NP Maybe? Maybe Not?

EastCoast · Oct 18, 2003

I know that you will hear this countless times...you can pass science. It is chemistry, bio, anatomy, physiology, microbio. Think of yourself as being on a treadmill. You just keep going and chipping away at the miles and soon you will get off. If science is not a strong point i would advise taking them at a CC at nite where the students might be older and the learning might be geared to the adult learner. You can actually transfer those credits to your nursing degree. I would advise volunteering however in a hospital. THere is no sense wasting money b/c yu think a career might be interesting without seeing it first hand.

Good luck. you can do it.

richard13 · Jan 12, 2004

Hi there, I don't want to sound negative or anything, but you should see what it is like to be a nurse for a week, if you have that kind of time. Every other weekend, every other holiday, 12 hour shifts, and all the politics of the practice. Nursing is great don't get me wrong I love being an ICU nurse, most of the time. But give look see first. Also, a friend of mine, NP since April/May of last year, can not find a job anywhere. I don't know if the field for NP's is getting saturated, but it is something to investigate. No other profession that I know, can you save someone's life, take them off the ventilator and have them scream profanities at you for your entire shift. It makes you feel like you did something really special. Then the families you connect with and the patients you pull for, die. It's a strange beast, never a dull moment, and two days hardly the same. Good Luck! I really do think the glass is half full!!

EastCoast · Jan 13, 2004

Originally posted by richard13
. No other profession that I know, can you save someone's life, take them off the ventilator and have them scream profanities at you for your entire shift.

i think you forgot to mention load them with charcoal ...and then by day 2 they'll be looking for AMA papers...

telenurse04 · May 4, 2004

I feel the same as the other nurses in saying that you should get some experience and feel for what the profession is like before starting college. Working as a nursing assistant may do you well. You are in the wrong profession if your focus is more money. This is a great profession if you want to be a leader. It is great if you want to enter people's lives (realizing sometimes they don't want you there). If you want a lot of responsiblity with little authority, go for it. Nursing is stuck in its old ways. Nursing stemmed from three backgrounds. A religious, military, and umm something else I forget. This means that nurses are expected to give service without asking for a lot back. This means that nurses shine their shoes, press their clothes, and do things in a certain way because they have a military background in the development of their profession. Science is very much the core of the profession if you ask me. Math is my worst subject. Luckily the only math in nursing is basic algebra and arithmitic used in calculating doses and setting IV pumps. (and converting measurments) However, if you are going to be a NP, you must take the GRE to get into graduate school. The GRE has lots of math on it. You'd probably do well in the verbal portion though. From the age of 13 and beyond I have been fascinated by science. This is why I became a nurse. There is science in how you do a physical exam, in the disease of the patient, and in the drugs you give. There is science behind the interventions a nurse does. You must know the basics of statistics in a BSN or MSN program. Evidence Based practice (research) is the hot thing today. We want to show everyone that what we are doing is effective. We want to know the best way to get to a desired outcome. Overall, look at why you want to go to nursing school. Start as a nursing assistant. Then, decide. Have you looked at the pre-req's to NP programs? I am admitted to the critical care/acute care NP program. 2 years of critical care nursing as an RN was a requirement to get into that program.

muesli · Oct 19, 2011

Hi there, I don't want to sound negative or anything, but you should see what it is like to be a nurse for a week, if you have that kind of time. Every other weekend, every other holiday, 12 hour shifts, and all the politics of the practice. Nursing is great don't get me wrong I love being an ICU nurse, most of the time. But give look see first. Also, a friend of mine, NP since April/May of last year, can not find a job anywhere. I don't know if the field for NP's is getting saturated, but it is something to investigate. No other profession that I know, can you save someone's life, take them off the ventilator and have them scream profanities at you for your entire shift. It makes you feel like you did something really special. Then the families you connect with and the patients you pull for, die. It's a strange beast, never a dull moment, and two days hardly the same. Good Luck! I really do think the glass is half full!!

Don't forget, she's looking to be an NP, not a staff nurse. NPs can work in doctor's offices and in other settings where they don't do direct hands-on care.

In general there is a consensus among nurses (my experience) that NPs need several years of nursing experience first. One of the reasons is that NP programs typically have less clinical hours than their counterparts Physician Assistants, who more often enter into those programs without an educational or work background in healthcare. (hint hint). Do these direct entry programs allow you to sit for your boards to get an RN? Are you willing to work as a staff nurse first? Important questions.