For the ACNP's, why acute care?

DaisyRN, ACNP · Jun 17, 2008

well, i just posted this elsewhere... but here's my rationale:

1. in my area, fnps are being pushed out of inpatient medicine

2. i originally thought i wanted to work for a hospitalist group because i enjoy rounding on patients and treating a higher level of acuity in patients than i'd typically see in the primary care setting

3. knowing that fnps are trained for primary care and recognizing my desire to be at least partially in the hospital, acnp was a better route

4. i considered the er possibility... and knew that if i wanted to stay in the er as an np, i would be more marketable as an fnp because i would have the full age spectrum and ob patient populations covered

5. basically, i took a risk. a risk that i might miss taking care of kiddos and might want to work in the er setting... but i was really doubting that. so, for me... listing out the pros and cons of each specialty... i decided i would rather go ahead with the acnp program because i was not really interested in only primary care. plus, i wanted a more in depth focus on acute issues so i could care for sicker patients. i had made my mind up that i would go back for my pediatric acute care or fnp at a later date if i decided i needed it. but... i have yet to regret the path i chose.

i was really hesitant to do the fnp right off the bat because i really didn't think that's what i wanted to do. so, why go into a program if you have doubts before you even really start?

CrazyPremed, MSN, RN, NP · Jun 17, 2008

Thanks, Daisy!

I think that we all might need to start paying you for the lessons we learn from your posts...

CrazyPremed

christvs, DNP, RN, NP · Jun 17, 2008

I just graduated from my ACNP program June 1st and once I pass my NP exam I will be working as a Hospitalist NP at a large teaching hospital. I chose ACNP over adult or family NP because working in the hospital with acutely ill inpatients is where I want to be. I have enjoyed working with this population as an RN for 3 years on a med/surg/tele unit, and honestly, I cannot imagine, nor do I want to, work outside of the hospital setting. I find it so fascinating and exciting and feel there is always something new to learn all the time. I just didn't picture myself as a primary care NP, and am so happy I will be working as a Hospitalist. That's why I chose the ACNP route.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Jun 17, 2008

see my response in this post:

https://allnurses.com/forums/2905049-post19.html

As far as jobs are concerned, I found that there is enough ACNP positions in the metro area where I live. None of my classmates had trouble finding jobs after graduation and all of the jobs we ended up working in are appropriate for adult acute care (cardiology, transplant surgery, critical care, neurosurgery, etc). Incidentally, there are FNP graduates who also work in acute care specialties here in this area of the country. However, the reason for that is that many of the FNP's couldn't find primary care positions here and are trying their luck in acute care unless they move to the rural areas of the state.

I'll have to say, however, that this is quite region-specific as many have said in previous posts. One of the advantages of living close to to a major city is that there are many large hospital systems and specialization is quite common. Really sick kids go to children's hospitals, traumas go to Level I Trauma facilities, and patients with advanced organ failure go to the area's transplant centers. We have adults only Level I Trauma facilities and the region's children's hospitals are also trauma centers for kids. These large centers hire non-physician providers inclduing PA's, NP's, CNM's, NNP's, and CRNA's. I also find that it is the smaller community hospitals or general hospitals that tend to not hire non-physician providers and have an all physician staff.

CardioTrans, BSN, RN · Jun 21, 2008

I started out in an FNP program. Once I got into the program, I realized that I do not want to treat sick children....... nor do I want to do primary care. Most of my nursing background has been in critical care. I love the high acuity of the patients, so I switched to ACNP. Here too, they are phasing out FNP's in the hospitals. I am loving the fact that I switched programs.

Jo Dirt · Jun 21, 2008

I started out in an FNP program. Once I got into the program, I realized that I do not want to treat sick children....... nor do I want to do primary care. Most of my nursing background has been in critical care. I love the high acuity of the patients, so I switched to ACNP. Here too, they are phasing out FNP's in the hospitals. I am loving the fact that I switched programs.

Are they phasing out FNP's like they are phasing out LPN's?

djc1981 · Jun 22, 2008

Are they phasing out FNP's like they are phasing out LPN's?

Maybe in some areas they are, but certainly not where I live. It's very region-dependent. Many areas would have no NPs at all if they didn't have FNPs in the hospital setting.

dhigbee · Jun 22, 2008

FNP's training is ideally suited to primary care, i.e. in a medical office, minor emergency, or community health center. In certain areas of the country, states are preferring ACNPs for hospital work, because their training is better suited for work along this line. (I'm so glad you ACNPs like the hospital - it's not my cup of tea). We need providers of all types and expertise. :yeah: