Going for the PNP....is it the Right Choice?

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Specializes in Pediatics, Family Practice.

I will be starting a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program this fall. I have only had pediatric experience as a nurse and have no desire to work with another patient population. Many of my friends and family members have said that it will take a while to find a job as a PNP and when I do the pay will be too low to be worth it. They all say to go the FNP route so I will be able to find a job and get better pay. Since I only want to work with kids I see no reason to get the FNP when the PNP will suffice.

I want to know if PNP pay is overall lower and if it is hard to find a job. Are there any PNP's out there who can give me their opinion or tell me about their experience? Thanks.

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I would not limit myself to pediatrics, even though you choose to work with peds at this time. FNP gives you more choices in the future. And you know- things in life do change with out notice. You may as well be prepared.

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If you know you're a "peds person," I believe you should follow your heart and real interests. I don't know about salary (because we don't discuss such things), but I have a few friends who are PNPs and they all looooove their jobs and wouldn't want to be doing anything else. It's important to be able to earn a living, of course, but money isn't everything ...

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Specializes in General.

i did a PNP would not do anything else, yes it took me a while to find a job i live in the midwest I did find a job 90 minutes away so i live where i work and go see hubby on weekends it is easier for us since the children are gone from home and he travels alot with his job we decided better to have a happy np and wife than a miserable one it is doable

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Specializes in Pediatics, Family Practice.

Thank you all for the responses so far. I love peds and would not want to work in another specialty. However I do believe that one should be able to support themselves. If worse comes to worse I would not mind working as a nurse until I found a job. I work in a pediatric hospital in the midwest so I do not think that it would be too long before I got hired. np2b I hope I'm not being too forward if I ask you if you think your salary is resonable and how long it took you to find a job?

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