Feeling Lost As An NP

Specialties Advanced

Updated:   Published

nurse-practitioner-job-involve-prescribing-diagnosing.jpg.10a86023ec8cb8a91a78906b4247b6ad.jpg

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! 

blame the schools that churn out nurses and lead them to believe they are somehow smarter and can diagnose and treat complicated cases...there needs to be more of a stringent process on accepting students and these diploma mills need to be closed.

3 Votes
Specializes in Emergency Medicine.
On 1/31/2022 at 6:19 PM, Numenor said:

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

Let’s unpack this. All of it. 
 

I am not doing MD work, I am working as an NP collaboratively with physicians. I am not doing their work. If someone is doing the work for physicians and not working collaboratively, they are being abused in their role. Time for a new job.

 

I do have a lot of responsibility. I also make significantly more money than an RN, let me repeat that. I MAKE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MONEY THAN AN RN. If you’re not making more money than you did as an RN, you should renegotiate your contract, and if they won’t oblige be prepared to leave. Learn to negotiate and please learn you worth. What drives down salaries for NPs are other NPs willing to take piddly wages. There are plenty of jobs out there. “Over saturation” is a myth. Stop scaring people.

 

Sometimes burnout makes people miserable and project their misery onto others. Results my vary, and just because one person has a bad experience doesn’t mean another will. You never have to take the first job, or any job. Learn to negotiate. Value yourself, and demand your worth.

 

that’s it. I said what I said. ? 

1 Votes
22 hours ago, AlwaysTiredNP said:

Let’s unpack this. All of it. 
 

I am not doing MD work, I am working as an NP collaboratively with physicians. I am not doing their work. If someone is doing the work for physicians and not working collaboratively, they are being abused in their role. Time for a new job.

 

I do have a lot of responsibility. I also make significantly more money than an RN, let me repeat that. I MAKE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE MONEY THAN AN RN. If you’re not making more money than you did as an RN, you should renegotiate your contract, and if they won’t oblige be prepared to leave. Learn to negotiate and please learn you worth. What drives down salaries for NPs are other NPs willing to take piddly wages. There are plenty of jobs out there. “Over saturation” is a myth. Stop scaring people.

 

Sometimes burnout makes people miserable and project their misery onto others. Results my vary, and just because one person has a bad experience doesn’t mean another will. You never have to take the first job, or any job. Learn to negotiate. Value yourself, and demand your worth.

 

that’s it. I said what I said. ? 

Your post is contradictory. Let me break it down for you:

1. You can't be very independent and be collaborative at the same time. Either you make decisions by yourself or not. I have a "collaborating" MD I check in with from time to time in the hospital but do everything myself. That IS MD LEVEL work. We take the same patient number and difficulty as MDs and I say again... that is MD work. If we were running to the MD every time we had to make a decision or need help, we would have no use.

2.  No idea where you work but any of the 3 major west coast cities I have worked in have NPs making 120-140k. That is garbage money. 5 yearish exp RNs here can hit that with some OT. Travel nurses are pulling 120 an hour and MDs in my role make 300k and 200 an hour OT. Once again no idea where you work but that is not the reality for 3 MAJOR US cities I have lived in. My job is comparable with other NP jobs around, there is no magic place handing out high-paying positions where you can just negotiate whatever.

3. You can't just negotiate an individual salary with HR at most hospitals. It is a set pay based on job code.  Either everyone gets a raise in that job classification (goes for MDs too) or not. This is a basic concept.

4. Yes, plenty of awful jobs where you are an H&P monkey making 90-110k a year. This is basic supply and demand There is 0 barrier to entry as a NP. All you need is a pulse and a BSN. With 0 standards and an online format my work receives literally hundreds of apps from desperate NPs willing to take anything. Tons of NPs out there are awful and employers know this, always another in line to take the job if one doesn't work out.

I have done this for over 10 years, you live in a fantasy land of cope. We have several NPs working as travel RNs inpatient where I am right now. Wonder why. I encourage anyone with half a brain and an ounce of ambition to go the CRNA route. High standards and high barrier to entry equals a 200k starting jon

1 Votes
Specializes in Emergency Medicine.
5 minutes ago, Numenor said:

No idea where you work but any of the 3 major west coast cities I have worked in have NPs making 120-140k. That is garbage money. 

I work in Southern California and I make $160k a year + bonus; license reimbursement, DEA reimbursement, certification reimbursement and $2000 a year of CME money. Full benefits to include disability and injury coverage, 401k, 14 days of PTO + an extra 3 paid days for CME purposes.

