how did you know you wanted to be an NP vs. RN?

mom and nurse · Jul 12, 2008

The stress of hospital work as an RN convinced me to go back to school. There was a staffing shortage at our facility and sometimes our patient load could be 7 or more patients. I wanted to be able to have more time with my patients, to be able to discuss lab results with them. To be able to have a seat and talk to them. To be able to have more time for my family and not have to work weekends, holidays, and evenings.....

So I made the decision to go back to school and will be starting a new job soon as an NP. I'm praying that all works out well and that I enjoy it... :wink2:

NayNaeRN · Jul 13, 2008

oh yay!!! :yeah: i hope it works out for you too! i so know what you mean when you talk about spending more time with your patients. i'm just so worried about the high cost of going back to school at the moment, so the more I hear your own stories the more motivated i become. well good luck to you! thanks for the feedback.

:):nuke:

Trauma Columnist · Jul 13, 2008

My background is ER for the most part. I realized that I needed more job choices as I got older so back to school!

I wanted to edit this to add that as APN, I don't spend much more time with my pts than I did as an RN because of the number of pts I need to see in a day.

NayNaeRN · Jul 13, 2008

So do you have any regrets about your choice? thanks for commenting!

Trauma Columnist · Jul 13, 2008

Yes, in some ways I do. I'm an adrenaline junkie and still miss the "rush" you get in a busy ER. However, the pay and hours are much better for me as an APN.

SteveNNP, MSN, NP · Jul 13, 2008

My decision to go for my NNP stemmed from my desire to expand my knowledge further in my field. Neonatology has completely changed in the last 20 years or so, and neonatal physiology is barely touched on in nursing school. I wanted to understand the patho behind what I was seeing in my patients, and I wanted to go beyond suggesting courses of treatment to actually managing my patients medically. I'm an adrenaline and task junkie, so I love putting in umbilical lines, transports, delivery room resus, etc....it was the obvious next step to go for my NNP. I am a little worried that once I graduate I will miss my role as an RN, but I'm sure I'll have a little playtime once in a while :>P

Going to grad school forced me to leave the unit I "grew up" on as a new grad, and move 800 miles away. But it's an excellent program, and I've been offered a position back at my old unit once I finish my degree next year.

JDCitizen · Jul 13, 2008

hey guys,
just to satisfy my own curiousity... I wanted to know how some of you chose to become NP's over RN's? I am currently an RN and am furthering my education to a masters degree level; but i just wanted to hear some of your own stories about your decisions.
Thanks!:nuke:

I pretty much agree. The adrenaline rush one gets on a busy heart / thoracic surgery (or alternative to ICU) unitis missed. I am lucky enough my patient population sometimes lets me experience the rush.

Miss: "Most" of the people I worked with as well as "most" of my patients.

As anyone can attest in the hospital there are the regulars.

Don't miss: Short staffing, being pulled, large patient loads, the demigod attitudes of some, etc.. In my first hospital job the nurses where long term site employed by the time I left the hospital world agency and travel nurses outnumbered the regular nurses on the unit I worked on.

What I do like: Better hours, better pay, better work conditions, No holidays, etc., etc.

By the way I am still an RN now but now also an APRN. Not only by choice but by Georgia Law..