Is it worth it?

cgfnp · May 18, 2004

Hello to all you NP's!
I really need some honest advice here and am hoping you will help.
I decided to become a Nurse Practitioner (keep in mind that I do not even have my RN yet) after shadowing all my NP, as well as a couple NP's that are in hospitals. I really think that I would love being an NP, whether on a cardiology floor like a good friend of mine, or in private practice. So I have no issue there. What I do have a concern with is the part where I am "just an RN" (keeping in mind that I find this to be a very respectable and honorable profession - just seems that no one else does these days!). The horror stories that I've been reading are just breaking me down. So many nurses I hear say, "Why would you want to give up your nice cushy job, with your great salary, no weekends/no holidays, etc., to work a 12 hour night shift for little pay and/or respect?!" Well, that's a very good question and the answer to that is.... I don't! I want to be an NP! But of course I have to be an RN first and plan to hopefully be accepted into a Direct Entry Masters Program, which means, I would work part-time as an RN for two years while getting my MSN and NP license. I just wonder, is it THAT bad? Can I get through it to get to my end goal of being an NP?
I know that none of you can make this decision for me, but I was looking for honest feedback from those of you that have done it yourself. Are you happy being an NP? Was it worth it? Would you recommend this career path to your best friend?
TIA! - J

I'm in the last part of the same situation you'll be going through. Trust me. It sucks. It's horrible. It may even require SSRIs. But, it's worth it. Bottom line is; you get to practice medicine and you don't have to give up so much of your life to go to medical school. And, you only pay 1-5% of the malpractice rates. So... let me tell you, it's gonna suck. But, it'll be worth it. Practice as a RN in the ER or something where you can learn medicine.

Hopegirl · May 18, 2004

I'm in the last part of the same situation you'll be going through. Trust me. It sucks. It's horrible. It may even require SSRIs. But, it's worth it. Bottom line is; you get to practice medicine and you don't have to give up so much of your life to go to medical school. And, you only pay 1-5% of the malpractice rates. So... let me tell you, it's gonna suck. But, it'll be worth it. Practice as a RN in the ER or something where you can learn medicine.

Thanks for your reply... I really appreciate it. What is your story? Did you have a career before nursing? Did you pursue ADN or BSN, or perhaps Direct Entry Masters? What floors did you work on? Which shifts? Questions, questions! Thank you in advance!

-J

lalaxton · May 18, 2004

cgfnp,

Just a note, NP's don't practice medicine, they practice nursing with an expanded scope of practice (yes I know here comes those detractors.....). You can also learn much about the medical management of patients in just about any department, not only ER. The ER can be a tough place to start out, I would suggest when you are in nursing school to try and get as much experience as you can in a variety of departments and pick the one you like best to work in before you go on to graduate school.

cgfnp · May 18, 2004

cgfnp,
Just a note, NP's don't practice medicine, they practice nursing with an expanded scope of practice (yes I know here comes those detractors.....). You can also learn much about the medical management of patients in just about any department, not only ER. The ER can be a tough place to start out, I would suggest when you are in nursing school to try and get as much experience as you can in a variety of departments and pick the one you like best to work in before you go on to graduate school.

Call it want you want to; RN practice is leagues away from NP practice. I'll have patients, diagnose, order lab/radiology, and prescribe medication. Of course, if one wants to continue to wipe butts, write worthless care plans, and analyze the writings of Sister Calista Roy, that's their choice.

cgfnp · May 18, 2004

Thanks for your reply... I really appreciate it. What is your story? Did you have a career before nursing? Did you pursue ADN or BSN, or perhaps Direct Entry Masters? What floors did you work on? Which shifts? Questions, questions! Thank you in advance!
-J

I actually went backwards in undergrad after speaking to a MD friend of mine (was 6 months from getting BS in chemistry) to get a BSN so I could go to NP school. I convinced the MSN/NP school to let me start right out of BSN program, but quit after a semester to go to med school because I just couldn't take the worthless education any more. In the next year, my wife and I had a new baby so I rejoined the NP program after working ER as RN because I want to be with my family more than med school/residency would allow. Yes, it's tough to sit through lecture when a lot of it is so sketchy, but the license is the important thing, and you have to have the degree to get the license.

