fnp to er

FNP/DNP · Mar 16, 2005

I have been told that most mid-level ER positions require that you be able to serve the entire patient population (including peds) and that the typical ACNP program does not provide the required ped component. The person that informed me of this policy is a recruiter for PA/NPs for ER positions in the southeast. She suggested that I pursue the FNP and combine that with RN experience in acute care. Does anyone have any comments regarding this advice?

I think that is probably good advice. I can't speak for ACNP programs, but I do think the ERNP programs listed above would be phenomenal. My FNP combined with acute care RN experience has served me well. I think getting some FNP experience in an urgent care prior to the ED works well too. You do see a lot of kids in most small town er's that aren't specialized. I probably see half and half.

maleka · Mar 17, 2005

I have been told that most mid-level ER positions require that you be able to serve the entire patient population (including peds) and that the typical ACNP program does not provide the required ped component. The person that informed me of this policy is a recruiter for PA/NPs for ER positions in the southeast. She suggested that I pursue the FNP and combine that with RN experience in acute care. Does anyone have any comments regarding this advice?

I am also a recruiter and have been recruiting NP's exclusively since '94. I spoke at UT Houston in '96, and met Dr. Cole. I am an associate member of AANP, past associate member of Texas Nurse Practitioners and the recipient of TNP's Presidents Patron Award in '98.

When you graduate from UT's program, you are eligible to sit for the FNP certification exam through AANP or ANCC which means you will be able to see patients from the cradle to the grave in any emergent care setting.

Plan of Study Listed below:

Course Credits

N5529 Advanced Pharmacology 3

N6152 Physical Examination and Differential Diagnosis 3

N6151 Advanced Pathophysiology 3

SPRINGN6274 Family and Primary Care Concepts for Emergency/Ambulatory Care Advanced Practice Nurses (90 hrs)4

N5501 Theoretical Foundations in Nursing *2

N5506 Statistics in Nursing2

N6202 Diagnostic Tests and Procedures for Emergency and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (45 hrs) 1

SUMMERN6275 Treatment of Health Deviations in Emergency Care I (90 hrs)4

N6176 Advanced Practice in Nursing: Economics and Management of Health Care Systems 3

N6101 Clinical and Epidemiologic Research for Advanced Nursing Practice 3

Year 2

FALLN6276 Treatment of Health Deviations in Emergency Care II (90 hrs) 4

Scholarly Option 2

N6175 Advanced Practice in Nursing: Primary Prevention in Individuals, Families, and Communities 3

SPRINGN6743 Advanced Clinical Practice: Nurse Practitioner Role and Preceptorship Emergency/Ambulatory Care (400 hrs) 9

Scholarly Option3

*Must be taken within the first 12 hours of course work.

Hours in ( ) are clinical hours.

The 760 hours of clinical experiences occur in multiple settings. The majority of settings are community-based hospital EDs. Other settings such as the Harris County Prison System, the pediatric ED at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Hospital, an Urgent Care clinic of a local HMO and physician offices and clinics specializing in care of well children and pregnant women are also used.

In the first clinical course ENP students gain experience working with patients who are pregnant and in providing well childcare. After this first course, ENP students begin providing care to patients with non-urgent conditions and then progress into practice sites to provide care to patients with urgent and emergent complaints. Fast tracks, main EDs, and an urgent care clinic are used for experiences related to management of patients with non-urgent, urgent, and emergent conditions. During the last course, ENP students perform 400 hours of clinical time doing 40 hours a week for 10 weeks and rotate clinical sites every 80 hours. During these clinical experiences, students assess, diagnose, and manage the medical and nursing care of patients.

The majority of clinical preceptors are physicians although prior graduates of the program, faculty, and other NPs employed in emergency care also serve as preceptors.

zacarias, ASN, RN · Mar 17, 2005

I am also a recruiter and have been recruiting NP's exclusively since '94. I spoke at UT Houston in '96, and met Dr. Cole. I am an associate member of AANP, past associate member of Texas Nurse Practitioners and the recipient of TNP's Presidents Patron Award in '98.
When you graduate from UT's program, you are eligible to sit for the FNP certification exam through AANP or ANCC .

