How do you detect shady new grad NP positions.....

Trauma Columnist · Aug 11, 2011

When I graduated, I went on several (about 6) interviews. No shady dealings at all: however, I did negotiate salary (up $10k from initial offer). It isn't unusual to only mention the bare essentials of the job in the advertisement IMHO. Then, the interview process begins and you should get a written job description. Everything was written out for me when I took the position. Since I negotiated a higher salary, I also do call (as do the 3 other mid-levels that I work with).

Now, over the years (I've been with this practice over 5 years), my job duties have expanded as has my pay.

ConscientiousFNP · Aug 11, 2011

Thank you for this info. Only 1 place has given me a written job description and the others all gave verbal descriptions and benefits information. I'll need to ask for descriptions at the other places next time we meet but in a way that is nonoffensive. Out of curiosity, were the interviews you went on private practices or other institutions. Most of the verbal agreements for my colleagues and I have come from private practices.

Also, in terms of doing on-call, what kind of experience might that require....my RN experience is slim - a little over 1 year.

Trauma Columnist · Aug 12, 2011

I interviewed for two positions at the hospital where I was working at the time (900 bed level one trauma center) and 4 private practices.

The practice I went with (and am still with 5 years later) provided a written job description at the first interview. For the private practice interviews, I always interviewed with the practice manager who was an MBA prepared business person, then I interviewed with the practice president - an MD and then for two of the positions, I interviewed with another physician.

For this job, I got the written job description from the practice manager at the first interview. I did go ahead and ask at that interview what the general salary guidelines were. When they called me back for a second interview, I told them that I didn't want to waste their time since what they offered me was less than I was making as a staff nurse with 14 years experience. So, I figured that was the end of it. However, I got another call back two weeks later and they said the salary was negotiable. So I went ahead interviewed with the practice president and was then asked to shadow the senior NP. She and I got along great and I know she gave me a good recommendation. I was able to negotiate about $10k above what they initially offered.

As to call - that has kind of evolved. We take call for our own dialysis units (for me that is 250 its) M-F from 0700-1700 or so (never later than 1900). Then on the weekends, we rotate call between four of us mid-levels (2 NPs, 1 PA and me) and at the moment we are only taking telephone call on Saturdays from 0700 to 1900.

However, we lost one NP last year and she hasn't been replaced so the phone call is new. When we had five mid-levels, we actually went to two different hospitals about 50 miles away and saw all the nephrology pts, did consults, H&Ps, discharge summaries and we did this on both Sat and Sun from 0700-1900.

My nursing background was 10 years level one trauma center, 2 years ICU and 2 years LTC when I was an LPN.

ConscientiousFNP · Aug 12, 2011

Wow! Thanks for this info. You know, I don't come from the school of thought that NPs must have RN experience, but in terms of a SPECIALTY...I do think so. Thanks again for this.