Does LTC experience typically count as Med-Surg when applying for Med-Surg?

Published

Specializes in Behavioral Health.

My wife and I are both LPNs going through a mobility program to RN. I'm scheduled to graduate May 2018 and she is scheduled to graduate in August 2018. We both want to be nurse practitioners (she wants to become a FNP and I want to become a FNP/Psych Nurse Practitioner).

I know that I want to go work into a hospital setting, however, my wife is unsure. The main issue is that we have a young child (she'll be 2 in August) and next year we plan on having more. The hospitals in our area seem to only offer 12 hr shifts and since we have no family to watch our little girl for a few hours until we get home.

As a result, my wife is considering staying in LTC until she can get into a FNP program but will that experience even count as Med-Surg? Anyone entered a FNP program with only LTC experience?

Edit* Does working in a doctors office or clinic count as Med-Surg experience?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

No. LTC, clinic and doctors' offices are not considered med surge experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Education, Administration, Magnet.

I don't count it as med-surg if I'm interviewing someone with LTC on their resume.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.

Your LTC experience will count towards 'nursing' experience when applying for a med/surg position. Until you work in any other area besides LTC, all you will have is LTC experience. Med/surg is a specialty in its own right, just as LTC, ICU, ER, L&D, etc.. That's not to say that you can't or won't be hired into med/surg; your potential employer may require you to enter into a nurse residency program for about a year while you learn to be a med/surg nurse.

As for the FNP, I believe there is an FNP specializing in Geriatrics/LTC option. So, I really don't believe the lack of med/surg experience would prevent you from becoming an FNP. Unfortunately, there are even threads on this forum where APRNs/FNPs have absolutely ZERO hands-on nursing experience, which is a major disservice to the individual holding such an advanced degree, and as such, some of them remain unemployed due to the lack of much-needed experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Thanks. My wife is now looking into the Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program at South Alabama. Thanks for the idea!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, LTACH, LTC, Home Health.
Thanks. My wife is now looking into the Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program at South Alabama. Thanks for the idea!

Glad I could be of service.:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

FNP programs typically look for NURSING experience, within which pretty much everything under the Sun counts as the same. I am doing pretty high ranked program which requires at least 1 year of bedside and seems to favor applicants with 2 or more. My class has "experience" literally all over the place from NICU to LTC, nobody pays any special attention to this.

I do not even mention that for FNP/Psych program LTC may provide way better experience than typical med/surgery floor.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

No personal experience with the specific question, but it sure seems like LTC experience would be significant, whether it qualifies as "med-surg" or not! I'd think a good LTC nurse would be a great candidate...lots of experience dealing with and helping to manage multiple chronic conditions??

Anyway...good luck to both of you!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion