I'm just starting out in nursing school. I'm in my first semester, and currently at the tail-end of A&P I. On Tuesday night, one of my classmates asked our professor, who spent the bulk of his career prior to teaching as a scientist for Schering-Plough Research Institute, what a Trump presidency could possibly mean for the future of healthcare professionals. My classmate went on further to ask our professor what he thought a job market in the future would look like for NP's. Before answering the question, our professor went on and on about how MDs and PAs will always be needed, but that he doesn't see a job market for NP's other than as nursing instructors. He was even pretty much shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes! This immediately raised a huge red flag for me. I was pretty horrified by how dismissive he was of this career path. He actually said, "yeah, that's an avenue a lot of nurses are taking these days, mainly because it's the only way to advance their careers."
Can he possibly be serious?! And furthermore, is there any truth to his assumption? I personally know two women who were nurses for 20+ years who recently went back to school to pursue DNPs and are currently working in their specialized fields alongside a group of doctors, and they're very happy and successful. I follow multiple nurses on Instagram who have large social media followings who are recent grads/current NP students and none of them have been relegated to teaching because there is "no job market for NPs."
My lab instructor is a highly respected doctor and I plan on discussing this with him tonight, since I'm sure he knows a lot more about this sort of thing than my lecture instructor seems to think he does.
I would love to "hear" your thoughts on this. Personally, I was horrified and quite offended.
Am sure the professor is not a clinician and hasn't been to any healthcare institution lately. Most clinics and hospitals prefer to hire NPs over PA, from research there was more patient satisfaction with NP than PAs, physicians trust NPs more than PAs in patient management. Infact more than ever before there are more opportunities for NPs and the future seems more promising.
Hi hopefulFNP2017, I'm glad you found my post helpful! I got my MSN pretty much immediately after completing my RN. I realize a lot of people are against rushing to get the MSN after the RN, but I think there are sometimes reasons it makes sense to sooner. Personally, I was on an athletic scholarship and had a year of eligibility left during which they would pay for school, so I had to go back right away in order to take advantage of that. Anyway, I digress.
During my NP program I worked as an RN about 20-30 hours a week for 2 years. This isn't much compared to what most NPs have as far as nursing experience, however it was the most I could do at the time and I feel that it benefited me quite a bit. I worked in an outpatient allergy/asthma practice. I might get some heat for saying this, but I don't feel it is necessary to work inpatient to be a successful NP (at least in primary care). That's not to say you don't gain valuable skills on the floor, but it is not the only route to becoming an NP. That being said, in realizing my relative lack of years of experience compared to other NPs, I feel it is my responsibility to go above and beyond as a new NP (meaning I spend a lot of time doing research, extra CMEs, additional training, etc. in my personal time). Many new NPs do this, however I have also encountered many who do not (the "if I'm not being paid for it I'm not doing it" type) and I personally think that is reckless behavior.
As far as healthcare experience in general, I actually worked as a receptionist in an outpatient pediatric practice during my undergrad. Because I wasn't in a clinical role I did not initially list this on my resume (stupid, I know). However, following some much appreciated advice I added it. And guess what? It was a major factor in one of my job offers! The interviewer actually told me, first thing when I sat down, that my receptionist experience stood out to her because she wanted someone who "understands the behind-the-scenes and doesn't take support staff for granted"... low and behold I was told by one of the NPs that the physician who had recently retired from that office was very rude to the administrative staff! I say this because I believe your clinical research/admin and administration experience could be very beneficial to you in future interviews for any number of reasons. Do not downplay it!
You mention not having any nursing experience. If you can, I would recommend working as an RN during your NP program. However, if you can't pull it (i.e. your course load is too high, job is too demanding) and you can afford to focus on your studies then put all of your energy into that. A lot of people dislike the idea of people getting MSNs with no RN experience. However, I believe that if you are willing to "work in the trenches" as you say, you can pull it off. Just be prepared that you may have to work a less-than-desirable NP job, or even work an RN job for a bit until you find/feel ready for an NP position. If you can, try to find an NP job with an extensive orientation/training period... I believe this is the most important thing for a new grad to focus on in the job search (especially with little RN experience). You will have a steeper learning curve and will have to work extra hard to prove yourself. However, if you have a strong work ethic and don't have unrealistic expectations - for example, believing you can get a perfect NP job immediately after graduating with no RN experience - you can be successful. By the way, it sounds like you absolutely have the right attitude! You seem hard-working and humble, and I think that will take you very far
What an absolutely beautiful post. Your are right about your pediatric receptionist job being a plus. Unfortunately, much of working in an office setting (or even the hospital) involves administrative issues but NPs and MDs are not trained to handle this aspect. Just an additional comment. There are NP residencies out there for both NPs with experience as nurses and those without bedside experience. These residencies are designed to provide further real-life training with appropriate support. Many clinical experiences are not as meaty as required for new grad proficiency. Getting as many hours as possible is also suggested. Conferences are great places for extra education and the pre-conference skill labs are wonderful.
NPs are in demand, but we have to make sure we represent our profession well and keep patients safe. I'm adding extra credentials and doing it differently this time around.
Good luck to all who are pursuing their NP or other advanced credentials, regardless of the path you choose.:)
I say this because I believe your clinical research/admin and administration experience could be very beneficial to you in future interviews for any number of reasons. Do not downplay it!
Sweetbeth
44 Posts
Am sure the professor is not a clinician and hasn't been to any healthcare institution lately. Most clinics and hospitals prefer to hire NPs over PA, from research there was more patient satisfaction with NP than PAs, physicians trust NPs more than PAs in patient management. Infact more than ever before there are more opportunities for NPs and the future seems more promising.