previous RN experience) and part time in an outpt setting.

I am thankful someone with your type of bias was not included in my interview process.

sauce · Nov 18, 2014

If you use caps and have to say your not personally attacking your pretty much personally attacking. Especially if you also throw in how your proud of yourself In a post where somebody asked a question. Congrats on stroking your ego

mammac5 · Nov 24, 2014

So, back to the original question...

My experience as an NP without RN experience has been fantastic. I was hired one month after graduation as part of an in-patient research project funded by the DoD. Did I have a steep learning curve with my lack of RN experience? Yes, I did. Would I have had a steep learning curve even with RN experience? I believe so.

The research study led to a permanent full-time position in the same hospital. The contacts I made there led to a part-time job in an outpatient practice...I work both jobs now and really enjoy both.

My path to a great career where I get to help people every day was different than what a lot of others had, but I hardly ever take the same path as anyone else.

eternity112 · Dec 31, 2014

Hi everyone, I have a related question similar to that of the OP.

I am a current RN that aspires to become a NP.

I have been having a hard time finding a full time hospital job.. however I did not want to simply "stay at home" and just prepare for next semester.

What did I do in the meanwhile? I located a pretty good volunteer position at a Senior Center taking bps, performing health and medication counseling, referring clients to resources in the community, performing health fairs related to issues affected the seniors etc, 2 times a week for about 10 hours in total.

I also conduct invariable once in a while volunteer projects with the American Diabetes Association.

Long story short, my professors said you need 1 - 2 yrs experience before you could become an NP, yet believe me when I tell you this it is incredibly hard to find jobs in NYC where I live. I apply apply apply and I don't ever get call backs. I guess the economy and job market isn't too good.

The thing is that I am concerned if I stay home to work for a year I may not even find a job and I would have wasted a year when I could have finished a year of NP school.. What do you all suggest..?

Keep staying in these volunteer RN positions and enroll in an NP program or what.. Thanks.

elkpark · Dec 31, 2014

I have nothing against anyone who attempts to further their education. However, I don't understand why anyone would go through all the headache of becoming a NP without EVER being a RN. A Physician Assistant can go from nothing to a PA with no problem. Someone who goes from nothing to NP raises flags in my mind. The FIRST question that ALWAYS pops in my head was why didn't you go to a PA program instead? The SECOND question that pops in my head is were you TOO GOOD to work as a nurse?
With that said, this past Friday at our practice, we had a "roundtable" interview for a potential candidate (NP) to join our practice. I can honestly tell you if that person had ZERO experience as a RN they would NEVER have received an invitation for an interview.
Just to be 100% clear, this is NOT my intent to start a FLAME war. This is NOT a personal attack. Its just MY honest 2 cents. I graduated from a bridge program myself and went from nothing to NP. However, I was ADAMANT about being able to put on my resume that i had 4 years of FULL TIME ICU experience on my resume. I paid my "dues" as a RN and in my opinion, my resume shows this.
If you spend any time perusing the discussion boards on Allnurses.com you will see numerous posts of NP's experiencing difficulty obtaining employment. In the city where I live the University is churning out class after class of BOTH Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners PLUS there are 4 other NP/PA programs within a 3 hour drive churning them out also. UNLESS you networked your way into a job. UNLESS you know a physician who is ready to hire you already. You would not be able to find a top-tier employer willing to hire you in my area. (Even if you have a 4.0 GPA)

If you're not looking to start a flame war and not looking to personally attack anyone, then why post your rant at all when it in no way addresses the question asked by the OP?

eternity112 · Dec 31, 2014

I'm a future NP, currently gathering RN experience. While I will attain RN experience, 1 year minimum before practicing as an NP, the question is whether it is essential and required to practice as an NP. Certainly CRNA require 1 year experience and I see how that is required to the practice as a CRNA... It is the law lol, the programs are mandated by law for their students to be competent in ICU care.

The question is whether it is necessary to have 1 year of xp before practicing as an RN before being able to become an NP. The answer is a resounding no and no I am not talking about becoming a "better NP." I am not getting into that argument. In fact, becoming a more experienced NP involving working as an NP, and whether you have a steeper or narrow learning curve is not the point. Some people with less RN experience will succeed some won't. Even if I had 5 years of xp as an RN, I doubt I would feel confident as an NP. I never do in a new field, I need to practice it regardless of what prior skills I have/lack. And believe me, I don't even think I would be a master of any specialty in 1 - 2 years. And if you are talking about being fully confident as an RN in med surg, It should be 5 years not 1 - 2, no way are you going to be fully confident in every single part of the human body in the nursing field in 1 - 2 years. No way.

Anyway, As an RN student, I had 0 health care experience, and I performed much better academically and clinically than my colleagues with over 4 years of experience as an Aide. The data..? People with experience failing out/dropping out of nursing courses, asking me for advice on what to do, looking like they do not know what they are doing. Just something to throw out there.

If you really have a passion for becoming an NP, you'll become one and find a way to get a position with or w/o experience. Instead of worrying about whether the RN experience will help, become more confident with the hospital environment, NP practice, etc. Whether or not that involving shadowing NPs, Physicians, working / volunteering as an RN, paying to get an internship whatever, but you should feel confident and I guess that is what people are saying when they say get 2 - 3 years experience. But again, I don't think 2 - 3 years is essential, everyone is different, and one person may need more another need less. I think it is unintelligible to say 2 - 3 years for that matter, not everyone is the same, and remember as nurses we need to remember not everyone is the SAME. Some people lack confident in doing HCP work and need 5 years and some people are super confident and don't need any RN experience. The measure? Just see how they are doing as NPs, less us not make blanket statements.

In fact, some NPs and Physicians (the majority of NP employers) would prefer a new grad NP with less RN experience, because they are less habitually trained and experienced as an RN. Sometimes it may be a hindrance to "think like a RN" because the NP profession involving doing different things than an RN. Sometimes you need to understand not everyone subscribes to the blanket statement of "all NPs need 1-2 years RN experience."

So short answer: No you don't need experience to be an NP. If your employer says you do.. well get the RN experience or move onto someone who will train you and will be more understanding. But in this age with a lack of PCPs, believe me you'll be wanted.

allnurses Guide · Dec 31, 2014

The (little) literature there is in the topic tends to favor that RN experience is not essential for NP practice.

I have both taught and precepted students with no nursing experience and students with more than 25 years of experience. I have seen great variability in both. Much of it has to do with the individual. Some need the RN experience and some seem to do fine without it; some with loads of experience struggle. There is no one-good answer.

From my personal experience I think any type of experience you can bring to the table and apply to your advance practice education is helpful (including RN experience, life experience, other non-nursing work experience).

I can say that those with nursing experience tend to value that experience in their APN role.

I can also say that you will experience RNs who push back against your APN role because they have more nursing experience than you. Or am for a myriad of other reasons. You will need to earn their trust.

Sent from my iPhone.