Lost New NP

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Hi all I’m an new np. I went to an DNP family nurse Practitioner program and was assigned to an intensive inpatient provider role. I’ll be honest I feel like I’m drowning almost all of the time and don’t feel like I’ve had much mentorship in this role. I feel miscast. I didn’t pick this role but it was assigned as my employer paid for my education and I owe them time. I’ve asked for a new posting but I feel utterly defeated and often wish I never went back to school. I’m sorry for whining like an idiot but if anyone has advice I’m listening

The DNP truly just means you wrote a paper with statistics and conclusions. I got my DNP because it was a bricks and mortar school with twice as many clinical hours needed to graduate. The paper is useless as far as I’m concerned

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Specializes in CTICU.

I'm confused. You have a job as a new grad FNP in inpatient cardiology for which you feel unprepared?

You applied and interviewed for this position? Have you had any performance reviews so far? What is the orientation process? Did you do clinical rotations in that area?

Recruitment and retention of APPs is of paramount importance to organizations, especially in the first 2 years. I am 100% sure that your employer would rather reassign you to another department than to lose you.

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No I actually did not apply for the job and never had an inpatient rotation. My employer paid for my DNP so I owe them years so they assigned it to me. I hope you are right. I’ve been at my place of employment for 15 years and my pension is on the line as I’m an old guy

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Specializes in CTICU.

That makes no sense to me as someone who hires APPs in Pittsburgh. I've never heard of such a thing. Both the major health systems here have an Office of APPs - call them.

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*Facepalm Picard-style*

FNPs are trained to work with outpatients, not inpatients. Your employer is quite frankly inept for placing you in a role meant for an acute nurse practitioner and (possibly) setting themselves up for lawsuits. [Simplifying] It is like leaving a dog with a dog walker instead of a dog groomer and then expecting the dog to be groomed upon its return.

Is this an ongoing trend? Go on Indeed; there are employers requesting FNPs for positions meant for acute nurse practitioners or PMHNPs.

I mean, if you are going to hire NPs, at least know their scope of practice so you are not later assigning them to roles that they should not be doing.

[Some may say "Well, the NP should be the one to educate the employer..." In my opinion, that is a duty meant for BONs and nursing associations that collect fees from their members. Though, don't get me wrong. I am not absolving NPs who intentionally put themselves in roles that they know that they were not trained for and then later complain about it; and, I am not saying that the OP is one of those NPs. In the OP's case, I am blaming the employer.]

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Well I had an interview in primary care today that I think went well. Here’s hoping it did. I think I would feel so much more comfortable there and be able to better serve my patients

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Good luck to you!

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Specializes in allergy and asthma, urgent care.
58 minutes ago, SpankedInPittsburgh said:

Well I had an interview in primary care today that I think went well. Here’s hoping it did. I think I would feel so much more comfortable there and be able to better serve my patients

Fingers crossed you get this position. I don't know what your employer was thinking placing you in the Cardiac role. Best of luck to you.

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Thank you so much for the sentiments I can use all the luck I can get

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Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.

Keeping fingers crossed for you ?

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I'm gonna guess you work for either UPMC or AHN. They don't, in general, see a difference between the NP certifications or tracks - an NP is an NP (they do prefer ACNP for ICU positions from what I've been told). Clearly this is a problem, as you are experiencing. There are tracks for a reason. All you can do is tell them you want to switch specialties, you want more orientation in your current specialty, or look for a position elsewhere. I work for another system in the east of Pittsburgh suburbs and the medexec committee there does take track into consideration because the system has run into too many problems with FNPs being "miscast".

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Thank you for your kind response. I work for the VA and im trying to work things out internally for now. I will certainly keep your advice in mind and really do appreciate your guidance

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