FNP Primary Care, unit to work on???

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Hi all,

I am a Registered Nurse on a Medical Surgical Telemetry unit. My career goal is to become a Family Nurse Practitioner in primary care and i would like to work on the unit(s) which will be relevant to my future career path.

This brings me to the questions, which unit(s)would better prepare me for my career as a FNP in the primary care setting I am looking at transferring to ICU, but not sure if this will be the best move considering that i will be working in clinics and/ health centers. I was thinking ICU is best for those who want to become Acute Care Nurse Practitioners. I am not sure about ED and how it would prepare me for my journey. I also thought of ambulatory setting.

After giving it so much thought and knowing that i do not just want to rack up years of experience on units that will not be of much advantage to my career path, hence decided it is best to put this out here to hear opinions from you all.

Also, what minimum number of years would be best to have on each recommended unit(s). I know that might also be based on individual comfort level.

I would appreciate your responses and advice please.

Thanks.

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

The experience I gained in the ICU and trauma ED was invaluable when I became an FNP.

Good luck with your decisions and with your APRN career.

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The experience I gained in the ICU and trauma ED was invaluable when I became an FNP.

Good luck with your decisions and with your APRN career.

Can you elaborate? How specifically did icu & er help?

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Mrl -

I am in school...so take my advice with a grain of salt...but I too was an ICU/ED RN prior to enrolling. I have 5 years experience. From what I have noticed, acute care folks seem to do far better with complex disease processes and "connecting the dots" between pathologies.

With that said, there are some folks that do office work that are wonderful students and I am sure they will be stellar NPs. I am speaking in generalities, so please, don't get offended by my prior few sentences. Critical care exposes you to a thought process that you will not be able to reproduce on general floors or less acute care.

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Mrl -

I am speaking in generalities, so please, don't get offended by my prior few sentences.

Not offended at all.......I'm only trying to draw out specific information for the OP........CWOODS - Can you give us examples of connecting the dots and other thought processes that can't be found in a 5-minute clinical consult book? Keep in mind the OP wants to eventually be an FNP in primary care.

My suggestion to the OP, no matter what area of nursing you are currently in (it really doesn't matter in my opinion) is to study up on immunizations, EENT, derm, headache/migraines, GI, diabetes, OB & GYN, mental issues, thyroid, hematology, cardiac, & respiratory. Make sure you are able to speak aloud the differential diagnoses for each of these groups and the diagnostics tests that should be ordered. Have a decent grasp of the medication classes you will give for each of these groups and the pathology behind why you are prescribing them. Practice daily your full head to toe assessment (be able to start from anywhere within the full assessment). Finally, fully grasp that being an FNP is very difficult and requires a full commitment. If you half-@ss it you WILL fail.

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Finally, fully grasp that being an FNP is very difficult and requires a full commitment. If you half-@ss it you WILL fail.

Preach! This is true

As far as an example, I don't really have anything specific that "can't be found" in any clinical reference. (Up-to-date is the stuff for FNPs btw) You can find anything you want from a variety of resources. I was merely pointing to the multi-system thinking CC gives you prior to starting

An example of that would be how DM II + HTN = CRF (eventually). Just stuff like that.

Again...nurses do this well but the CC folks that I know seem to put the multi-system stuff together a little easier. Yes, even for primary care.

This is just observation, though. You may be in a program that has a wildly different experience.

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Preach! This is true

As far as an example, I don't really have anything specific that "can't be found" in any clinical reference. (Up-to-date is the stuff for FNPs btw) You can find anything you want from a variety of resources. I was merely pointing to the multi-system thinking CC gives you prior to starting

An example of that would be how DM II + HTN = CRF (eventually). Just stuff like that.

Again...nurses do this well but the CC folks that I know seem to put the multi-system stuff together a little easier. Yes, even for primary care.

This is just observation, though. You may be in a program that has a wildly different experience.

UpToDate.......ahhhhh! Don't get me started on that subject.....Horrible customer service. Honestly, it is useful, sometimes.....But I can't stand it........I find other references much quicker and just as reliable......

DM 2 + HTN = CKD.........Syndrome X was discussed at my University during advanced pharmo, long before we even got to clinicals........I must have attended a good school! I would presume that most schools address this and professional background is not the problem.........

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