I've been going over the older posts and I am alarmed at how many times issues such as poor pay/benefits and long hours arise for many of the NPs out there.
There is no way I am spending the next 2-3 years in school to make just a little more then I do now as an experienced critical care RN, never mind the same old two weeks vacation and lousy or non-existent retirement.
Please tell me this is not the 'norm' for NPs!!! If it is then I am definitely going the CRNA route. At least they are well paid, have good benefits and fair vacation.
I've been seeing the NP at the gynecologist's office. She's super nice and all, but she is in a hurry as much as the doctor is. It's okay with me, because I don't come there for a counseling session (I'm about as nuts and bolts as you can get) but I can't imagine many providers at all have time to sit down and talk a whole lot.
The doctor whose office I work in specifically hires NPs to be the hand-holders and counselors. :) The doc is a surgeon and has zero tolerance for patients who emote or carry on or anything remotely like that. So she tells 'em they have to see the NPs. And just as they were hired to do, the NPs take more time with patients, return phone calls pronto, hold their hands when things don't go well, etc. Sorry your gyn NP isn't like that! My gyn's PA is a lot like NPs in that she is more slow-paced than the always-in-demand doctor.
There is something called "grade inflation" and it is very common. The GRE/GMAT is the "equalizer."
Then how come many NP programs are not requiring it anymore or waiving it? Both online and "on campus" programs. It must not be that great of an indicator.
Then how come many NP programs are not requiring it anymore or waiving it? Both online and "on campus" programs. It must not be that great of an indicator.
Perhaps some programs feel that it is a 'recruiting incentive' not to require it.. I see a lot of posts where current RNs 'want' to apply to a given school but won't because they don't want to take the GRE..
I see a lot of posts where current RNs 'want' to apply to a given school but won't because they don't want to take the GRE..
That is really pathetic. If you want to go to graduate school, you should expect to take a graduate entrance exam. What other professional masters' programs are there that don't require some sort of GRE/GMAT, etc.? I hope the programs don't give in to this trend, because it will appear to be "dumbing down" the masters.
Full disclosure: I have a Ph.D. and yes, I had to take the GRE. It was not fun, but it was simply a requirement. It never occurred to me to protest that I "shouldn't" have to take the GRE, even though I surely did not want to take it. Darn it, if you want to do advanced work, then suck it up and do what you have to do. ("You" meaning no one in particular, and certainly not the poster.)
The doctor whose office I work in specifically hires NPs to be the hand-holders and counselors. :) The doc is a surgeon and has zero tolerance for patients who emote or carry on or anything remotely like that. So she tells 'em they have to see the NPs. And just as they were hired to do, the NPs take more time with patients, return phone calls pronto, hold their hands when things don't go well, etc. Sorry your gyn NP isn't like that! My gyn's PA is a lot like NPs in that she is more slow-paced than the always-in-demand doctor.
This worries me. I've gotten to where I have zero tolerance for idle chat myself. It may not seem idle to the people who are pouring their life stories out, but I find listening to them go on and on very draining and it makes me feel irritable. I hope I can find an area to work in where I can just get in there and get "r" done and go on my way.
But, some pts ARE draining and will suck as much out of you as they can get--it is essential to set limits! We have a few such pts and what the group has taken to doing is seeing so many visits and then saying "and next time I want you to see X so we can get a different perspective" or some such. Because sometimes a different perspective helps, plus it helps prevent burnout.
There are some issues (esp when you get beyond the physiological) which don't have a solution but are still a major issue and affect health--like a parent's decline or a spouse who isn't supportive. You can't say "too bad so sad"--sometimes you can try to reframe or offer advice and sometimes you just have to listen. But burnout isn't beneficial to you or the pt.
That is really pathetic. If you want to go to graduate school, you should expect to take a graduate entrance exam.
I personally think admissions tests provide jobs for a group of people. I had a really low score on the GRE but I don't think the university even cared. Good thing since I'm have almost a 4.0 GPA. I took the GMAT halfway through business school. Think I was motivated during that wasteful day...right...
I personally think admissions tests provide jobs for a group of people. I had a really low score on the GRE but I don't think the university even cared. Good thing since I'm have almost a 4.0 GPA. I took the GMAT halfway through business school. Think I was motivated during that wasteful day...right...
But the point is -- you took the exams; you didn't insist that you shouldn't have to. I didn't do so great on the GRE the first time I took it, either.
This worries me. I've gotten to where I have zero tolerance for idle chat myself. It may not seem idle to the people who are pouring their life stories out, but I find listening to them go on and on very draining and it makes me feel irritable. I hope I can find an area to work in where I can just get in there and get "r" done and go on my way.
I should have made it clear that the office I work in treats people with chronic pain that can be intractable. So they do need a lot of hand-holding, especially when things happen, like medication side effects. I think there are plenty of areas you can work in (as an NP) where that level of hand-holding isn't necessary. And the NPs do put a limit on it. If they think the person needs more attention than they can give him/her, they either refer the person to me for stress management, or to one of psychologists and counselors who are familiar with the pain syndromes treated at our office.
Yes, some people are quite the Suckasaurus. :) But some people really do just need someone to listen to them so they can let it all out. Chronic pain is so disruptive to people's lives in so many ways. I've had several clients who told me I was the first person who let them tell their entire story, from beginning to end. And many clients tell me they feel better after letting it all out. :) But I agree, the medical practitioner is probably not the right person to let the person go on and on.
BTW, because people do pour their hearts out to me, there have been quite a few occasions when something really important came up in my work with clients, things the medical practitioner needed to know. (I only speak to the medical practitioner if the client has given me written permission to do so). So my work and the work of the counselors/psychologists can help the doctor and NPs get a better picture of what's going on with that patient, without having to spend 45 minutes listening to them!
I agree that chronic pain is a terrible thing to manage, especially frustrating since you can't SEE anything. And I admire anyone who can treat this and remain compassionate! My concern other than being worn out--since this is not my area and I book 20 minutes per pt--is the feeling of being rushed, or taking time and then running late. A couple of these pts and the day's schedule can be shot to hell, not good when you're trying to be there for all the pts.
But the point is -- you took the exams; you didn't insist that you shouldn't have to. I didn't do so great on the GRE the first time I took it, either.
True, but that was many years ago and I wouldn't take the GRE or whatever now. I'd walk first!
AtomicWoman
1,747 Posts
The doctor whose office I work in specifically hires NPs to be the hand-holders and counselors. :) The doc is a surgeon and has zero tolerance for patients who emote or carry on or anything remotely like that. So she tells 'em they have to see the NPs. And just as they were hired to do, the NPs take more time with patients, return phone calls pronto, hold their hands when things don't go well, etc. Sorry your gyn NP isn't like that! My gyn's PA is a lot like NPs in that she is more slow-paced than the always-in-demand doctor.