New Grad FNP job hunting

Specialties NP

Published

Hello,

I am a new grad as of December 2015 and I have passed my FNP certification through the AANP. I am in search of a position as an FNP. I have over 16 years of experience as a registered nurse. I worked in pediatrics, med/surg, ICU, CVICU, MICU, NICU, and the emergency room. I have applied for positions ranging from ED, Urgent care, CVS Clinic, Walgreens Clinic, the Little Clinic as well as some hospital based programs. Any suggestions? Do I need to be more patient? I have reached out to several contacts and they seem to think that I am a guaranteed position. While I was in school all of my clinical rotations wanted me when I was finished. However, now that I have graduated and completed my certification they all have no openings at this time. I am eager to start working in my new role. Any suggestions or ideas would be most helpful.

Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

Huh. Psychguy, it's not very nice to roundly disparage an entire profession, especially on their own board. I am sure you are very intelligent, and I am glad you have a job you love and are well compensated for it. I am quite intelligent myself, and also love my work. I enjoy being able to stretch my brain past its limit almost every day. I enjoy the challenge of working through a puzzling case. I also enjoy being the one writing the orders, writing the plan, and being a clinical team leader. I like knowing that I have so, so, so very much to learn over these next 5, 10, 50 years. It's exciting. Not everyone likes that stuff though. Nurses who love working the floor are not simpletons passing out dilaudid on autopilot.

It's one thing to say that being a CNM/NP/PA requires a deeper thought process and a wider knowledge base than nursing. That is true, as a general rule. It is also true that not all RNs have the cognitive skill to be a clinician. That's okay. But in no way does that imply that career RNs are not intelligent, just because they are satisfied with their job.

I do, however, agree that we have dug ourselves into a hole with the glut of NP grads we are churning out from some very questionable schools. Not good for the profession or for our patients. While I do not support DNP as entry to practice, we need to shore up the standards for NP education, like right now. No more of this find-your-own-preceptor bullhockey.

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.

And OP, maybe try applying at Planned Parenthood :) I can't speak for the rest of the country, but my affiliate has robust training and mentoring for new graduates, and we hire them fairly regularly.

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Yeah well, pretty much every nurse I know is going back for their fnp so yeah, so much for the cognitive gap.

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Stories like this make me glad I'm going back to medical school. Only a couple years ago the job market where I am was great, now its not so much. I mean there isn't anything wrong with people going back and furthering their education, but when everybody does it, it puts a squeeze on the market.

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Specializes in FNP.

I don't blame you for going to medical school, I'm 48 though. When I put pen to paper, it was better for me to go for FNP. If I was 10 years younger I'd have gone for MD.

I'm in Texas where 30% of the counties don't even have a provider at all. So FNP's here shouldn't have a problem at all finding a job.

Mike

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OP where do you live? Did you find a job and if so what?

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