If any current/recent NP grads could PM me or share about their school experience, I'd be grateful.
I am a medical student in Chicago looking to make a career change and have been considering this for two years.
I've finished a year and am on a leave of absence. I was depressed, and one of our classmates and a resident died of an OD last semester. My own father, a physician, died of an OD when I was young. The school has ramped up suicide prevention measures in the wake of increased attempts, but this all seems very normal for the administration.
To keep things short, every day I've become more concerned about my own mental health in this setting and training, and how it has changed me.
This is not the only reason I think NP would be a better fit. I don't have enough space to go on and on. But I wonder how NP students have felt about their training.
I am applying to all the direct entry MSN Chicago schools, and any others nationally that I have the prereqs for. I just feel very alone.
Depression and suicide are an epidemic in the medical community as you are aware. Check out Dr Pamela Wible's articles on KevinMD.com | Social media’s leading physician voice. She even offers her contact info for struggling residents and doctors to reach out to her.
Most importantly take care of yourself get the counseling and medical treatment you need. God bless you and watch over you!
Just some food for thought...switching to another career won't make your issues go away. You need to get a handle on your mental health first. NP isn't the easy route you think it is. I have been attending an acute NP program for the last 4 years. It's taken me longer because I have to work to support my family. I work two jobs, one full time and one part time, as well as go to school and do clinical placements. I have no free time and the pressure is immense. I go to an excellent school and the program is rigorous. The pressure is high because you cannot fail a single class and must score >83% on every thing. We use medical school level lectures and texts. I feel like the time I have spent getting my BSN, certifications and MSN, I could have gone to med school twice over. It's certainly a choice and option for you, but it won't necessarily make your life easier. I feel like you need to take care of your issues first, before you go jumping into a brand new role that has its own stresses and demands.
Specializes in Certified Vampire and Part-time Nursing Student.
I would not abandon your doctorate. There are plenty of 9-5 office jobs as a doctor, you don't have to be a workaholic. All you're doing from going to physician to NP is abandoning better pay and perks to do something that's basically the same (seeing as you haven't done a residency yet) and a step down in title. It would literally be be a step backwards career-wise with no obvious benefits.
Obviously you are suffering now, but don't let that scare you off your job. You made it through med school which is the hard part! Don't be hard on yourself, and try to pull through. There is a probably reason your went to medical school and not nursing, don't make a life changing decision like this at least until you have the time to stabilize yourself mentally.
Try to pinpoint the issue. Don't compare other peoples situation to your own. You may pick the wrong path in that case. If you want to a a NP be a NP, but if you want to be a MD, then you should go for it and stop the self doubt. I am in favor of you going for your MD because I am going for mind. Yes I understand the stress and responsibility but I know the type of life I want to live. I want the authority and better pay. I am going for psychiatrist. I want to work for myself one day. I want to have an office. I want the final say. I am halfway through my statistics class and it is going well. I do well academically, and for me it only makes sense.
Keep in mind there are some NPs who are very happy with their careers, but quite a few who are not. Take a look at some of the threads here. The most common complaint is pay so low that after paying a student loan, they are actually behind the RNs.
The other common complaint is having to maintain productivity, ie the number of patients seen in a day.
This is an issue for MDs as well, but as an MD, you have more pull.
The average NP pulls in at least 300k or more in billing yearly and gets paid maybe 100k. Even for those who are earning above average, ie 150k, guess who keeps the rest of that money?
Of course there is overhead, but still.
I am wondering if you are overthinking everything, and putting undue pressure on yourself.
I remember many years ago in RN school, an LPN who had good grades quit the program, literally a month before graduation.
She said the program "wasn't teaching her how to be an RN". In reality, she was simply uncomfortable with the new role.
But nobody is comfortable with any major new role.
You did well enough in college to get into an American medical school. That puts you in the top 2 or 3%.
It probably wasn't a mistake.
An NP colleague recently committed suicide. He must have had huge loans between the DNP and a law degree, and finances were said to be a factor.
He was in his 50's and couldn't see any relief. Apparently.
Hey- I actually withdrew from my first year of medical school this past June and decided to pursue the NP route in psych. Would be willing to chat with you.
Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
Keep in mind there are some NPs who are very happy with their careers, but quite a few who are not. Take a look at some of the threads here. The most common complaint is pay so low that after paying a student loan, they are actually behind the RNs.
The other common complaint is having to maintain productivity, ie the number of patients seen in a day.
This is an issue for MDs as well, but as an MD, you have more pull.
The average NP pulls in at least 300k or more in billing yearly and gets paid maybe 100k. Even for those who are earning above average, ie 150k, guess who keeps the rest of that money?
