Is it worth it to be an NP?

[Polly Peptide, BSN, MSN, RN, APRN]

I am at a decision point and I am struggling with pulling the proverbial trigger.

I decided to change careers and go back to school several years ago, with the goal of becoming an advanced practice nurse. I always thought I wanted to be an AG-ACNP, although I did not know at the time what specialty. I decided I needed some nursing experience so I went through an accelerated BSN program. Here I am now - accepted into a well-respected brick and mortar school, who will find me my preceptors (and the tuition reflects that!), slated to begin in August. But this nurse is...scared.

My main problem is, I do not like nursing all that much. I've had a couple of jobs in my short time as a nurse, and I find them all to be physically and emotionally exhausting. And now I'm concerned about what providers face. I think the system sucks. Bureaucracy, politics, patient scores, what insurance companies and Medicare think, and the almighty dollar seem to have taken precedent over safe and sensible patient care. This is nothing new but perhaps my rose-colored glasses are just now off. I'm wondering if the job is really just that much more burdensome than being a nurse.

I was thinking of specializing in hospice or palliative care. I like the idea of managing symptoms and making a patient as comfortable as possible while dealing with a life-limiting illness. But I've really enjoyed that work as a nurse - because you form a relationship with the patient and their family and sometimes have the opportunity to be with them as they pass from this world. As an NP, I think the relationship with my patients would change.

Part of me just wants everything to slow down and do a whole lot LESS of this stuff. Even though I never thought I would say that and I have always been full of curiosity and loved to learn.

I live in a saturated area and am just wondering if, with everything considered, it would even be worth it.

[db2xs]

@Polly Peptide I'm going to send you a private message

[Guest1144461]

Based on your post, in short no.

[KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN]

Considering what you wrote in your post, you should find some other thing to do. Unless you want to become a VERY unhappy Nurse Practitioner, it isn't gonna worth it.

[DrCOVID, DNP]

You, me and most of my cohort found nursing to be exhausting. That is a big reason we chose the DNP - we all wanted more options. Most of us are happy with the choice (though the curricula need work). At the end of the day, more education opens a LOT of new possibilities.

You can always teach, go into research, and yes there are those jobs where you can work from wherever. There is a NP in Austin that presented at the online TNP conference this year. She is an FNP that does concierge medicine for people. That means clients pay her a monthly retainer for access to care whenever/wherever she is. Another example is in psych - if you work for the government (DOD or VA or an FQHC), they usually give you thirty minutes per patient. I will be working in private practice, so we pick the top insurances, accept cash, and it is 15 min appointments. In short, there are plenty of options and different structures you can find as an APRN - I'm sure one would fit you.

[DrCOVID, DNP]

I am not pushing the DNP at all - I merely remarked what you can do with the example of the DNP. The OP could consult for drug or law companies... Either way, being an NP is way different than RN.

I feel I am the only one here to saw what the OP was asking. For most people I know personally, they would all say these 3 years will be "worth it" (as the post title asks) in the long run. You don't have to deal with the things they are complaining about everywhere you work. I have seen it first hand. ?

[dianah, ASN]

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[gettingbsn2msn, MSN, RN]

I am at a point where I absolutely hate medicine in the USA. I have been a NP for 10 years. It is a third career for me. My second was an accelerated BSN that I completed 15 years ago.

I loved being a nurse in the beginning. I loved my patients and they loved me back. I went on vacation and when I came back I was fired (absolutely no reason given). I said the h@ll with it and went through a NP Program. I still love the patients but the system makes me want to retire every day. I DETEST it.

[BostonRN, BSN, RN]

Sounds like being an NP can be exhausting.

[Lienio Desouza, DNP, NP]

I am a NP, DNP for 5 yeas and I love it, I was a RN for 9 year and I hate it. The reason a decided to be a NP, DNP because a RN is a very stressful job. A RN do bedside care, a NP do primary care. I was a physician in my country “Brazil” and as NP, DNP I do almost 100% what a physician do.

[greener22, BSN, MSN, RN]

If you hate being a nurse I am not sure an NP is a better option. I hear from complaints from NP friends about the long hours, red tape, and hands being tied.  If I may piggyback into this conversation- NP programs seem to be diploma mills anymore with little regard to the already saturated market. In my metro area, it takes experienced NPs upwards of a year to find A job, not even one they like. I feel as though young men and women are going to nursing school so that they can immediately apply for a nurse practitioner school and they never work at the bedside. And the hospitals are so short staffed because nobody wants to be a nurse anymore. Whatever happened to requiring 5 to 10 years of bedside experience before being admitted to NP school?

[DrCOVID, DNP]

1 hour ago, greener22 said:

If you hate being a nurse I am not sure an NP is a better option.

There are certain specialties that are more saturated than others. But 5+ years of bedside to become an NP is silly. Some of the base skills of the RN are useful as an NP, but the work is completely different. I was a med-surg RN for 8 years and am specializing in psychiatry as a NP. As far as psych diagnosis and the DSM, it was all new for me 3 years ago. Beating the dead horse, NP curriculum rigor is the primary problem for APRNs. Most of the FNP students don't feel ready for their work after 3 years of full time study.

If you have no idea why hospitals are short staffed right now or why inpatient nursing can be repelling - you either have never worked in a hospital, or don't watch the news. It's very easy to complain if you are inflexible in speciality choice or aren't willing to relocate.