Little experience as an RN

reddgirl · Oct 5, 2013

As an FNP, you don't have to work in a hospital setting. You can work in any primary setting once you are certified as such.

trein · Oct 5, 2013

Yes, but do I need more hospital experience?

BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN · Oct 5, 2013

no, you don't.

myelin · Oct 5, 2013

Yes, but do I need more hospital experience?

There are many NPs out there who have no hospital experience, some don't even work as RNs before becoming NPs at all.

reddgirl · Oct 5, 2013

No you don't. I've trained along side RNs who have had less than 6 months experience and they have seemed to hold up pretty well in NP school and practice.

SlyFoxRN, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2013

RN and NP is very different. Many of the top NP schools (Columbia, for example) have direct entry programs where you get a BSN and MSN in one.

Being an experienced RN will certainly help as an NP, as you will have a huge source of previous knowledge to draw on. You will remember what certain illnesses "looked like" and how the patient acted and presented themselves, and you will recognize those symptoms in patients as an NP. In addition, you will have years of seeing treatment protocols in action, seeing what worked and what didn't, and how different medications/treatments affected patients. This is all extremely valuable.

Despite that, being an NP is entirely different than being an RN. As an NP, you spend a lot more time researching/thinking vs following orders. It's a whole different role and RN experience can only help to a point. PAs, MDs, and DOs are not RNs first and they do just fine.

BritFNP · Oct 7, 2013

I survived med/surg for 7 months before I found a new job in outpatient surgery. I couldn't get out fast enough. It was probably the worst 7 months of my life. That said, I'm glad some RN's enjoy it. I worked along side nurses who had been on that same floor for 15 years. It's not for everyone. Have you ever looked into outpatient surgery? Good schedule, usually no weekends if its free standing, closed holidays, etc.

SlyFoxRN, BSN, RN · Oct 7, 2013

Is it feasible to get a job as a FNP in an office/ clinic setting with only one year hospital experience? I worked in medsurg for a year and hated it. Now I am going to work in a cardiology office. I want to get my FNP but refuse to work in the hospital. Is this possible?

I would also like to add that I don't blame you for hating hospital work. Hospital RNs are simply not treated well - long horrible hours, bad pay, administration that will treat you as the scapegoat for any issue as long as it protects their precious physicians, etc, etc. And even if you do find a place that treats you well, as you said, bedside nursing is just not for everyone. I went into nursing thinking I would be doing a lot more thinking (after all, they teach so much patho/pharm, etc in nursing school) and yet when I landed my first job I realized it was much more labor intensive than I had hoped. I don't enjoy hard labor - I don't want to stand on my feet, lift patients, etc. I care too much about my body to damage it that way, so floor nursing is not for me. I have found alternate (non-hospital) RN positions and will become an NP ASAP.

phillycpnp-pc, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 10, 2013

Is it feasible to get a job as a FNP in an office/ clinic setting with only one year hospital experience? I worked in medsurg for a year and hated it. Now I am going to work in a cardiology office. I want to get my FNP but refuse to work in the hospital. Is this possible?

Yes its very feasible. My best friend and I are 2 months away from graduating from our NP programs. She is doing FNP and never had hospital experience but worked part time in a outpt clinic for several years before starting her program, and she's doing great, very smart and will be a wonderful NP. I myself am doing PNP and work in a hospital setting and i can't stand it. But because of financial reasons i stayed with it over the years. I wish i went back to school right away instead of working in a hospital thinking i needed the experience. I don't think it made a difference to my skills during my NP clinicals.

phillycpnp-pc, MSN, RN, NP · Oct 10, 2013

I survived med/surg for 7 months before I found a new job in outpatient surgery. I couldn't get out fast enough. It was probably the worst 7 months of my life. That said, I'm glad some RN's enjoy it. I worked along side nurses who had been on that same floor for 15 years. It's not for everyone. Have you ever looked into outpatient surgery? Good schedule, usually no weekends if its free standing, closed holidays, etc.

I have been working in pediatric med/surg for 7 years (and job hopped to see if i liked different areas of pediatrics) its killer it made me a miserable person at work. I don't know how i lasted this long....maybe because my NP degree is almost in my grasp. lol

Mark Hill BSN · Oct 31, 2013

I think is feasible, but you are doing your self an injustice by not having more experience as an RN before entering NP school. I am graduating from NP school in few months. One of my preceptors (an MD for 40 years) told me that he can tell the difference in an experienced NP student, and an inexperienced NP student in the first 5 minutes of practicum. He said there are simply a lot of learned nuances about medicine, that only experience can teach. I have also worked with NPs that had very little previous experience, and those who had a lot, and there is no comparison in knowledge, and confidence. I'm not saying you won't be able to function and do well, but you will be at a disadvantage initially. I can also tell you, that you shouldn't let people know that you don't have much experience when you get out and start practicing, because there are a lot of old (20 years under their belts) battle axes who will not let you forget it.