Here's one I'll bet you don't hear every day

Specialties NP

Published

Well, I'm sure this will get flamed by some people, but I'm hoping for mostly positive/constructive feedback.

I'm a practicing DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) who is applying to accelerated BSN/FNP programs. I'm not disillusioned with my profession, and I would say I'm very good at what I do. I have more than enough income to keep me happy so it's not about money. I just want to be able to do more for my patients. I found that more than half of the patients in my practice either hate their PCP, or don't even have one. Plus, I've been trying to get some kind of an affiliation with a hospital in the NYC area (my practice is in Park Slope, Brooklyn) so I think being an NP will help me. I plan on practicing both, family medicine and chiropractic medicine.

Any thoughts/suggestions/comments would be appreciated. Do you think I'll have it easier/tougher/about the same as other students? Do you think that having 7 years experience will help me or hurt me? Do you think that I will get it tougher during hospital rotations if people know that I'm a chiropractor?

Specializes in Psychiatry (PMHNP), Family (FNP).

I remember some of the LPN's in my RN program long ago saying they were keeping mum about being LPN's, as the instructors would expect more of them, be less forgiving of mistakes. I'm not sure thats true, but thats what I heard. It might be an issue for you as well. Let me just say, there are all kinds of nsg. instructors...just something to keep in mind....

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Specializes in DOU.

I agree with Smitty - some of the LVN students believed the clinical instructors were especially harsh and expected more from them during clinicals.

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Specializes in Med-surg, ICU, PACU, psych, surgery.

I agree that most preceptors are too busy to care that you are a DC. I wouldn't worry about it (although, of course, you are better prepared to take care of ortho :wink2:) I think you're making a great decision. It'll only open doors for you. In the San Francisco Bay Area where I live/work, the job market in general is tight, and two DC's are working at my facility, one as an MRI tech and one as an OR/scrub tech. This gives them a steady paycheck and benefits so they can pursue their first love without starving to death.

Good luck to you!

Katrina

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I'm 32 and already have a very successful chiropractic practice. Med school is another 8 years of classes, exams and extremely high stress with no pay. 1st 1.5-2 years of chiro school are harder than med school. So I really do not wish to re-live that experience again.

I don't want to stop doing what I do. I want to be able to do more for my patients, and being an NP will allow me to do that.

I imagine your reasons for pursuing an advanced nursing degree instead of going to med school are very similar to many others---Too long, too many tests, too much stress.

Again, just curious--how do you know the first 1.5-2 years of chiro school are harder than med school? And if chiro school was so much harder, then it should be much easier going through med school. You may not even need to study.

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I'm 32 and already have a very successful chiropractic practice. Med school is another 8 years of classes, exams and extremely high stress with no pay. 1st 1.5-2 years of chiro school are harder than med school. So I really do not wish to re-live that experience again.

I don't want to stop doing what I do. I want to be able to do more for my patients, and being an NP will allow me to do that.

Well, you've already been through chiro school once and since that is harder than med school, then med school should be a breeze-- just go for it. You're not that old.

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Specializes in CTICU.

Why do nurses encourage smart, successful, motivated people who want to pursue advanced practice nursing to do medicine instead? We need all the great nurses/NPs we can get!

I don't really see why you thought you'd get flamed, or why you think you'd be punished as a student for being DC, but if you are worried, there's an easy solution - don't tell.

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Why do nurses encourage smart, successful, motivated people who want to pursue advanced practice nursing to do medicine instead? We need all the great nurses/NPs we can get!

I don't really see why you thought you'd get flamed, or why you think you'd be punished as a student for being DC, but if you are worried, there's an easy solution - don't tell.

Who's encouraging him/her to go into medicine? It seemed like a good question to ask of someone who already has one doctoral degree. Clearly this person must have considered medicine as a possibility, and they had an answer as to why they wanted to go into advanced nursing instead of medicine...it is the path of less resistance. Not as long, not as many tests, not as much stress. How stressful med school would have been for the OP is unclear, as he/she feels that the 1st 2 years of chiro school are harder than med school. I found that comment to be interesting. I don't know too many physicians who flunked out of chiropractic school.

Besides, based on a lot of comments on this board, the world obviously needs great physicians as well.

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Seems like you would have a great edge to get into ortho type practice or to integrate family medicine into your existing practice. If I were you I'd just keep quiet about being a chiropractor. Like someone else said, there are different personalities out there and you need to assume the "student-tech me role" and not the "doctor-know everything role." Not only that but there are plenty of NPs out there ticked off that chiro's get the title "doctor" when NPs with doctoral degrees have to refrain from using their title. Preceptors can make it harder on you, so can instructors, other students may get jealous. It's hard enough to get a preceptor and get through the program in one piece, so you don't want to rub them the wrong way. Use your already acquired knowledge for yourself, but don't advertise it. I am sure your knowledge can only help you in NP school. Good luck!

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Why do nurses encourage smart, successful, motivated people who want to pursue advanced practice nursing to do medicine instead?.

I'm going off topic here... I wanted to address this comment. I think the reason is that some people are primarily interested in providing medical care and may have no interest in the nursing model of care. Why encourage someone who's not really interested in nursing to become a nurse? To go through nursing school would mean at least a year or two of learning to apply nursing diagnoses and interventions which specifically AVOID medical diagnoses and emphasize non-prescriptive interventions.

Certainly, advanced nursing practice is at times marketed to potential students as a quicker, easier way to practice medicine (quicker and easier than the MD route). If an NP is functioning in a role that is identical to a PA or a physician, then what exactly is "advanced nursing practice"? Is "advanced nursing practice" something built upon "basic nursing practice"? Or is it basic nursing + basic medicine? Is NP to PA as DO is to MD? These are thoughtful questions, not argumentative ones. I think nursing as a profession has some identity issues and you've touched on one of them.

Back to the OP - chiropractor considering NP school...

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