Looking forward to becoming an NP

[medicrn13]

I'm looking forward to becoming an NP in the future (maybe 2-3 years before I apply), but have a few questions. After reading this part of the forum I see that people recommend ER or ICU experience prior to applying to school. I have 5 years of EMS experience as a Medic, which brought a lot of autonomy and the ability to discern "sick" vs "not-sick" patients.

I do have an interest in getting into the ER in the future, and possibly the ICU, but I'm not sure which ones to go for. I've worked on a Cardiac floor for the past year after graduating from undergrad, so I guess I'm just looking for a little guidance.

Any help is appreciated.

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

Much depends on what NP specialty you are going for and what kind of NP jobs you would like to do.

For Acute Care NP's, it is definitely imperative that you have some acute care background preferably in areas where you have experience caring for critically-ill patients. This would include any of the various ICU's and some high acuity ER's. I also find that in the acute care specialties, your background as an RN can make or break your chances of being considered for specific NP positions. For instance, Cardiology job postings typically prefer NP's with a background in caring for patients with cardiac conditions and ICU job postings typically prefer candidates with previous ICU experience.

For Primary Care NP's such as FNP and ANP, general knowledge of the continuum of health care delivery and some knowledge of in-patient management of acute exacerbations of chronic conditions obtained from working in a hospital setting would probably suffice.

ER experience appears to offer a well-rounded exposure to a wide range of acuities and in may cases, age groups. This seems to be a favorite starting point for a lot of NP wannabees in both the ones who prefer a future role in acute care and those who are pursuing primary care settings as an FNP.