Alright, I just read the thread about those who have regrets or don't have regrets about going into nursing. Most of those who responded were RN's.
I'm just about to apply for the RN program at the school I'm currently attending. However, I don't plan on stopping there, I plan on going all the way through to NP before going back into the workplace. I'm 28 years old, and figure that it makes more sense for me to complete all the schooling towards my goal in one lump sum, as I'm starting towards that goal later than a lot of people. I'm planning on minoring in psychology, and am also taking Spanish so as to be bi-lingual. These were choices I've made hoping to increase my desirability in the work force.
What's your opinion on going straight through to a masters degree?
Is working for the state as a psych NP working with foster kids a reasonable goal fresh out of college?
I've already gotten my CNA certification, and was allowed to shadow the ER psych nurse due to having most of my list checked off quickly. I feel very flattered to admit that several of the nurses and CNA's that I worked with during my clinicals asked me if I was just getting my certification for this state, and were surprised when I told them that I was as new to the job as someone fresh out of high school. I really feel that nursing is the the right profession for me, even if every day wasn't perfect, the job was. Granted clinicals aren't the longest trial run, but at my school at least they run you through your paces. You work on the surgery floor, the PACU, and sometimes the OB wing at the hospital, then you're moved over to a nursing home, where they move you from wing to wing so that you work with people who are just recovering their independence all the way through to the hospice patients. The hardest part of the job for me was not being able to talk about my day with any specificity to my husband.
Can someone explain why NPs "need" to have some years of experience before being considered an effective NP, while PAs can work in several medical areas out of school and not have the same sort of scrutiny about their experience and viability as a medical professional? Do NPs get less training than PAs or inferior training from PAs? I know some people who went strait to a Masters program to become an advanced practice nurse right after their BSN... I've seen some job postings that state something like, "PA New Grad or NP New Grad with years of RN experience..." Why is it that? There's a lot of PAs and Pharmacists who have never touched a patient or filled a pill bottle until they were in grad school for their majors. If the NP programs are so inferior that nurses who graduate from them without years of RN experience are essentially useless, then why not phase them out completely and make PA as the standard for midlevel practitioners? Someone please explain... cuz I have nothing against people who know what they want in life, but there seems to be a nurse-on-nurse crime on this issue. I've heard about it nursing school, I've heard about it in the hospitals, and I've seen it on this forum.
One part of it is that PA schools rarely (if ever) accept people who don't have at least 1000 hours of work in the healthcare setting. As a nurse, you gain the familiarities and the "nose" for some diseases and whatnot. Nothing, NOTHING beats experience, no matter how good the program.
Short answer, would you trust your family member to a MSN nurse who had never worked as a Nurse? How about a NP diagnosing a seriously ill person when they had never been a working Nurse. Not to rain on your parade but you need experience in one degree before you go the next step. My opinion only. Think about the RN-BSN programs, they won't even let you in unless you have an active license. Do you see why?
Short answer, would you trust your family member to a MSN nurse who had never worked as a Nurse? How about a NP diagnosing a seriously ill person when they had never been a working Nurse. Not to rain on your parade but you need experience in one degree before you go the next step. My opinion only. Think about the RN-BSN programs, they won't even let you in unless you have an active license. Do you see why?
I do see where you and others are coming from. I agree of course that experience is irreplaceable and so valuable. At the same time, I empathize with the numerous BSNs who did not want to stay stagnant and jobless in this economy. Who are we to judge them right off the bat and say that they won't be good practitioners? When I started my thread, I thought I would get a more rounded POV from people. I guess I was wrong. Considering how many MSN programs there are advertised on this site, one would think that this some people in this forum would at least give different opinions. And, no, you are not raining on my parade. I was genuinely curious about this issue and just wanted answers. I do get the thing in nursing (and in most other careers) where one has to work their way up the ladder. I totally respect that, but I also feel that I have to pay respect all the NPs out there who went the non-traditional route and have had successful careers and all the other ones that coming after them. Thanks for the comment. God bless.
nohika
506 Posts
One part of it is that PA schools rarely (if ever) accept people who don't have at least 1000 hours of work in the healthcare setting. As a nurse, you gain the familiarities and the "nose" for some diseases and whatnot. Nothing, NOTHING beats experience, no matter how good the program.