My reasons why I question going for a Nurse Practitioner license.
Working with some seasoned nurses in the ER over the last couple of years, they make more than starting NP's do.
Two doctors and a nurse who did recruit and hiring for a couple of years all stated that it was not worth it.
If I don't jump on the bandwagon right away...the rumors of the dreaded 2015 DNP may come true
The Drawbacks:
Increased liability without enough pay
Overworked and underpaid for their work. In our ER, the PA's do most of the work while the physicians kick back
PA's are preferred in hospital settings (which is my major interest...though I'm sure an office setting will be great later in life)
Again...financial. They did not agree that 2.5 years of schooling was worth a mediocre increase in salary (even long term). They collectively felt that working a 4th 12hr shift each week was better than spending another 2.5 years an lots of money for an NP degree.
The Positives:
Increased autonomy
I can do a full time NP program and still work
There are 2 great NP programs near me (TWU and UTA)
I believe I can get in without to much hassle
In state tuition is affordable
Self satisfaction
I understand that financial compensation is not all there is to a job though it is a necessity. Increased autonomy is very important to me and the main reason I would like an advanced practice degree. Med school would be great, but being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and taking 4 years off is not appealing to me.
So to the current NP's...
Would you NOT get your degree if you had to do it again?
Was it worth it more than just personal satisfaction?
Specializes in Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.
I will graduate this November as an FNP. Although money was a factor it cannot be the only thing that drives me. As a staff nurse i was making $42 per hour at night working 3 shift per week pulling in close to $80k per year. I dont expect my first NP Job to be paing much more than that out of school, but I do know that in certain area here in Mississippi that NPs are making anywhere from $65-$85 an hour, mostly in ERs, an some specialty areas. The real money is in going out on your own, where the sky is the limit on salary. I think many people downplay Np salaries to disuade others from going into the field. But I know know several NPs who make $150,000 + per year but dont go around bragging about it. A good friend of mine got out of school last spring and his first job was $60 per hour with full benefits working 3 shifts per week in a fast track ER, and has two PRN jobs. He averages 4 twelve hour shifts a week and is pulling in over $140,000 per year his first year out of school, without even trying hard. That is right up there with CRNA pay in high pay areas. Incedently, CRNAs in my area cant find jobs, and when they do, have to take very low salaires because the market it glutted with them. Doctors and hospitals are finding out that NPs can be a big source of income for them, and the demand for NPs will only get larger in the future. That beind said.....Money should not be your main motivation for doing anthing.
I have been working in a trauma ICU unit for almost 4yrs now in the Dallas area. I am definitely interested in getting my NP degree, especially before the required DNP program is required. How was the process for getting into the program at UTA for you? My biggest question for myself is how I am going to choose between ACNP and FNP. I have read all the pros and cons, but it is very stressful deciding! ? I didn't want to rush going back to school, but honestly the DNP requirement is making me do it.
For nursing school, I had to apply to the school first, then seperatly apply to the nursing program. Is it the same as UTA? Gotta say, the UTA website for NP Program isn't very user friendly when it comes to information on the process. I am currently waiting for my transcripts, then will do everything else. I don't want to quit my job yet, so I was wondering is part time available for the program??
It is worth it. I can not imagine having to go back and being a bedside RN. I have autonomy. I make good money. Im a contractor and work as littlle or as much as i want. There is no trying to decide if its Christmas or Thansgiving you want to spend with family. Plus I love the work and feel it suits my personailty a lot more than bedside, inpt work. I feel bad for my friends from nursing school who have not gone back. Then again I understand to each their own.
For me, no it was not worth it. I love geriatrics, but as a GNP, there are no jobs. When the last of the GNP program graduated(myself included in that 3 people who graduated). I don't feel it was a great program and I have health issues that have become worse since I've graduated. That is me. I wish you the best of everything. You will do fine.
My advice is to find out the market for your specialty. I know even before I applied to grad school where I wanted to practice, geographically speaking. Also try to keep expenses down. I went to a state school and was able to finish paying off the debt before I even got my NP license, dea #. This is an investment in your time, energy and money. Plan accordingly.
I feel bad for my friends from nursing school who have not gone back. Then again I understand to each their own.
