FNP vs APNP

[mgfam]

Need help. Will apply master school for fall 2015 with little RN experience at an ICU setting. Was told it's kinda impossible to get in ACNP program in my school with less than 2 years experiences, instead, I narrow down my options into FNP and APNP. My questions are: can anyone tell me the exact difference between these two programs, because they look so similar. Regarding to job placement , which one offers better chance to get a job as NP? Thank you so much.

[newFNP2015]

By APNP, are you referencing acute care (ACPNP)?

FNP is focused on primary care across the lifespan (pedi, adult, geri, etc). FNPs primarily work in outpatient settings with some exceptions made for rounding privileges in the hospital based on collaborating physician, experience of NP, or population area. For an inpatient experience, the general route is to choose a specific population (pedi, adult, and/or geri) and focus on acute care. There is not (to my knowledge) an acute care specialty of FNP offered. Some programs allow students to obtain a dual FNP/adult-geri acute care specifically intended for ER purposes.

PNP of any kind if focused on the pediatric population which does not include adult or geriatric populations. Primary care PNP would be outpatient pedi population only (likely with some deviation based on similar reasons for FNP above). Acute care PNP would generally cover inpatient units in a hospital setting.

Beyond intended job descriptions, if you want to know the difference between programs, that depends heavily on the schools in question and the specific degree plans. Some core classes are likely shared including pharm, patho, etc. However, the clinical portion would vary greatly on what is appropriate to specialty.