Lately is seems like there are a lot of posts complaining about NP saturation, low NP wages, and NP regret, particularly among new NP grads or NP students (but there are lots of salty veterans too). I want to post some advice for anyone considering NP school, current students, and really any NP upset at the current climate.1) Do your research before going to schoolFigure out things like how many schools are in your area? How many graduates are they producing? What is a new grads job outlook like in your area? What are new grads making in the area? What are experienced NP's making in the area? What school has the best reputation? How much does each school cost?Depending on where you live, the outlook of becoming a new NP can be a road to riches or a position battle for a job that will pay you less than you were making as an RN.If you find yourself in a competitive market for new grads, you seriously need to ask yourself if relocating is something you would entertain, or if you are comfortable taking a lower wage to start.2) Location, location, locationA lot of folks talking about saturation are in populated areas like the Midwest, SoCal, NorCal, and Washington (DC or state). Supply and demand. The more an area is pumping out new grads or more people move there, the lower employers can push down wages.There will be people willing to take less to get their feet wet (Are you willing to be one of them?). This is common sense and it blows my mind when I read these posts with people thinking getting their NP was going to be a fast track to easy money, and halfway through school they realized what they had done. School is expensive and if you didn't do your research, shame on you.This is not just true for NP's either and goes for all APRN's. Compare CRNA starting pay in the midwest to Texas or other rural areas and it will be in some cases a difference of over $100k. A close friend just turned down a job in Chicago when he finished up at TCU because a position here in West Texas was nearly double the salary.3) The salary you start at is not where it will endWhen I started I was making $90k a year with productivity bonuses (which was a little better than my RN pay and more work-life balance), a year and half later, I increased to $110k with a different company, also with incentive bonuses. The year following, a hospitalist group in our neighbor city in New Mexico raised my base to 170k (with hefty bonus incentives). In a short time I have almost doubled my pay.It's important to remember this when offered your first position, and remember my advice about learning what experienced NP's are making in your market. Which leads me to...4) Experience paysSee the above. I would have never landed the more lucrative positions as a new grad, but like being a new RN, after about a year or so of experience, your value goes up a lot.5) Choose your school wiselyEspecially if you're in a saturated area. Employers in high volume areas typically like grads from schools they trust, and there are lots of stories about online degree mills being shunned in certain areas.That said, if you are willing to relocate to the moon (or similarly off the beaten path), employers often could care less and are looking for a warm body to help out.Prioritize things like local recognition and cost when choosing a school (especially if you are going to stay in the area). I chose a well regarded public university in my area that I paid less than $17k for the entire degree, sharing clinical sites with students from prestigious schools like Georgetown. I got to graduate debt free and had several offers before graduating.6) If you have experience and have to relocate, you might take a pay cutIt's mindblowing to me when I see NP's making $200k a year here complaining about being offered less money when searching for jobs elsewhere. Obviously NP's generate far more income than we are worth, but folks making near $200k are making nearly double the national average in NP income, and are the NP 1%.Remember, NP saturation is probably happening, but even with that, the average salary for NP's as a whole continues to rise.I will make $200k a year this year when it's all added up, and have looked into positions in Austin and Honolulu (two saturated markets) due to my wife's work. The Austin job offered me about $150k, Honolulu for the same position I currently have was $140k. I wasn't at all upset or surprised by these offers being lower than my current salary because in the end, they're still much higher than the national average (and high for the area too). It all requires perspective.7) Money also isn't everythingSure it helps, but most NP jobs, especially in primary care, come with much better hours and quality of life when compared to bedside nursing.Consider that when your first NP job offer is in the same territory of you RN job. My first NP job was only a few grand more than my RN job, but had much better hours, had every weekend off, similar amount of PTO, required no overtime(which I had to do in my RN job to make the amount I was getting), and I actually had free time to spend with my family at the end of every workday versus being a zombie working nightshift.In the end, is the NP market saturated? Yes and no, and that's because it depends on where you live and whether or not you have experience. Take a look at any job website, and you'll realize that once you have gotten your feet wet, the number of positions open to you probably doubles or triples.If you do your research, you will make an informed decision and can avoid being one of the posters here crying about how bad it is. 2 Down Vote Up Vote × About Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP FNP-C, AGACNP-BC. Been an APRN since 2014 and currently work as a hospitalist in an independent practice state. Went back and got my AGACNP when I realized my job required skills and knowledge more tailored to that role. 3 Articles 554 Posts Share this post Share on other sites