Need insight

This is a question you would need to answer, 100k is a lot to spend on a degree you are not sure of . Take that 100k and put it towards 529 plans for the lil ones if you are not 100% committed .

$100,000 !!!! $100,000!?!?! you are kidding , right? Is it a solid gold diploma with guaranteed passing boards and a job making $200,000 when finished?

Umm, no. I wouldn't pay that kind of money. Is there no way to do a local or state university? Mine only cost like $20K. The above post about you working 8-4...sorry BostonNP but that's just laughable. Yes, the money can be done and that is a typical salary around here for an experienced NP but those hours ? BAHHAHAHHAHHA. More like 8-5; last patient leaves at 5 and then at least 1.5-2 hours of charting/refills/labs,etc either at home via EMR or at the office. I have been in contact with at least four colleagues recently in family practice and we are all feeling the pain of the late charting. WHO LEAVES AT FOUR PM????

Well, me and my colleagues (four others who work family practice and see about 18-24 per day, no rounding) must totally suck or have the wrong system. Because none of us are done at 4. I'm five years out and must've missed the boat on how to "be efficient" because when the 10 minute "sore throat" patient starts telling me about her suicidal thoughts and weird abdominal pain and I check her chart and see she is bipolar and not on meds AND has a history of pancreatitis....my whole afternoon is shot and I'm there until 6. Are you family practice, IM or specialty? My hat goes off to you but I would bet you are the minority.

It is possible to get done on time especially if your EMR has built in templates for most things. I have really never stayed an hour behind for charting except for my first month on the job....8-5.....and Im done!..and yes. ...notes completed! Medications sent right before patients leave the room as well. To the main topic of the thread: you need to have the desire to move on to the provider role.... then everything else becomes secondary for the period you are working on the degree. Started MSN few months after childbirth and we toughed it together through sleepless nights and nanny disappointments....today, He is my MSN baby! :)

misslaceyob, sorry about my previous post, I had the horrors thinking about the debt accrued from that program. I would think it's impossible to pay something like that off.

I would strongly recommend you look at Frontier. They are an online FNP program which is very affordable. They also have the distinguished honor of being the first FNP program in the US and are very well respected. They also do midwifery I believe and have a strong women's health focus. You do have to find your own preceptors, but they also have a list of NP's willing to precept. I had strongly considered them before I went for PMHNP instead of FNP. My in state B&M tuition is about $545.00 a credit hour, I think Frontier is about the same.

I think your nursing intuition is trying to tell you something right now. If you have that gut feeling, listen to it. You are young and have plenty of time to pursue FNP, please be smart about it and pursue all the options before getting into a hole with that kind of money.

As far as having no time, well, I am almost halfway through my grad program and it is hard and time consuming. I also have to say I love the NP role and am willing to sacrifice for a couple of years to get where I want to be professionally. You should write out your pro and con list and see what comes up. I must say that it seems that not too many NP's regret their choice.

The time you have with your 'lil' one goes by so fast. If it was me, I would take just one a course at a time until your child is at least in a pre-school/day care program. Meanwhile you can share what you learn with your colleagues which enhances the profession. Sounds like you love women's health and it is a natural for you so I believe you chose the program well as George Town has an excellent reputation and is more well known (Lord knows they advertise a lot). You will eventually get that investment back in spades and to name a few options can get work in a clinic with other nurses or midwives or a hospital system. If you apply for loan forgiveness at least some of the debt load can be reduced significantly. This works best working for a state or government facility such as on a military post but as a civilian worker once you graduate. Like nurses wear multiple hats so it has been shown 'we can have our cake and eat it too':)

This is a question you would need to answer, 100k is a lot to spend on a degree you are not sure of . Take that 100k and put it towards 529 plans for the lil ones if you are not 100% committed .

Am I missing something here? Where in the world did the OP mention she wanted advice on what to do with her potential tuition to grad school? How do you know she's not independently wealthy and can afford it? I'm sure she looked into the cost of the school when she applied. You've completely hijacked her thread and offered unsolicited advice on something she didn't ask.

OP, if you have the desire to further your education do so. Whether you do it now or later is up to you and your family. Like a previous poster said, I suggest you take one class at a time so you will still have time for family. You may find that to be a more reasonable balance for your life than diving in full-time.

You will also have to look at what you want your life to look like 5, 10, or 20 years from now...do you still see yourself working the bedside on nights? Nightshift can wear you down over time and you may find yourself missing out on more of your child's life than you would imagine. With bedside positions such as yours you have weekends and holidays to consider, not to mention being sleep deprived and needing to sleep when a good majority of the population is awake. Like BostonFNP said as an NP it's possible to work a M-F job making 100k +.

Overall what I would tell you to focus on is your future and what you want it to look like. From there you will be able to make an informed decision.