Hopegirl · May 18, 2004

I actually went backwards in undergrad after speaking to a MD friend of mine (was 6 months from getting BS in chemistry) to get a BSN so I could go to NP school. I convinced the MSN/NP school to let me start right out of BSN program, but quit after a semester to go to med school because I just couldn't take the worthless education any more. In the next year, my wife and I had a new baby so I rejoined the NP program after working ER as RN because I want to be with my family more than med school/residency would allow. Yes, it's tough to sit through lecture when a lot of it is so sketchy, but the license is the important thing, and you have to have the degree to get the license.

I've tossed around med school so many times. But being almost 28 and newly married, I'm just not sure that making that sort of time committment is the best idea at this point. I have a friend that is a doctor, and she and her husband can't even fathom having kids, as they didn't build that "into the plan" before med school. I digress. Anyway, that's when I started talking to MY NP's, and low and behold - I felt that I had found my calling.

Through the Direct Entry Masters Program, I will get my RN in one year, then enter straight into the MSN program, which full-time will be two more years. Bearable, I think. :)

Thanks for your encouragement!

-J

pokey sn · May 18, 2004

hopegirl, being an RN first teaches you how to care. I think what makes my NP so great is that she worked first as an RN, learning how to be humble, listening to patients and learning to care for them holistically. Being an Rn is very little butt wiping and a whole lot of compassion. Perhaps you should go the allopathic medicine route. You are young enough and you will get the ultimate respect.

Hopegirl · May 19, 2004

hopegirl, being an RN first teaches you how to care. I think what makes my NP so great is that she worked first as an RN, learning how to be humble, listening to patients and learning to care for them holistically. Being an Rn is very little butt wiping and a whole lot of compassion. Perhaps you should go the allopathic medicine route. You are young enough and you will get the ultimate respect.

I 100% agree with you. And I would care about my patients and take a more holistic approach to their treatment. But I also am saddened by the amount of respect that RN's get (or lack thereof), and am talking to a lot of people to ultimately find where I fit best into the big picture. And yes, being an RN scares me. Working Christmas saddens me. And I have a huge thirst for knowledge and know that I will want more, constantly. Ideally I would be a doctor trained in integrative medicine (best of both worlds). But like I previously posted, I just don't think that where I am right now in my life, that it would allow for such a huge committment on my time and finances. Plus, my NP feels that there just isn't a better choice out there in terms of practicing MEDICINE, because you pay less malpractice insurance and get paid almost as much. Further, the school that I would be trained at has designed it's NP program under the Medical Model, not the nursing one. So I would love to be a doctor, had I have chosen that path, but I am much more compassionate than most of them anyway.

Anyway, thank you for your post - I really appreciate it! :)

-J

MaleAPRN · May 19, 2004

Hi,

I became an NP the long and hard way. I started out with ASN, worked in the hospital as an RN in the float pool for the 1st year (went through all the required hoops of working through med-surg, peds, OB, ortho..etc). Went to work 2 yrs in ICU...at the same time...going to school to finish pre-regs for undergrad school for BSN. Went and got BSN. Went and enrolled directly into MSN/FNP program...while working in ICU and ER at same hospital. When I finally finished with my NP, I was hired by the ER medical group (that was 2 yrs ago already). During that time, I was STILL working 50/50 in the ICU as bedside RN and ER as NP..sometimes, when I wanted to work extra, as an RN in ER.

Where am I now? I'm about to start CRNA school in August! Yet another chapter in my nursing career. :)

Was it expensive getting to where I am now? YES!!!

Would I have taken another route to get to where I am today if I had the opportunity to do so? NO!!!

The experiences that I have gained from the very beginning of my nursing career..........................PRICELESS!!! :rotfl:

Bottom line is...take it slow and enjoy the journey that you will be enbarking on soon. Rushing the trip will only make you miss the nice and scenic stops along the way.

Good luck.

Vinny.

lalaxton · May 20, 2004

Bravo to you Vinny! Good luck in CRNA school, you should have no problem with all your experience.