what made you decide to be a NP?

[celclt]

Money.

lol :)

[mom and nurse]

I am a graduating NP student-3 months to go!!! Woo hooo! While I do enjoy working as an RN, I wanted to be an NP so I could take on a different sort of role, and have more independence, autonomy, and basically have a lot more say in the decisions that are made concerning my patients. I really, really thrive on the diagnosis process and want to be able to prescribe therapies, and I can't wait to have 1:1 time with patients, instead of just going crazy all the time in my RN job where I feel like I am constantly throwing meds at pts and then running down the hall to put out the next fire or throw meds at the next pt.

The above quote made me laugh. Yes, the above is why I also went back to school to become an NP. I have just graduated from an Adult NP program in December 2007. I'm preparing to take the AANP test (waiting anxiously for them to finally send my "certification to test"). I'm studying, studying and learning everyday that the amount of information to remember is amazing.

I wanted autonomy, independence, and yes I too was tired of running between patient rooms tossing medications. I made my decision to go back to school after a hectic night in the hospital.....

I'd also been influenced on the undergraduate level by a report I did on NPs. Specifically a group of NPs that had set up practicing in New York.

[jjjoy, LPN]

Little rant here... my nursing school highly promoted nursing as a professional role with lots of autonomy. They emphasized how it was so much more than just hygiene and following orders. They also highly promoted advanced practice nursing emphasizing that nurses could take on more responsibility. We did a good deal of shadowing of non-bedside roles.

So the reality of bedside nursing was just that much more unappealing. Impossible workloads with the nurses' judgement of what is and isn't safe given little credence. Nurses can't practice the way they were taught. Meanwhile, there's not only more prestige and better hours with advanced practice, but there's also more ability to actually practice safely and satisfactorily - not just "toss pills at patients."

By not teaching to the realities of the bedside and promoting the plethora of opportunities away from the bedside, new grads want to "move on" ASAP - understandably! But how will things improve at the bedside if the highly motivated members of the profession are doing all they can to get away from the bedside?

[PackMule]

I'm curious...what are your NP specialties?

Your post was right under mine, sorry I missed it, my specialities are Primary Care Pedi and Psych.....

[carachel2]

Not an NP yet (graduate next year!) but my reasons were that I kept seeing cardiac patients who were not controlled at all as far as hypertension, diabetes, etc. and I honestly felt and still feel I could do a better job than that. Also, I know there are RNs who do it, but working 12 hour shifts at the bedside when I'm pushing 55-60 just doesn't appeal to me and I never wanted to join the heel clacking crowd in nursing management.

[Buckeyejunk]

whoever put money...ha!! You can make more as a weekend-option RN than any NP job I've ever seen in my area. :)

When I was in college I was heading towards medicine but then did not think I wanted the intensity/takes-over-the-next-12-years-of-your-life that med school & residency offer. So I found advanced practice nursing. I never had any intention of working as an RN for any longer than I had to -- but it worked out that I loved nursing as soon as I started, and loved my 2 years as a floor RN.

Every so often some drillbit resident comes through our clinic and I think, "I really could have done medicine. I really could have done it". But my heart is more that of a nurse so I know I'm doing the right thing. My collaborating docs spend 10 minutes with patients, I can spend 45. It's the right thing for me.

[BlessedOne]

I like the comment of Buckeye. I enjoy spending time with the patient and doing patient teaching. As an Vascular RN, I don't have as much time to do this. I noticed when a NP goes in, she actually talks witht he patient and the patient's family and discusses the plans for the hospital stay. I like that.

As far as the money....a nurse practitioner advised me that her medical group just hired a new np starting her with 80k. I don't know what type of package she had though. \\

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

I am a Neonatal NP student just finishing up my first year of graduate studies...I was perfectly content with my NICU job. I loved almost every aspect of my day-to-day bedside practice as an RN. My unit didn't even utilize NNPs. But I found myself wanting to know the pathophysiology behind the disease processes I was seeing. I wanted to be in the thick of the action. High risk deliveries, critical air/ground transport, placing umbilical lines, chest tubes, intubating 500 gram babies, getting involved in unit-based research, etc. I realized I needed to get my NNP to continue doing all these, as well as being able to care for my patients better. Even if I never don the NNP lab coat, I will be a MUCH better neonatal nurse.

I chose a classroom based program which has pretty much thrown the book at me as far as research and statistics, genetics, physiology, health and social policy classes. I am sad I had to leave the unit I loved to come here for grad school, but I am confident I am doing the right thing, even if it means not having a social life, or extra money for 2 years....

[SarasotaRN2b]

I am a Neonatal NP student just finishing up my first year of graduate studies...I was perfectly content with my NICU job. I loved almost every aspect of my day-to-day bedside practice as an RN. My unit didn't even utilize NNPs. But I found myself wanting to know the pathophysiology behind the disease processes I was seeing. I wanted to be in the thick of the action. High risk deliveries, critical air/ground transport, placing umbilical lines, chest tubes, intubating 500 gram babies, getting involved in unit-based research, etc. I realized I needed to get my NNP to continue doing all these, as well as being able to care for my patients better. Even if I never don the NNP lab coat, I will be a MUCH better neonatal nurse.

I chose a classroom based program which has pretty much thrown the book at me as far as research and statistics, genetics, physiology, health and social policy classes. I am sad I had to leave the unit I loved to come here for grad school, but I am confident I am doing the right thing, even if it means not having a social life, or extra money for 2 years....

Hi Steve,

This is exactly the reason that I want to go forward after I get my RN.

Kris