The UT program sounds really cool. I'm just wondering if a it allows a person to not only practice EM. For instance, if later in life I wanted to do Family Practice in a clinic, I would like to have that option. It seems you should be able to given that the exam you ultimately sit for is the FNP no?

maleka · Mar 17, 2005

That would be totally up to you. It might take some transition time from emergent care settings to family practice, but that would be your choice. Being a certified FNP allows you to see all patients in any setting.

FNP/DNP · Mar 23, 2005

The UT program sounds really cool. I'm just wondering if a it allows a person to not only practice EM. For instance, if later in life I wanted to do Family Practice in a clinic, I would like to have that option. It seems you should be able to given that the exam you ultimately sit for is the FNP no?

I think it would not be difficult to transition over to the clinic later in life. You would need to stay abreast of the management of chronic illness. I feel that I am losing some of that now that I only work in the ED. Another option is to do one day a week at a clinic and a few in the ED. That is what I am hoping to do. I think the Houston and Loyola programs look phenomenal!

FNP/DNP · Mar 23, 2005

I am also a recruiter and have been recruiting NP's exclusively since '94. I spoke at UT Houston in '96, and met Dr. Cole. I am an associate member of AANP, past associate member of Texas Nurse Practitioners and the recipient of TNP's Presidents Patron Award in '98.
When you graduate from UT's program, you are eligible to sit for the FNP certification exam through AANP or ANCC which means you will be able to see patients from the cradle to the grave in any emergent care setting.
Plan of Study Listed below:
Course Credits
N5529 Advanced Pharmacology 3
N6152 Physical Examination and Differential Diagnosis 3
N6151 Advanced Pathophysiology 3
SPRINGN6274 Family and Primary Care Concepts for Emergency/Ambulatory Care Advanced Practice Nurses (90 hrs)4
N5501 Theoretical Foundations in Nursing *2
N5506 Statistics in Nursing2
N6202 Diagnostic Tests and Procedures for Emergency and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (45 hrs) 1
SUMMERN6275 Treatment of Health Deviations in Emergency Care I (90 hrs)4
N6176 Advanced Practice in Nursing: Economics and Management of Health Care Systems 3
N6101 Clinical and Epidemiologic Research for Advanced Nursing Practice 3
Year 2
FALLN6276 Treatment of Health Deviations in Emergency Care II (90 hrs) 4
Scholarly Option 2
N6175 Advanced Practice in Nursing: Primary Prevention in Individuals, Families, and Communities 3
SPRINGN6743 Advanced Clinical Practice: Nurse Practitioner Role and Preceptorship Emergency/Ambulatory Care (400 hrs) 9
Scholarly Option3
*Must be taken within the first 12 hours of course work.
Hours in ( ) are clinical hours.
The 760 hours of clinical experiences occur in multiple settings. The majority of settings are community-based hospital EDs. Other settings such as the Harris County Prison System, the pediatric ED at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Hospital, an Urgent Care clinic of a local HMO and physician offices and clinics specializing in care of well children and pregnant women are also used.
In the first clinical course ENP students gain experience working with patients who are pregnant and in providing well childcare. After this first course, ENP students begin providing care to patients with non-urgent conditions and then progress into practice sites to provide care to patients with urgent and emergent complaints. Fast tracks, main EDs, and an urgent care clinic are used for experiences related to management of patients with non-urgent, urgent, and emergent conditions. During the last course, ENP students perform 400 hours of clinical time doing 40 hours a week for 10 weeks and rotate clinical sites every 80 hours. During these clinical experiences, students assess, diagnose, and manage the medical and nursing care of patients.
The majority of clinical preceptors are physicians although prior graduates of the program, faculty, and other NPs employed in emergency care also serve as preceptors.

