FNP vs Acute care NP

Specialties NP

Published

Specializes in ICU, cardiac, coronary.

Hello! I am finally ready to go back to school and weighing FNP vs acute care NP.

What are the main differences between FNP vs Acute care NP?

Does FNP mean you have to work at a doctors office and does Acute care NP mean you have to work in a hospital?

Do acute care NP's have more difficulty finding jobs? It seems like they would be competeing more with PA's?

Does the DNP wipe out the differences? I heard that 2015 deadline was going to be pushed back because there are not enough schools.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Tele, educator, FNP.

From my own experience as an ACNP I felt it was limiting, FNP gave me more options. ACNP is for acute care, and I wasn't proficient enough with women problems and kids. My FNP really taught me in those areas I was lacking. I think it will depend where you work.

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Specializes in Family Practice, Urgent Care.

They are completely different as the title states. Acute care NP's I see a lot in ED's and ICU's. Acute care NP's learn way more physical skills (chest tubes, intubation, etc) as FNP's do not learn any of this. FNP's are not isolated to outpatient offices. I have seen some as hospitalist and in ER's (usually rural). Depends on what you see for yourself.

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Specializes in Internal medicine/critical care/FP.

i work in a hospital. no idea how to do chest tubes and that sort of stuff though. im in a rural area though

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