I just started my first NP job out of school in January...so I have been there 3 months now. I am really unhappy and not enjoying what I am doing. I also don't want to be a baby about things and make a decision I will regret later. Let me explain my position, and hopefully get some feedback as to whether this is a good situation and I am just experiencing the "first year" stress or if I could be in a better place right now and should do something about it?
I am in an underserved area, family practice. I shadowed a physician for 1 day and then started seeing patients on my own. For the first month this was 6 patients a day or so. 2nd month i jumped to 8 patients a day, then 12 patients a day (which is where I'm at now). Next month 2 out of my 4 days will be walkin only and I have 24 open slots.
I guess my main frustration and feeling of isolation comes from feeling like I never had training, and as a brand New NP straight out of school I felt like this was a disservice to me. There are 3-4 physicians at the practice that are helpful when I can grab them, but they are super busy too and none of them are directly responsible for me. My "supervising physician" is not at the same site as me and I get virtually no feedback from him. I feel like I'm a hinderance to the other physicians when I'm asking questions (because as mentioned, they are busy too!) I get patients put into my template that are extremely complicated, and was told to just treat the pertinent issues and then pass them on to one of the physicians. I feel like an idiot most of the time and feel pretty isolated.
Just this week, finally my clinical director said that we would start sitting down to go over my patients at the end of each day, but she kind of makes me feel like an idiot as well.
Is this typical for how training as a new NP goes? At times I feel like my feelings of unhappiness and frustration are justified, and then other times, I feel like maybe I'm being too needy and should suck it up.
If anyone could shed some light on this for me I would be extremely grateful!! How is your first NP job supposed to be structured? Is it wrong to leave a job prior to staying a full year to give it a fair chance?
I think it does not help that I LOVED my RN job in L&D that I left to be a Family NP. Maybe I just have a passion for Women's and I made the wrong choice. Feeling very confused and lost in my career at this point, just looking for some feedback on other's experiences in starting out as an NP.
I appreciate the feedback!! Thanks!