I have been an NP since the end of 2021, I was hired easily and had several offers quickly as soon as I was licensed. I do not live in a fantasy world. I didn’t accept the first offer that came across the table, I waited and took the offer I deserved. 

7 hours ago, AlwaysTiredNP said:

I work in Southern California and I make $160k a year + bonus; license reimbursement, DEA reimbursement, certification reimbursement and $2000 a year of CME money. Full benefits to include disability and injury coverage, 401k, 14 days of PTO + an extra 3 paid days for CME purposes.

I have been an NP since the end of 2021, I was hired easily and had several offers quickly as soon as I was licensed. I do not live in a fantasy world. I didn’t accept the first offer that came across the table, I waited and took the offer I deserved. 

Dude that is all standard basic stuff ?...160k in SoCal is not good. When I was in the Bay Area, RNs were making close to that.

Give it a few years. Watch while you do the same thing as MDs and make half their pay. Pretty neat. I know you are all probably bedazzled by the shiny white coat and writing scripts but being an NP is simply not a good investment at this point in time unless things change.

My buddy just got hired on as a CRNA in a medium/large city Mountain state making 225k starting. The COL is 1/4 of SoCal. That is a good ROI. 160k is one of the most expensive parts of the country is not.

You don't know what you don't know. 

Specializes in Emergency Medicine.
55 minutes ago, Numenor said:

I know you are all probably bedazzled by the shiny white coat

My buddy just got hired on as a CRNA

You don't know what you don't know. 

Funny thing is, I don’t even wear a white coat because I don’t like them. I could care less about it. They aren’t that exciting.

Also, you seem obsessed with being a CRNA. Not everyone wants to sit in an OR all day. *yawn*
 

I know I am happy, and confident with my decision and I’m not a burned out, jaded grump. 
 

I think we are done here ? 

2 Votes
On 5/5/2022 at 11:13 PM, AlwaysTiredNP said:

Funny thing is, I don’t even wear a white coat because I don’t like them. I could care less about it. They aren’t that exciting.

Also, you seem obsessed with being a CRNA. Not everyone wants to sit in an OR all day. *yawn*
 

I know I am happy, and confident with my decision and I’m not a burned out, jaded grump. 
 

I think we are done here ? 

You've been a NP for 5 minutes, and you know everything. Par for the course. ?

I would like to refer AlwaydTiredNP to reddit.com/r/noctor how can you be a NP and diagnose, treat, but only piggyback off of MDs...didn't they say in school NP care is to the standard of MD....you just embarass yourself when all you talk about is pay rather than quality of care.

Specializes in Surgery.

Sometimes, things just don't work out they way you envision them and that is OK. I'm leaving my specialty clinic job less than a year into it and while I have guilt about not being able to "stick it out" knowing that its very likely they will be unable to fill my position, I have to do what makes sense for me and my family..

Specializes in CTICU.
On 5/17/2022 at 9:49 PM, socal1 said:

I would like to refer AlwaydTiredNP to reddit.com/r/noctor how can you be a NP and diagnose, treat, but only piggyback off of MDs...didn't they say in school NP care is to the standard of MD....you just embarass yourself when all you talk about is pay rather than quality of care.

Are you a physician or medical student? Just about every post of yours is crapping on NP preparation and professionalism. Who refers NPs to the "noctor" reddit? 

1 Votes
6 hours ago, ghillbert said:

Are you a physician or medical student? Just about every post of yours is crapping on NP preparation and professionalism. Who refers NPs to the "noctor" reddit? 

I am the biggest critic of NP education but studentdoctorforum and the various med student, resident and noctor subreddits are pure cringe egos with insecurity complexes. None of those losers would say any of their vitriol in public.

Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
18 hours ago, Numenor said:

I am the biggest critic of NP education but studentdoctorforum and the various med student, resident and noctor subreddits are pure cringe egos with insecurity complexes. None of those losers would say any of their vitriol in public.

LOL yeah most forums are mostly drunk rants.

We mostly all actually get a long at work. Honestly much of the dissent seems to come from FMG doctors, which some are great but honestly I am more leery of them than AMG since training varies so much, and honestly I don't think they know much about American education in general. The also overpopulate the forums in general I think.

The whole medical education system is a mess, something forum rants won't fix. I do think NP PA should be able to like, do what FMG do, and take steps, do required rotations, and apply for residency. It's silly the cant honestly. If they can out test us then let them have it. All the education is dumb. MD, DO NP PA, all so silly the way it is set up.

+ Add a Comment