Need Advice on FNP school!

[amberthenurse]

hi, i have been a nurse for about 2 years, but with only about 7 months real experience in the hospital. i am wanting to go back to school for fnp, but am a little concerned that i don't have enough experience. my questions are: do i need a lot more experience to be a good np out of school? when you get hired as a new np does the job come with an orientation? i love diagnosing and treating patients, i think i am just a little scared of increasing my level of responsibility when there is so much i don't know already!

thanks to all who reply!!

[linearthinker, DNP, RN]

I spent most of my 25 year RN career in critical care. In short, my background has nothing to do with primary care and has done very little to prepare me for primary care practice. The practice that hired me fell all over themselves about my "experience" and I had to hide my smirk. After NP clinicals, I know full well that my RN experience has almost zero application to being a FNP. But hey, they loved it and want to pay me more b/c of it. I'll laugh all the way to the bank. I think I'll do fine, on par with every other new grad NP. I don't think my background translates into much of an advantage for either myself or the patient. It would be a different story had I chosen ACNP, but probably not wildly different. It is a totally different role. Some experience is probably a good thing, like the PAs that have to do a few hundred hours of patient care in some capacity to get into school. I think at some point, enough is enough, and any more than that is useless.