I have been looking at these programs as an FNP who has just started in the ED, I have a lot to learn. Is there any type of ER coursework/certification for someone who already has the advanced degree and the FNP certification? I would hate to have to sit through courses I have already taken, but some I would love to take.

Technotart · Apr 8, 2005

UT Arlington in the Dallas/Fort Worth area also has an ENP program specific to ER.

imastudent · Apr 8, 2005

will you get paid more if youre a FNP going into ER than if you're a registered nurse? I too want to go for my masters and become a NP and want to work in the eR..

if youre a FNP going into ER what kind of roles do you have?

FNP/DNP · Apr 9, 2005

will you get paid more if youre a FNP going into ER than if you're a registered nurse? I too want to go for my masters and become a NP and want to work in the eR..
if youre a FNP going into ER what kind of roles do you have?

Yes-in my area of the country ernp's are making approximately 42-43 dollars an hour. This was quite a bit more than in family practice.

Our responsibilities include suturing, I&D's, caring for fast-track and main ED patients, Minor foreign body removal-we have a list of things we can see and discharge without a doc seeing them. Other things such as abdominal pain and certain lacs they have to sign off on. I really enjoy the ER- I have learned a lot in the 6 months I have been there.

akoster · Apr 11, 2005

will you get paid more if youre a FNP going into ER than if you're a registered nurse? I too want to go for my masters and become a NP and want to work in the eR..
if youre a FNP going into ER what kind of roles do you have?

I work in a very rural ER in Arizona. Around here both PA and NP in the ER make around 55 bucks an hour. You are expected to do everything or at least learn to do everything. Run the codes, cental lines, intubate, trauma, LP's, peds everyone and everything. Most of the time you are the only provider. Very critical stabilize and ship. I was poached from my last job by word of mouth no advertisments for the job, was lucky. I really like it but I was a medic before a nurse before an NP.

FNP/DNP · Apr 11, 2005

I work in a very rural ER in Arizona. Around here both PA and NP in the ER make around 55 bucks an hour. You are expected to do everything or at least learn to do everything. Run the codes, cental lines, intubate, trauma, LP's, peds everyone and everything. Most of the time you are the only provider. Very critical stabilize and ship. I was poached from my last job by word of mouth no advertisments for the job, was lucky. I really like it but I was a medic before a nurse before an NP.

That is amazing! Was this an easy transition for you with your medic background? Did you go through an ER NP program? If not, what additional coursework or training do you think would be beneficial? I want to learn all of the above because even though I always work with an MD, when he/she is called to a code in the hospital, or if we have multiple traumas I will have to be competent in handling these situations. For instance tonight we had a gunshot wound to the neck while the MD was at a code. I am going to take some of the Loyola courses from their ER program- is there anything in particular you would recommend?

akoster · Apr 11, 2005

That is amazing! Was this an easy transition for you with your medic background? Did you go through an ER NP program? If not, what additional coursework or training do you think would be beneficial? I want to learn all of the above because even though I always work with an MD, when he/she is called to a code in the hospital, or if we have multiple traumas I will have to be competent in handling these situations. For instance tonight we had a gunshot wound to the neck while the MD was at a code. I am going to take some of the Loyola courses from their ER program- is there anything in particular you would recommend?

I read alot so when it comes time to do a skill I know the steps just need to get my hands on it. Also until I am comfortable someone will be with me until I can do the skill by myself. I will call them to standby. I get cme from EBMedicine.com which has alot of useful practical information. I knew what to do with the really sick and not sick, it was learning what to do with the inbetween people that took some time. I was trained in family so I have a big learning curve. I didn't want to specifically take an acute care program because I would be stuck. I am also going to take the fundamentals of ICU course at the AANP confernece this year. It sounds really good because I need to be able to stabilize a person for hours and we are also going to open a small icu which we will have to help cover. I am taking ATLS in May. I have bought books to review and basically learn as you go. My doc knew I was green in ER before i was hired and has given me time to learn. I will take any class that I think will help me to close the gap. I ordered the PEER IV review guide with answer book to help review.