Of course there is overhead, but still.
I am wondering if you are overthinking everything, and putting undue pressure on yourself.
I remember many years ago in RN school, an LPN who had good grades quit the program, literally a month before graduation.
She said the program "wasn't teaching her how to be an RN". In reality, she was simply uncomfortable with the new role.
But nobody is comfortable with any major new role.
You did well enough in college to get into an American medical school. That puts you in the top 2 or 3%.
It probably wasn't a mistake.
An NP colleague recently committed suicide. He must have had huge loans between the DNP and a law degree, and finances were said to be a factor.
He was in his 50's and couldn't see any relief. Apparently.
If you browse KevinMD, doctors seem miserable and many of them are talking of quitting. Suicides among doctors are increasing.
While doctors make more than NPs, most of them also have a lot more student debt than NPs do. The average debt for new docs is $200K and it is not uncommon for debt to be $300K.
Doctors don't make good money right away, either. 4 years of med school, then 1 year internship (horrible hours and crap money), then anywhere from. Residency is from 2 to 5 years, depending on specialty, and pay is around $50K, and long hours. Some specialties require additional fellow ship time after residency. During all these years, most docs take an income-based student loan repayment plan, which means that the interest on their student debit is going to continue to accrue, making their student loan debt even larger.
Medical school, internship, and residency are incredibly stressful and require much longer work hours than NP school and NP residency (if available). Prospective doctors are looking at a minimum of 6 years up to 12 years of horrible stress, long hours, and crap pay before they finally get to make decent money. Most doctors also work very long hours, even after residency. Not everyone is cut out for that and there is no shame in being honest with oneself.
The 2017 Medscape Physician Compensation Report found:
average salary for family practice MD = $209K
" " " internal med MD = $225K
A new grad FNP can make $125K their first year and in a few years, if they open their own practice or go per diem or move to Alaska, can be making $200K a year. Given that it takes 1.5 to 2 years to become an FNP, that seems like quite a good ROI.
Given that it takes 1.5 to 2 years to become an FNP, that seems like quite a good ROI.
Yes, which is why NP salaries have dropped in many areas of the country. Reports of NPs making 70-80k/year are becoming more common. It's no secret that it's easy to become a NP and one has the potential to make good money, if you have the luxury of being able to obtain those opportunities.
Point being, wages fall with more applicants to choose from and this is an increasing trend in the profession.
Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
Yes, which is why NP salaries have dropped in many areas of the country. Reports of NPs making 70-80k/year are becoming more common. It's no secret that it's easy to become a NP and one has the potential to make good money, if you have the luxury of being able to obtain those opportunities.
Point being, wages fall with more applicants to choose from and this is an increasing trend in the profession.
The median wage for NPs is about $100K per year, nationally. That's very good money.
Wages are always location-specific. That is true in any profession. Cost of living must be considered when evaluating compensation. Someone making $80K a year in West Virginia will still have a better standard of living than someone making $125K a year in San Francisco.
Salaries for NPs have gone up, except for two states: Arkansas and Montana.
In general, the Western U.S. pays NPs extremely well.
Being an NP is not the career choice for someone who just wants to make a lot of money. The best jobs for making a boatload of money are: sales, entrepreneur, Wall Street.
Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).
Yes, which is why NP salaries have dropped in many areas of the country. Reports of NPs making 70-80k/year are becoming more common. It's no secret that it's easy to become a NP and one has the potential to make good money, if you have the luxury of being able to obtain those opportunities.
Point being, wages fall with more applicants to choose from and this is an increasing trend in the profession.
ICUman, I just saw on another thread that you posted you live in Nevada and make $120K a year as an RN.
One of the job offers I received as a new grad RN was for $120K in Nevada. That's for the first year for a new grad NP in a low cost of living area.
You're not an NP and to my knowledge, have not expressed a desire to become an NP, so I don't understand why you want to discourage well-qualified candidates, like the OP, from becoming an NP.
You're not an NP and to my knowledge, have not expressed a desire to become an NP, so I don't understand why you want to discourage well-qualified candidates, like the OP, from becoming an NP.
Actually, I haven't discouraged anyone from becoming an NP. Nowhere did I say that. You must have imagined it.
brandy1017, ASN, RN
2,910 Posts
Depression and suicide are an epidemic in the medical community as you are aware. Check out Dr Pamela Wible's articles on KevinMD.com | Social media’s leading physician voice. She even offers her contact info for struggling residents and doctors to reach out to her.
Most importantly take care of yourself get the counseling and medical treatment you need. God bless you and watch over you!