Florida FNP

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

I have been a locum NP in AZ, NM and CA. My assignments have been one after another. I have my NP license in Florida and I want to stay here. There is a healthcare clinic on every corner. The locum companies tell me that it is tough to find locum jobs here. I have tried all the job hunting apps such as Glassdoor, indeed etc.

Has anyone else had an issue in Southwest Florida? Any suggestions?

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I have lived in Florida most of my life. I have a business here. I chose to stay in Florida only because of family obligations, but were it not for that I would have left. I have young children, and I am self-employed. Otherwise I probably would be unemployed here. I love everything about Florida---except the lousy health care system and the terrible ways that NPs are treated here. It is a backwards state. It was the last state in the union to grant NPs the autonomy to write prescriptions for controlled meds. Even so, NPs in Florida are looked down upon and greatly disrespected. If you do find a job here the pay and conditions are typically horrendous.

I personally know many Florida NPs who have left the state for all the aforementioned reasons. Susan at the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners works hard to change things in the state capital, but the politicians are hardcore believers in the status quo, and the physicians view us as the enemy and as nothing more than their B-word. Its difficult. There is a bill in the House now proposing full practice autonomy for NPs. The hearings begin next week.

If you want to stay here you will find jobs in the northwestern and south western parts of the state. Just know, going in, that the pay will not be good. They can do that because there are a ton of unemployed NPs in Florida right now and relatively few jobs.

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There's a current bill in the legislature for independent practice for NPs in Florida. Hopefully this will pass and then things will get a little better here.

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On 3/14/2019 at 2:43 PM, Onlyboys said:

There's a current bill in the legislature for independent practice for NPs in Florida. Hopefully this will pass and then things will get a little better here.

It includes independent practice for PAs as well so expect it to fail.

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That's too bad! You think the link to PAs will be the issue?

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1 hour ago, Onlyboys said:

That's too bad! You think the link to PAs will be the issue?

I have heard the thought that PAs might have been included to encourage the bill to die. But who knows. PAs have independent practice in ND and WV now so it's only a matter of time before other states do the same.

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Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.

The key here is to develop a very strong state political action committee to push favorable legislation through (both for nurses and NP's).

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Specializes in FNP, Surgery.

I’m a locum as well. I have done multiple locums all over Florida. I’m staring another locum in Miami this summer. Southwest Fl, the market is tough if you’re not bilingual. However they still have corporales health, corrections locums that don’t require you to speak Spanish or Creole. Sometimes the Florida locum companies that are based in Florida have more Florida contracts.

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Specializes in ICU, trauma, neuro.
On 4/17/2019 at 10:58 AM, Dodongo said:

I have heard the thought that PAs might have been included to encourage the bill to die. But who knows. PAs have independent practice in ND and WV now so it's only a matter of time before other states do the same.

I think you are correct, which is why nurses need to support the bill and use their tactic against them in a bit of political Kung Fu.

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