Do you feel more people are entering nursing only to become APRN's?

Nurses General Nursing

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I am not a nurse yet, but I'm an EMT, have worked in and around the hospital, and I am currently finishing my last two prerequisite courses before applying for ABSN programs. It seems like 90% of my current classmates in nursing prerequisite courses, along with other prospective nurses I've worked with, are entering the nursing profession with the goal of become a Nurse Practitioner or CRNA.

Do you, especially those already working as nurses, feel a lot of new graduate nurses are entering nursing for the sole purpose of becoming an APRN? I feel like since APRN's are gaining more popularity, people are entering the nursing field to become an APRN and not a "nurse", in lieu of becoming an MD/DO or PA. I'm not saying more education is bad, but it seems like people want to be an NP, not a nurse, if that makes sense. Which leads me to believe (and I know it's been discussed before) a huge over saturation of APRN's is in the near future.

Thoughts? Again, I'm not a nurse yet, so I could be completely off base.

Specializes in Oncology.

I think that you need experience to be an advanced practice nurse in any capacity. I entered my DNP program with 4 years of inpatient med-surg oncology experience, and will finish the program with 9 years total as a nurse (planned to stay on the same floor). However, I work with many co-workers who will be graduating with an advanced degree with barely 3 years of experience total before going out there. Most of them started their degree program with less than a year of experience, sometimes just the summer between graduating with their BSN in the spring and starting grad school the following fall.

They are not ready, in my opinion, to be independent practitioners at that point, but it is not their fault that programs will accept new graduate BSN students into the next semester's course. Some of them are definitely pushed by their universities to aspire to an advanced degree, if not necessarily to become a nurse practitioner.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

They are not ready, in my opinion, to be independent practitioners at that point, but it is not their fault that programs will accept new graduate BSN students into the next semester's course.

Where are you in your program? How do you know these other students aren't ready? What makes you think that?

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As a new graduate RN (May) that is also looking to go into an APRN role I feel like I can offer a bit of perspective. When I started school I realized quickly that I love the critical thinking aspect of nursing. I enjoy understanding the pathophys, I enjoy knowing the pharmacology, and I enjoy putting together the puzzle. I also enjoy taking care of critically ill patients. I figured that out early in school and it's stuck since then. I give so much credit to RN's who can take care of 6, 7, 8 patients and have them all live the shift. That kind of patient load and practice gives me anxiety thinking about it. I am in a new grad residency now and the vast majority of the nurses I have worked with haven't even been in practice for two years. I think this goes back to the idea that nursing school instills that you need to get a year or two of med-surg, telemetry, or step-down experience before you find what you like. It's my observation that many new nurses are the ones that make up the bulk of staff on these floors. Then after a few years they either go into something more specialized or out of the hospital completely. Advanced practice role I feel like rolls in with that. I think young adults are deciding that they are willing to "advance their career" earlier so they aren't going back to school later in life. Now by no means do I ever feel as though its "too late" to go back to school. In my case I see it as an opportunity cost. I graduated with my ADN at 26. I am currently working on my BSN part-time which will take me 1.5-2 years depending on how I stack my schedule. Then if I were to jump into an APRN program I would have to have an application year, prepare for my GRE, interviews, etc. If I were to follow that timeline I would be starting an APRN program at near age 30. I would of course be working during that, and we'll say I finish and am ready to enter a provider role at age 33 for argument sake. At that point I would have around 6 years of RN experience. I feel like that is plenty. I would then see myself working in practice and then starting a family if that is a goal at that time. I do believe that RN's that come out of school with their BSN do seem like they go back quicker, and it makes sense. They don't have to go back for another degree and can start "sooner". In my situation I feel having the subsequent steps allows me to develop well without feeling rushed. Another thing is that I'm looking at traditional "brick and mortar" schools. I have no desire to go to a program stationed halfway across the country and go online and have to find all of my future preceptors. I feel like that model in particular is what is giving APRN's a bad rep.

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Specializes in Oncology.
Where are you in your program? How do you know these other students aren't ready? What makes you think that?

I am talking about the nurses that I personally work with on my floor that I have seen go through graduate school. I work with them and see the things that they miss and the gaps in their critical thinking. They are where I would expect 2-3 year experience RN's to be at, and I am not saying I was any further along at that point in my career. However, you do not even know what you do not know until around two years, and that's if you stay within the same specialty.

