Hello everyone. This is my first time here and the only reason why I am here is that I read an article in ADVANCE for NPs that kind of angered me. It mentioned that there were forums (like this) where NPs disagree with non-RN to NP programs. Obviously, there must be quite a bit of debate on this issue and I admit I have not searched this whole forum. That said, I have some things to say.
And I don't mean to offend anyone.
First, as you would assume, I did graduate from a non-RN to NP program. I graduated last year and I am currently working full-time in a family practice clinic...and doing quite well I might add. I have MD back-up and take call every 4th week. The Doc and I function quite well together and he trusts me with his patients as well as my own. In fact, there have been a lot of cases in which I have picked up on something that has not been found in the past regarding the patient's health.
I was not an RN before this program. I had a BS in business and then became an EMT for some time. Not being an RN prior to the program does not make me, as someone said in this forum, a "sub-par" NP.
Who gives anyone the right to make such claims? What research do you have to back this statement up? If there is research that I am not aware of then I apologize. However, it seems that these statements are consistently made by "older" NPs that were forced to work 25 years as RNs before having the opportunity to become an NP. You especially see this kind of thinking in the academic world...a world that seems to have some utopian vision of a real world that just does not exist in nursing, period.
Hate me for saying it, but the "real world" NP is not an RN. NPs practice a heck of a lot more medicine than nursing. This is a fact and accept it. Do RN's bill 99214 codes? Do RNs prescribe? The NPs I know consistently see 4 to 5 patients an hour and perform MEDICINE!!! This is just a fact. If your an NP and don't like being forced to practice more medicine than nursing, then change careers because this is where healthcare is heading.
I did work as an RN for a short period of time and the roles are not comparable...period. I'm so tired of hearing, "You have to be an RN for years before you can be a good NP." I'm a good NP and I worked as an RN for less than one year.
I guess the definition of the term "Good NP" is the real issue here. Well, if I can diagnose, manage, and treat patients on a daily basis and do things that better their well-being, than is that not a good NP? I listen. I educate. I learned this in my non-RN to NP program.
Nursing and Medicine are not exact sciences and there are many great NPs that were never RNs for years...and I'm sure bad ones as well. The same can be said for RNs that practiced 25 years as floor nurses before becoming NPs, there are some great ones and some bad ones.
The role of an NP requires a complete understanding of pharmacology and pathophysiology...you can be an RN for 25 years and still fail every pathophysiology test. Floor nursing does not give you magical knowledge of the ascending loop of henle!!!
Let's be a little open-minded here. Bridge programs produce some very good NPs and some bad ones to. The fact that most Bridge programs only take the best and the brightest further makes my point. No, there is no substitute for RN experience, but having the brains and desire to be a good NP can be just as invaluable.
