Do you need hospital experience to function as a NP?

I would get hospital experience if you are thinking ACNP.

I'm agonizing over accepting a job offer at a hospital or staying at the nursing home where I've worked for years. I mean it's kept me up at night. I can think of good reasons do or not do either one.

Bottom line, if I'm, going to work as a NP (FNP/ACNP) do I need to have hospital experience, or is the nursing home good enough?

i definitely recommend hospital experience - specifically ED experience (FNP) or ICU experience (ACNP)

ED experience would be great to get some skills. high turnover with every patient under the sun, an NP's assessment skills and intuitive critical thinking/decision making need to be top notch.

The great thing about ER is you get to see a wide array of disease processes presenting at their worst, with all the signs and symptoms that you may not see on the floor once they've been stabilized.

i hated dealing with the nutty families, so i bailed to ICU.

I think it depends on the type of patient population you want to manage. However, I think it would only benefit you ....on how an acute hospital manages patients in terms of antibioitc treatments and quick discharges to home , rehab, or skilled nursing facilitity.

If I was going to be a FNP I think I would be happy to have a small clinic in a very rural area (maybe near an Amish community) and be that little place that could take care of your UTI or where the truckers go for their yearly physical.

But sometimes, when I've done my work and I'm sitting at the nurse's station in the evenings bored, I think about how I would also like to be very busy and where the action is. I was so bored tonight I was excited that the drug man brought me 60 meds to put up on my hall because it gave me something to do.

The other nurses complain and gripe and carry on but I'm like, this is fun!

Isn't that pathetic?

It does not appear that any hospital experience is required. There are direct entry NP programs. And while TECHNICALLY hospital experience, albeit, not patient care experience, I have seen many an operating room nurse go to NP school with no real patient care experience. While it might be a good idea.. it is by no means an iron clad requirement.

So it would appear the real answer is.. no you do not.