They will be fine with experience like most people, but I do not think that 2-3 years of experience total working as a nurse in healthcare is enough to draw upon for the practitioner role.

I'm in a 5 year part-time DNP program because my family needs me to continue working FT. A full-time student can complete the program in 3 years total from a BSN. I'm okay with it taking 5 years because it gives me the opportunity to continue learning and the time for a really good research project.

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Where are you in your program? How do you know these other students aren't ready? What makes you think that?

Educated guess? With less years of experience, I'm willing to bet those BSN's probably haven't seen it all, or are not 100% proficient in their practice. Case in point: I had a patient whose port kept occluding. Flushed with Heparin, flushed with clot busters, still didn't have good blood return. Looked on the Xray...the damn needle was right up against the side of the port wall. And you know who inserted it? One of our nurses who's in an NP program.

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Educated guess? With less years of experience, I'm willing to bet those BSN's probably haven't seen it all, or are not 100% proficient in their practice. Case in point: I had a patient whose port kept occluding. Flushed with Heparin, flushed with clot busters, still didn't have good blood return. Looked on the Xray...the damn needle was right up against the side of the port wall. And you know who inserted it? One of our nurses who's in an NP program.

Another made up experience story, nice try troll

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Why wouldn't someone want to advance their education and skill set? Being a bedside nurse can be extremely challenging. Bedside nurses are crunched between patients, physicians and administration. I am perplexed as to why this should even be a concern. Why does it feel as though nurses are not being supportive of other nurses advancement. I would theorize that it could be very beneficial to have someone in an NP or CRNA role that has been a floor nurse and therefore may have more tendency to be helpful or understanding.

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I just read the post about new BSN grads entering an NP program and they appear to be missing some of the milestones that seasoned nurses have passed. I completely understand this argument and frustration. But we are getting the exact same thing with residents.

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Specializes in Neurosurgery, Neurology.
Why wouldn't someone want to advance their education and skill set? Being a bedside nurse can be extremely challenging. Bedside nurses are crunched between patients, physicians and administration. I am perplexed as to why this should even be a concern. Why does it feel as though nurses are not being supportive of other nurses advancement. I would theorize that it could be very beneficial to have someone in an NP or CRNA role that has been a floor nurse and therefore may have more tendency to be helpful or understanding.

Perhaps its the idea that "advancement" in nursing=away from the bedside. Interestingly, the policy for the clinical ladder program at my hospital specifically says that its purpose is to support RNs who seek advancement while at the same time remaining at the bedside.

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Why wouldn't someone want to advance their education and skill set? Being a bedside nurse can be extremely challenging. Bedside nurses are crunched between patients, physicians and administration. I am perplexed as to why this should even be a concern. Why does it feel as though nurses are not being supportive of other nurses advancement. I would theorize that it could be very beneficial to have someone in an NP or CRNA role that has been a floor nurse and therefore may have more tendency to be helpful or understanding.

I wish them no ill will. If I'd gotten started earlier, maybe I would have done the same thing. I do worry for them, though ...I just don't see that many positions available ...especially the lucrative ones that these new grads seem to be expecting.

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Specializes in Med Surg/ICU/Psych/Emergency/CEN/retired.
Perhaps its the idea that "advancement" in nursing=away from the bedside. Interestingly, the policy for the clinical ladder program at my hospital specifically says that its purpose is to support RNs who seek advancement while at the same time remaining at the bedside.

I am an N=1, but I got my master's in critical care/trauma for me, not to leave the bedside. And I never left the bedside. I can see both sides of the coin but do wonder why so many dislike the bedside so much and want to be an NP. Hard for some to believe, but it was not all perfume and roses for nursing in the 70s and 80s. Tough times then too.

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I am an N=1, but I got my master's in critical care/trauma for me, not to leave the bedside. And I never left the bedside. I can see both sides of the coin but do wonder why so many dislike the bedside so much and want to be an NP. Hard for some to believe, but it was not all perfume and roses for nursing in the 70s and 80s. Tough times then too.

I don't think any of us hate the bedside aspect of it, we just feel like it's not needed to become a successful provider. I've seen so much negativity though on bedside nurses that feel we're cheating by skipping a step for advancement. A lot of made up stories on their experiences but no hard evidence.

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