Now I finally get why nursing experience can prove invaluable in NP school, yet actually means nothing. It appears that nursing experience gives a valuable base from which to relate but does absolutely nothing for helping one think through a disease process as a provider. I may be simply stating the obvious, but I am amazed at how different the two roles are. I am be no means an old pro, but some conditions I can take care of in my sleep - as a nurse. As a potential provider though, even a simple cold is not so simple. It is amazing how a myriad of disease processes and conditions can present with mostly the same symptoms, only differentiated by some seemingly obscure item in their history. I can see how some are making a mistake in pursuing a NP degree though. Listening to them, what they really want is to further their bedside nursing career. A degree as a NP CHANGES your career, not furthers it. The confusion manifests itself in the struggle to move away from the bedside nursing thinking process, to that of a provider. We all have that struggle, but some seem to not realize that their struggle is not with the material, but the role itself. All that being said, I love NP school. I can see one why, generally, a couple of year's experience nursing is good but also why decades of experience is not necessary. It truly does come down to the individual.
That's my conundrum...deciding which route to take in light of rapidly changing definition and scope of practice..
Nursing has the advantage in sheer numbers and lobby representation, but PA's have the (perceived) advantage in the medical model training.
It will come down to personal preference for you. Do you prefer the nursing model or the medical model.
To further complicate things, I am hearing rumblings that NANDA and nursing diagnoses may be going away relatively soon as studies have shown that this terminology confuses patients and causes issues with the delivery of care. The suggestion was that everyone get on the same page in regard to terminology.....we shall see.
Well tis true. People such as yourself prompted me to want to become a nurse. I will never forget the kindness and compassion shown to me by nurses when I was sick.
I prefer the nursing model. I find the medical model to be a bit dehumanized. However, I hear this is changing and that med schools are placing much more focus on treating patients as humans and are working hard to improve bedside manner etc.....
The answer probably, like all things lies somewhere in the middle.
I had a lengthy conversation with the dean of the FNP program at Columbia University. Her opinion is that every day working at the bedside is time and money lost......
Just sayin
Yes, time and money lost for THEM.
I don't trust a word that comes out of any school administrator on the nursing shortage, on career opportunities for nurses, and how much bedside experience you need to become an NP.
It will come down to personal preference for you. Do you prefer the nursing model or the medical model.
To further complicate things, I am hearing rumblings that NANDA and nursing diagnoses may be going away relatively soon as studies have shown that this terminology confuses patients and causes issues with the delivery of care. The suggestion was that everyone get on the same page in regard to terminology.....we shall see.
I haven't seen "nursing diagnoses" used in years at my workplace. Worthless and idiotic they are..."Potential for Infection..." Duh.
However, they have not been done away with. No, they've merely been disassembled and then clumsily integrated throughout the unending and exponentially growing burden of hoop-jumping and check-boxes in any given E-chart .
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
Yes.
NP's are as busy overcoming the word "nurse" as PA's are busy overcoming the word "assistant."
There's been a longtime, heated movement within the PA realm to change their title to "Physician Associate." MD's do not like it, as the term "Physician Associate" is too close to home, and thus it has been shot down.
Nurse Practitioners have a similar battle in public consciousness...that of getting rid of the stigma of the word "nurse." In other words, "can I start your IV and fetch you some pillows while I perform a full-on, differential diagnosis? Oh and btw, you have a pheochromocytoma."
As a voracious reader of medical blogs - it would seem that patients very often see a nurse practitioner who works in a specialty team also have the positive attributes associated with nursing. Working in areas like oncology or nicu they are seen as more accessible, willing to spend more time explaining things, and able to help navigate the bewildering labrynth to those who are newly diagnosed and just lost, but not have to say "let me check with the doctor and get back to you" either.
There are a lot of factors to consider. As I said earlier, I saw a transition period where many nurses felt ready to grow and expand beyond the bedside or unit manager roles, basically create these jobs for themselves and figure out what to call it later. Their roots in traditional nursing were deep, though. Maybe I subconsciously related it to that. Again, sorry for any misunderstandings!
I appreciate your comments. Usually, when people make disparaging remarks about NPs w/o RN experience I get all frustrated, but you've provided some interesting context for your comments. Still, as a DE NP-to-be, I've gotta say, these programs aren't going anywhere. And as others have already stated, some truly excellent nursing schools (Yale, Columbia, UCSF, Boston College, Penn, etc.) all have DE programs. It's true that the market can be tight, but that really depends on your specialty. I'm going into psych and everyone has told me I'll be able to write my own ticket. Haha, I guess I"ll see in 3 years...
As a voracious reader of medical blogs - it would seem that patients very often see a nurse practitioner who works in a specialty team also have the positive attributes associated with nursing. Working in areas like oncology or nicu they are seen as more accessible, willing to spend more time explaining things, and able to help navigate the bewildering labrynth to those who are newly diagnosed and just lost, but not have to say "let me check with the doctor and get back to you" either.
There are a lot of factors to consider. As I said earlier, I saw a transition period where many nurses felt ready to grow and expand beyond the bedside or unit manager roles, basically create these jobs for themselves and figure out what to call it later. Their roots in traditional nursing were deep, though. Maybe I subconsciously related it to that. Again, sorry for any misunderstandings!
No misunderstandings on my part, and thank you for your insight and thoughtful posts.
mindlor
1,341 Posts
It will come down to personal preference for you. Do you prefer the nursing model or the medical model.
To further complicate things, I am hearing rumblings that NANDA and nursing diagnoses may be going away relatively soon as studies have shown that this terminology confuses patients and causes issues with the delivery of care. The suggestion was that everyone get on the same page in regard to terminology.....we shall see.