Feeling Lost As An NP

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I'm a new NP and have 1 year of primary care experience. It was incredibly stressful, I did not expect this to affect my quality of life in so many ways. I started to regret becoming an NP, it was exhausting going to a job that was not fulfilling and was constantly wearing me out. I realized primary care is something I’m not passionate about. I was at the end of my rope and decided to resign a few weeks after I reached my 1 year mark.

Luckily, I had some potential opportunities and interviewed at various clinics. One of them is an infusion clinic. I will not be responsible for diagnosing and prescribing. I have spoken to another NP who works at this clinic - she really enjoys her job, has worked in various specialties, and feels that this is the place that has finally given her the work life balance she has been looking for.

Are there any NPs who work in jobs that don't involve prescribing and diagnosing and has it been a positive experience? A part of me feels like I'm not an NP if I don't do these things because this is what I went to school for and I really need to let go of that idea. Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you! 

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Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.

I am a newly licensed NP so my feedback may not seem as valid, but YES, you need to let go of the idea that you're not an NP if you don't have certain responsibilities. The jobs you're applying for require a NP degree and your expertise. You are just as important in that role, to those patients, as you would be in any NP role. 

There are so many nurses on this forum that subscribe to some level of hierarchy, as if they're less of a nurse because of where they work. Patients need nurses and NPs in all areas of life. If you can find a job that you enjoy and gives you the work life balance you're striving for, then that's success. Good luck!

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Specializes in Family Nursing & Psychiatry.

I am a trained family nurse practitioner practicing in palliative care. I love my role being part of a multidisciplinary team inpatient. Currently back to school for psychiatry. Yes, primary care is so stressful but there are more opportunities out there. I hope you find your place!

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I am sorry you are feeling bad.  You shouldn't.  When I graduated NP school I sought a residency-style program within a large established system because I knew I was not prepared to completely manage patients on my own even though I graduated with honors and had years of nursing experience.  I commend you for being honest and I hope you find success and happiness in your new role.  I think it is important that we regularly ask ourselves whether we are offering best opportunity for optimal outcomes for our patients (which may include collaborating and working closely with other providers) and if we do this we cannot go wrong.  

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Specializes in Behavioral health.

plantmom4lyfe,

It's not you, your lack of experience, or primary care. You're not alone in feeling this way. It's 'assembly-line' healthcare. The line is increasing faster than we can keep up. We see sicker patients within shorter patient appointments while writing longer progress notes and completing heavier paperwork requirements typed into clunkier EMR systems.

Roles that don't involve prescribing and diagnosing?  Hmmm...teaching or administration. If you want off the assembly line, consider places like schools, colleges, or employee health clinics where clinicians are not expected to generate massive revenue.

Gale AH. The Hospital as a Factory and the Physician as an Assembly Line Worker. Mo Med. 2016 Jan-Feb;113(1):7-9. PMID: 27039480; PMCID: PMC6139751.

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Like I tell every random 22-year-old nurse that comes up to me asking about NP school.....not everyone is cut out to be a provider. But nursing school sure paints it as though everyone is.

Go back to being an RN, pay is really good nowadays.

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I think every job is really stressful that first year.....so it's really hard to say you weren't cut out for the role.  I don't know if that job will "grow' you in terms of the NP role if that is what your hoping fore...but   If a job with less responsibility and more balance feels right for you ....I think that is okay.   I recently had a former student telling me about a job she had taken   "It is not job that will let me work at my highest level, but it pays very well, has great benefits and is low stress....and right now that is what I need in my life"  I was really impressed with her insight. It is okay to take a job that won't get you street creds or the patient interactions that you dreamed of when you are a student but to recognize that "right now this is right for me"

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I  found clinic work in general very stressful, because of overbooking, short appointments for complex patients( it was a cancer associated thrombosis clinic) and not enough support staff.  I swore to never work clinic again.  I now work as hem/onc NP in an outpatient clinic that provides transfusions, chemotherapy and urgent ad hoc care to the hem/onc population, including completing hospital admissions.  I am much happier because I don't have the sense of 'always running behind on apt times'.

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Specializes in Been all over.

I'm shocked how unsupportive people are here. "Go back to being an RN the pay is really good nowadays." GET. A. CLUE. Not all of us are in it for the money. A lot of us wanted to get away from nurses like you... NPs can learn, just like RNs. The post is obviously addressing a system problem--this NP needs to find a way to fit into a system or find a position in a system that works. Geez, whatever happened to encouragement? 

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3 hours ago, renatanada said:

I'm shocked how unsupportive people are here. "Go back to being an RN the pay is really good nowadays." GET. A. CLUE. Not all of us are in it for the money. A lot of us wanted to get away from nurses like you... NPs can learn, just like RNs. The post is obviously addressing a system problem--this NP needs to find a way to fit into a system or find a position in a system that works. Geez, whatever happened to encouragement? 

Blind encouragement is pointless. Encouraging someone to make a poor financial decision for an "ideal" lifestyle that is not reality is not helpful at all.

I do MD work but get paid less than RNs right now. Let me repeat that for you, I have 10x the responsibility of a RN but get paid less. My colleagues and I work well over 12 hours and our pay scale is on the upper end of average for NPs as well.

Fit into a system? What does that even mean? Our system is oversaturated and thus that drives down salaries. Why do you think CRNas pull in 200k plus? They are protected with a higher barrier to entry.

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Specializes in Been all over.

Some of us want the responsibility. And there's not enough money in the world to go back to the thankless, back-breaking world of bedside nursing. Let me repeat for you: Sounds like you need a new job. Go be a CRNA. 

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2 minutes ago, renatanada said:

Some of us want the responsibility. And there's not enough money in the world to go back to the thankless, back-breaking world of bedside nursing. Let me repeat for you: Sounds like you need a new job. Go be a CRNA. 

Oh yeah? Do you actually do the job? Are you a working NP? You want to work harder than being a RN and get paid less than one? That makes sense. But yeah go get your 500 clinical hours and be prepared to job in the role of a provider. MDs will laugh their way to the bank and put all their scut work on you.

You don't know what you don't know. You rue the bedside role but are going to delve into a world that is much more high stakes and equally thankless.

You will learn eventually.

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