FNP or AGACNP?

Nursing Students NP Students

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Specializes in Cardiology.

Hello everyone,

People who work as cardiology NPs, would you recommend to a nurse who wants to specialize in cardiology as an NP, but not work in ICU, to go for their FNP or AGACNP? I currently work as a nurse on an interventional cardiology floor, patients who are post-MI, heart transplant/LVAD/TAVR workups, arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension, and congestive heart failure as well as scheduled for vascular surgeries, cardiac catherization lab, cardioversions/ablations, and coronary artery bypass grafts. I really like this level of acute care that's not ICU but still with patients who are acutely ill. I shadowed a nurse practitioner and she has her AGACNP but works with these types of patients and never does ICU, but still inpatient. Are these types of jobs widely available? Thank you ? 

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Specializes in Assistant Professor, Nephrology, Internal Medicine.

AGACNP 100%. Aside from the issues with FNPs working outside their scope with inpatients according to the consensus model, this is the entire point of AGACNP.

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Specializes in Cardiology.
8 hours ago, Bumex said:

AGACNP 100%. Aside from the issues with FNPs working outside their scope with inpatients according to the consensus model, this is the entire point of AGACNP.

Thank you so much for the reply!! Are these type of NP jobs widely available, if u know? NPs who work with acutely ill but not necessarily ICU patients. 

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Specializes in Assistant Professor, Nephrology, Internal Medicine.
1 minute ago, aka640 said:

Thank you so much for the reply!! Are these type of NP jobs widely available, if u know? NPs who work with acutely ill but not necessarily ICU patients. 

Probably depends on area. In my area, most jobs are either ICU 100% or entire hospital coverage. 

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I agree AGACNP is the way to go. Many hospital-employed work either in an ICU, ED, or are hospitalists and see patients across different units. If you want to do cardiology exclusively, your best bet is to look for a cardiology practice that would likely involve rounding on inpatients and seeing outpatients as well. While some practices use NPs mostly for clinic work, with your experience (and particularly if you are trained as an acute care NP) there's a good chance you would find a mix that meets your interests. 

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Specializes in Cardiology.
3 hours ago, pro-student said:

I agree AGACNP is the way to go. Many hospital-employed work either in an ICU, ED, or are hospitalists and see patients across different units. If you want to do cardiology exclusively, your best bet is to look for a cardiology practice that would likely involve rounding on inpatients and seeing outpatients as well. While some practices use NPs mostly for clinic work, with your experience (and particularly if you are trained as an acute care NP) there's a good chance you would find a mix that meets your interests. 

Thank you!! That makes sense. The NP I shadowed for is an AGACNP who works exclusively in cardiology (inpatient), but took care of patients across multiple units, except ICU. She was with heart transplant, my interventional cardiology floor, and cath lab. Even though I want to work as a RN in the CCU, I rather not do it with being an NP. Appreciate it!! I just was worried if I do get my AGACNP, ICU jobs are the most available and the job the NP I shadowed was just a stroke of luck XD

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
On 9/2/2020 at 11:51 PM, aka640 said:

Hello everyone,

People who work as cardiology NPs, would you recommend to a nurse who wants to specialize in cardiology as an NP, but not work in ICU, to go for their FNP or AGACNP? I currently work as a nurse on an interventional cardiology floor, patients who are post-MI, heart transplant/LVAD/TAVR workups, arrhythmia, pulmonary hypertension, and congestive heart failure as well as scheduled for vascular surgeries, cardiac catherization lab, cardioversions/ablations, and coronary artery bypass grafts. I really like this level of acute care that's not ICU but still with patients who are acutely ill. I shadowed a nurse practitioner and she has her AGACNP but works with these types of patients and never does ICU, but still inpatient. Are these types of jobs widely available? Thank you ? 

I have a Per Diem job at an in-patient Cardiology Procedural Unit.  This is California and although there is no state mandate prohibiting FNP's from practicing in-hospital, the group only hires AGACNP's.  The hospital does not do advanced heart failure interventions (LVAD or heart transplant are referred to the nearby academic hospital) but does admit patients with advanced heart failure for diagnostic work-up to guide medical management (ie, R heart caths). 

They perform the usual PCI's, pacemakers, PFO closures, TAVR, and mitral clips commonly.  The NP's in this unit manage the patients from admission to discharge while the interventionalists are in the lab.  Sometimes, you coordinate care with Cardiac Surgery for patients who will need a CABG.  No ICU rounds at all so this is all in-patient floor management within that specific unit.  I like it as break from my full time ICU NP gig as it is much easier but I wouldn't do it full time.

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Specializes in Cardiology.
34 minutes ago, juan de la cruz said:

I have a Per Diem job at an in-patient Cardiology Procedural Unit.  This is California and although there is no state mandate prohibiting FNP's from practicing in-hospital, the group only hires AGACNP's.  The hospital does not do advanced heart failure interventions (LVAD or heart transplant are referred to the nearby academic hospital) but does admit patients with advanced heart failure for diagnostic work-up to guide medical management (ie, R heart caths). 

They perform the usual PCI's, pacemakers, PFO closures, TAVR, and mitral clips commonly.  The NP's in this unit manage the patients from admission to discharge while the interventionalists are in the lab.  Sometimes, you coordinate care with Cardiac Surgery for patients who will need a CABG.  No ICU rounds at all so this is all in-patient floor management within that specific unit.  I like it as break from my full time ICU NP gig as it is much easier but I wouldn't do it full time.

WOW! That completely sounds like the type of job I want as an NP. Like literally my dream ?? Is there a reason you don’t want to do full time if I may ask?? Thanks for your reply! ☺️

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
1 hour ago, aka640 said:

WOW!! That completely sounds like the type of job I want as an NP. Like literally my dream ?? Is there a reason you don’t want to do full time if I may ask?? Thanks for your reply! ☺️

It's a bit boring for me actually but my co-workers there who work full time love it. To each his or her own I guess.  I'm sure those jobs exist in other areas of the country. 

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Specializes in Cardiology.
8 hours ago, juan de la cruz said:

It's a bit boring for me actually but my co-workers there who work full time love it. To each his or her own I guess.  I'm sure those jobs exist in other areas of the country. 

Thanks again!! Your reply helped so much. I was worried these type of NP jobs aren't commmon because anytime I here about AGACNPs, it's always ICU. Mind you, I want to work in the CCU as a nurse but for the long term, when I finally (hopefully) become an NP, I rather not ? I really like the level of care I currently work in now. I just want to do CCU for some experience.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
8 minutes ago, aka640 said:

Thanks again!! Your reply helped so much. I was worried these type of NP jobs aren't commmon because anytime I here about AGACNPs, it's always ICU. Mind you, I want to work in the CCU as a nurse but for the long term, when I finally (hopefully) become an NP, I rather not ? I really like the level of care I currently work in now. I just want to do CCU for some experience.

Well CCU will only help you.  It does make a difference when you know the entire spectrum of Cardiology patients from the ones at home to the ones in the ICU.

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Specializes in Cardiology.
3 minutes ago, juan de la cruz said:

Well CCU will only help you.  It does make a difference when you know the entire spectrum of Cardiology patients from the ones at home to the ones in the ICU.

How intense would you say is an AGACNP program? I'm expecting it to be rough, but how many hours did you have to go to class as well as study? 

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