FNP in acute inpatient specialty role

djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP · Feb 5, 2018

Who's being condescending? Certainly not me. She needs to protect her license.

Certainly you are. It's condescending telling her what she does or doesn't *need* to do. I can't speak for her state, but the Ohio Attorney General released an opinion last year on this topic that if the state BoN doesn't have an official and legislated opinion on scope of practice, then there is nothing preventing FNPs from filling that role. I imagine many states would have the same opinion. If her state has that view, then she really isn't risking her license in any way. She was asking very specific questions regarding the interaction with ICU level coworkers...not your opinion on what she chooses to do with her license.

Wuzzie · Feb 5, 2018

Certainly you are. It's condescending telling her what she does or doesn't *need* to do. I can't speak for her state, but the Ohio Attorney General released an opinion last year on this topic that if the state BoN doesn't have an official and legislated opinion on scope of practice, then there is nothing preventing FNPs from filling that role. I imagine many states would have the same opinion. If her state has that view, then she really isn't risking her license in any way. She was asking very specific questions regarding the interaction with ICU level coworkers...not your opinion on what she chooses to do with her license.

Oh for heaven's sake that certainly wasn't my intent and it's a huge reach for you to infer that but you did. Tell you what, for the sake of not derailing the thread how about we just drop it and go on about our day.:)

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Feb 5, 2018

Yeah I suppose that this is a possibility that could happen to me. My employer paid for my FNP studies and honestly I'd much prefer an outpatient job. However, they get to pick my next position. I have no desire to work in an ICU. I have many years of ER experience & would have some comfort level there but its simply not the same thing

SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN · Feb 5, 2018

We have FNP's in our ICU now as a fact. I just don't want to be one of them

Dodongo, APRN, NP · Feb 5, 2018

We have FNP's in our ICU now as a fact. I just don't want to be one of them

Same. I've worked with both FNPs and ACNPs inpatient. There's a clear difference. The hospitals are seeing this and are exhibiting hiring preferences.

JKL33 · Feb 6, 2018

I am starting as a new NP in a specialized ICU role.
I am concerned that many of the nursing staff, having been on this unit for 15-20 years, are more knowledgeable in this specialized area of practice than I will be, yet I know I will be responsible to provide leadership within the department. Said nurses on unit are reputed to be a 'tough bunch'.
In addition, I look younger than my age.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Any insights to share?
Wanting to start on this unit without inadvertantly communicating to potential bullies that I am the soup du jour... I have been told that at times I appear to lack confidence and am too soft-spoken. I do not want this set of nurses to have idea that I will assist them or do nursing tasks that they would do for other providers when asked. (I do want nurses to get off Facebook to page a specialist for me, for example, and not tell me where to find the phone number).
Thanks,
Julia

Simple. You take excellent care of patients according to the applicable standards of care, be pleasant/treat people the way you would want to be treated, and maintain appropriate boundaries. I'm sure if you handle the medical situations appropriately and manage to be minimally friendly while doing so, you'll get along just fine.

Nothing to worry about.

twozer0, NP · Feb 7, 2018

As an FNP I work for a specialist group. I see patients in the ICU (and the hospital for that matter) on a consult basis only for our specialty. I do not manage these patients as I am only seeing them for the reason we were consulted. As an FNP I would never want to manage a patient like that as our training just doesn't support that type of care. FNP training was based a lot around health prevention and maintenance something that the inpatient setting does very little of (not saying they don't its just not as prevalent as an outpatient setting).