Does it matter the specialty of nursing your in prior to applying for FNP programs?

[thatoneguyRN]

Hello nurse peoples,

I work in critical care now, in a big busy cardiac surgical ICU. I have about 2 years of critical care experience. We have lots of devices and really sick people. I love it, and learn a lot but don't see myself here in ten years. I would like to get into the out patient preventative side of things and that is what has me interested in doing a FNP program somewhere. However the idea of starting from scratch in another specialty if my end goal is going back to school doesn't necessarily appeal to me, but I am so specialized now, I feel like I might benefit from taking care of a more diverse patient population.

My question is would it be a good idea to try to get into an out patient setting say an ambulatory care position or would it be a good idea to try the MICU to see a greater variety of disease processes and more medical management of patients versus surgical? Or am I going to get enough of all of these experiences in clinicals through school that it will not be necessary to change my specialty prior to going to school assuming I get in of course?

Thanks for any info, thoughts, opinions ect, all are welcome and much appreciated. I am in the research part of trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up here and would love to hear from some people in FNP programs or practicing FNPs. Thanks again.

[Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP]

I'm in the same boat as you in terms of where I work, albiet with a bit more experience, and I graduate next year from my FNP program. This topic has been debated quite a bit in these forums in regards to RN experience in its translation to FNP, and you will find people telling you RN experience doesn't matter, and you will find folks telling you the quality and type of RN experience you have is crucial.

I can say without a doubt my experience as a Critical Care RN has translated nicely in terms of my undertsanding of pathophysiology, disease states/process, and in many cases, diagnostics. That said, I have to focus much more in the pediatric and women's health aspects of the FNP program because it is just something I don't see in the CVICU.

Either wa,y my advice to you would be to just stay where you are if you really enjoy what you do. While I think experience as an RN can be beneficial when being in FNP school, no matter what there are just certain aspects of health that you aren't going to cover. For example, you might see more overall in a MICU, but you're still going to have limited hands on experience with kids and women's health. The FNP program is so broad in terms of its scope, and not amount of RN experience is truly going to prepare you for the role. If you have quality preceptors, they will bring you up to speed, and that is what will truly help you the most.

[thatoneguyRN]

Thank you for the info, I really appreciate it.

[Mark Hill BSN]

I'm in the same boat as you in terms of where I work, albiet with a bit more experience, and I graduate next year from my FNP program. This topic has been debated quite a bit in these forums in regards to RN experience in its translation to FNP, and you will find people telling you RN experience doesn't matter, and you will find folks telling you the quality and type of RN experience you have is crucial.

I can say without a doubt my experience as a Critical Care RN has translated nicely in terms of my undertsanding of pathophysiology, disease states/process, and in many cases, diagnostics. That said, I have to focus much more in the pediatric and women's health aspects of the FNP program because it is just something I don't see in the CVICU.

Either wa,y my advice to you would be to just stay where you are if you really enjoy what you do. While I think experience as an RN can be beneficial when being in FNP school, no matter what there are just certain aspects of health that you aren't going to cover. For example, you might see more overall in a MICU, but you're still going to have limited hands on experience with kids and women's health. The FNP program is so broad in terms of its scope, and not amount of RN experience is truly going to prepare you for the role. If you have quality preceptors, they will bring you up to speed, and that is what will truly help you the most.

I agree that just having experience in ICU could limit your understanding of children and women's health issues, but overall it is very good experience. A stent in ER might be a good idea prior to FNP school to get some exposure to kids and women health issues, but not imperative.

I too believe that experience is very helpful in NP school, and feel it has helped me tremendously in my pursuit of an APN degree. There will be some who disagree, but most will not.