Please don't blame them. It is not always worth it. Much.. much more liability and less then 1/2 pay of MD b/c of saturated market. That's the excuse I got from most of my ex-classmate and ex-coworker who did not go back. I don't know about you. But I feel like I always have to keep going with the time-limit with NP jobs and there is no down time. You are given certain time slots to see patient. However, you can relax and enjoy down-time in the ward on RN jobs.
I graduated NP school in 2011. I thought my starting salary was a little low. I work hard and I am very type A. My yearly raise in 2012 was fantastic! I have been a RN for 12 years before graduating from NP school. All I can say is GO! Finish your NP program. The starting salary may seem low for an NP, but if you work hard, the yearly raises/bonuses will put you WELL above RN salary. I am in the Southeast. I will never miss answering call bells, code browns, or breaking my back to lift/reposition patients. Finish NP school. I would do it all over again (if I had to). :)
Please don't blame them. It is not always worth it. Much.. much more liability and less then 1/2 pay of MD b/c of saturated market. That's the excuse I got from most of my ex-classmate and ex-coworker who did not go back. I don't know about you. But I feel like I always have to keep going with the time-limit with NP jobs and there is no down time. You are given certain time slots to see patient. However, you can relax and enjoy down-time in the ward on RN jobs.
Oh I dont blame my friends for not going back to school. They got married and had kids. Career was not top priority for them. I just feel bad when we get together and they share the same complaints from 6yrs ago. I dont have the time crunch as much as others so maybe thats why I get to enjoy my role as Psych NP. I understand FNPs have 15min to see clients. Thats a whole other ball of wax.
In lurking, I've seen a lot of people worried about what they'll make as a NP. It's all perception, I suppose. I have been in a profession in which I outranked people, but some of those I outranked made a bit more due to years in service. I make nearly 20k more than I did in my previous line of work, which I did full-time will working on my RN/BSN, and the cost of the program happens to be equivalent to the increase in salary I now have.
For my area and my chosen NP focus I'll come very close to doubling what I make now. So to summarize from 32k to 53k to c. 100k. I'm tickled pink over it, lol.
. I dont have the time crunch as much as others so maybe thats why I get to enjoy my role as Psych NP. I understand FNPs have 15min to see clients. Thats a whole other ball of wax.
What do you get 1 hr per 1 patient? That's not fair comparison. We do not have easier job at all. FNPs do not deal with lengthy documentation and trying to get patient with poor historian b/c of psychosis/tangential thoughts/ manipulation to give you needed info. They do not get yelled at. They do not have to call family for collateral info or dig into the chart for more information. They do not walk the grey line of suicide assessment. That's what the extra time assessment time is for. Psych is not as great as people think. Glass may seems to be greener on the other side with exaggeration.
FNPs do not deal with lengthy documentation and trying to get patient with poor historian b/c of psychosis/tangential thoughts/ manipulation to give you needed info. They do not get yelled at. They do not have to call family for collateral info or dig into the chart for more information. They do not walk the grey line of suicide assessment. That's what the extra time assessment time is for.
Sadly we often do deal with this on a regular basis, and I get yelled at pretty much daily.
Managing chronically ill patients with multiple comorbidities often complicated by dementia isn't super easy or quick either. I had a new patient today with 24 items on the problem list.
We have a psych shortage here and I end up managing a number of psych meds I would rather not manage. That requires a lot of phone calls.
Mark Hill BSN
192 Posts
I will graduate this November as an FNP. Although money was a factor it cannot be the only thing that drives me. As a staff nurse i was making $42 per hour at night working 3 shift per week pulling in close to $80k per year. I dont expect my first NP Job to be paing much more than that out of school, but I do know that in certain area here in Mississippi that NPs are making anywhere from $65-$85 an hour, mostly in ERs, an some specialty areas. The real money is in going out on your own, where the sky is the limit on salary. I think many people downplay Np salaries to disuade others from going into the field. But I know know several NPs who make $150,000 + per year but dont go around bragging about it. A good friend of mine got out of school last spring and his first job was $60 per hour with full benefits working 3 shifts per week in a fast track ER, and has two PRN jobs. He averages 4 twelve hour shifts a week and is pulling in over $140,000 per year his first year out of school, without even trying hard. That is right up there with CRNA pay in high pay areas. Incedently, CRNAs in my area cant find jobs, and when they do, have to take very low salaires because the market it glutted with them. Doctors and hospitals are finding out that NPs can be a big source of income for them, and the demand for NPs will only get larger in the future. That beind said.....Money should not be your main motivation for doing anthing.