Life after NP...

Sounds like you want to be a CNS. If you want to teach and affect change, it's a good way to go...

I wonder about this every thirty minutes or so. I'm a bit tired of routine clinical work, but I'm not in a season of life to return to school so I generally suck it up and keep slugging away at five jobs hoping to be without any at all debt.

8 hours ago, caliotter3 said:

My favorite curiosity, epidemiology! Don’t ask me to explain, it just grabbed my interest.

Epidemiologic Intelligence Service? Kate Winslet's character in Contagion. Awesome movie ?

So glad to know that I am not alone on this. I joined the public health association just to see whats out there. I saw a recent study that says obtaining an MPH doesn't equal increased pay if you enter public health with any other type of master's degree. Relief for me, i was dreading going back for MPH. May just go back for a certificate in public health just to get the basic aspects down.

Hi!

I too am considering getting out of direct patient care to try my best to improve healthcare, ideally improving the lives of those of us that work in the field (I would love to go into management at a hospital). I worked for 10 years as an RN in various specialties, and loved it. Went to NP school (don't ask why, long story), and have done urgent care for a few years. I feel like I have seen the joy of nursing fade away over the years (I still work PRN as an RN). I would love to able to bring some of that back.

I will say I have found it a little difficult to find a way in to this arena. It seems to all be in who you know where I live. Can't decide if I should go ahead and go back for my post mater's certificate (more debt!), or wait and see if I can find a position where they will pay for it.

When I speak of burn out, I don't explicitly mean I'm tired of rendering psychiatric care. Left to my own devices, I'm ok. Working *with* the healthcare system is what I'm tired of. I work a lot of jobs on top of a full-time position because it's easy to make money doing what I do. That certainly reduces ones innate drive to jump out of bed and rush to work to see another patient. However, if I could practice in whatever way I wanted I'd be ok. I loathe the bureaucracy because it fills the day with things that don't matter.

I like business. I like administration, but I don't think I want to be a healthcare administrator charged forced to swallow the pill and act fancy for TJC (when accreditation doesn't mean anything intellectually) and bargain for increased quality through processes that fail to improve outcomes and only wear out employees.

And to put it this way, I don't know what I want to do when I grow up (but I'm grown) so following Victor Frankl my purpose is to merely live and do that next thing that any thing that lies before me.

I was just about to suggest that: healthcare policy.

Funny this topic should pop-up considering I'm strongly looking to get out of clinical work. This month marks 18 years as a nurse, with 5 as an NP.

I enjoy making things (processes) easier and teaching others. Like others have said, I don't want to go back to school for another degree (I have 4: LPN, ADN, BSN, MSN), but I'm willing to go back for a certificate.

The closest position I can find that will allow me to affect clinical processes and lead people is to get in the project management field. I've already revamped my resume to reflect project management skills and I've enrolled in the local community college to start classes for a certificate.

Many of the healthcare project management jobs I'm seeing are in the hospitals and with health insurance companies.

The pay range varies depending on experience, but I've seen them go as high or higher than what an NP would earn. I'm not too concerned about salary since I've already dropped my hours from 40-32 hrs as an NP with a pay cut and I have side income that helps with any pay decrease. Eventually, my income will go up with experience.

Here's more information about project management since everyone seems to confuse it with general nursing administration.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/a-primer-on-project-management-for-health-care/

https://www.healthcatalyst.com/insights/healthcare-project-management-techniques-pragmatic-approach-outcomes-improvement

https://onlineprograms.ollusa.edu/mba/resources/what-does-it-take-healthcare-project-manager

https://www.projectmanager.com/blog/career-spotlight-healthcare-project-manager