NP Specialties?

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Specializes in Plastic Surgery / ENT / Head & Neck Surgery.

I have my ADN, decided to go back for my BSN and almost have that completed as well. I work in a mildly busy ER as an ER Nurse and enjoy it (sometimes ;-) ). I am now thinking the NP route is the way to go for me, just can't justify putting my life on hold for the CRNA route so NP it shall be. Anyway, I am curious about the different specialties that NP's can work in. I see their job role in the ER and quite frankly I feel they are harshly underpaid for what they do. I would be interested in seeing/hearing about what NP's do in different specialty settings. Just to throw out a few, Nephro, Gastro, OBGYN, Derm, Ortho, Endo, etc. Anyone work in any of these settings? What kind of duties do you have? What is the pay/benefits like in a practice group? How is the job satisfaction? Just testing the waters, any info would help, thanks!

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Wow....i came here to ask the same question. Like you I can't afford to be out of work for 2yrs for the CRNA program...esp with two young daughters.....loan or no loan. One semester shy of completing my ADN. I have a bachelors in Biz already.

NP seems to be the way to go.....I am doing an externship in Orthopedics over the summer and thinking this is a nice area to be in. No life nor death situations....well...not usually.

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Specializes in Critical Care & ENT.

Congrats to both of you for almost finishing school. After completing the BSN, you can tackle the next box of finding a NP school. Choices.....online or classroom setting. NP schools prepare students in various tracks: Family, Psych, Women's Health, Acute Care, Emergency, etc. Usually afterwards, thats when many people may find a job in a particular area such as Ortho, Neuro, Urology, etc. There are tons of threads on here in which people talk about the various aspects of your questions.

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Thanks MC1906,

help me understand the NP programs. I can't find any schools in my area that has Orthropedics ..here is one school i am looking at in my area: http://sn.umdnj.edu/academics/masters/index.htm

as you can see there is nothing on Orthopedics...so how does this work.....one has general studies...and then specialize later ?

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Psych.

Orthopedics is not an NP specialty to my knowledge. NP specialties are usually broader than that. For example, if you wanted to work in Ortho you could get your FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner) or ANP (Adult Nurse Practioner) or PNP (Pediatric Nurse Practitioner). If you did FNP, you could see any age group. ANP is adults, PNP is kids. You pick a broad specialty area, and then you can focus on a sub-specialty, like ortho, derm, oncology, etc. Does that make sense?

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Specializes in Critical Care & ENT.

DaddyO...see Sydney's post. That is exactly right. Picking the right NP program is based on what your needs are and what is most important to you. Many people who are FNP or ANP that I know of, later specialize in an area of their interest or where they can find a job.

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Ok yes...that makes sense and Thank You. the NPs on my floor for some reason aren't as willing to share their story. I thought there were additional classes...if I am reading the ONCB site correctly, after completing the NP Program (and having 3yrs as a RN and 1500hrs as a NP), one has to take an exam and certification is awarded after passing the exam ?

Correct me if I am wrong...and thanks again !!

http://www.oncb.org/apncertification/apnexameligibility.html

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Ok yes...that makes sense and Thank You. the NPs on my floor for some reason aren't as willing to share their story. I thought there were additional classes...if I am reading the ONCB site correctly, after completing the NP Program (and having 3yrs as a RN and 1500hrs as a NP), one has to take an exam and certification is awarded after passing the exam ?

Correct me if I am wrong...and thanks again !!

http://www.oncb.org/apncertification/apnexameligibility.html

This is for RN's getting a cert in ortho. What you are looking for is an NP fellowship of some sorts. This is done after completion of NP school (for the broadest scope, FNP). UNC Chapel Hill has one. Or, you can be trained by the doc.

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This is for RN's getting a cert in ortho. What you are looking for is an NP fellowship of some sorts. This is done after completion of NP school (for the broadest scope, FNP). UNC Chapel Hill has one. Or, you can be trained by the doc.

Thanks...I may be a little confused here.....help me out

The bullet, second from the bottom says:

"Hold a Master's Degree or higher in nursing from an advanced practice (APRN) nursing program as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or nurse practitioner (NP)"

So this means I can only take the exam after the Masters is completed. Your saying it is for RNs getting a Orth Cert...but they are asking for the completion of a Master's Degree.

and how does a NP fellowship get factored into this ?

Here is my thinking:

1. Finsih RN program and pass boards

2. I can simultaneous enroll in a NP program while working on the 3yrs min requirement as a RN.

3. After completing the NP program I need 1500hrs of NP exp (is this the Fellowship part) ?

4. After 1500hrs, i can apply to take the exam

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Thanks...I may be a little confused here.....help me out

The bullet, second from the bottom says:

"Hold a Master's Degree or higher in nursing from an advanced practice (APRN) nursing program as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or nurse practitioner (NP)"

So this means I can only take the exam after the Masters is completed. Your saying it is for RNs getting a Orth Cert...but they are asking for the completion of a Master's Degree.

and how does a NP fellowship get factored into this ?

Here is my thinking:

1. Finsih RN program and pass boards

2. I can simultaneous enroll in a NP program while working on the 3yrs min requirement as a RN.

3. After completing the NP program I need 1500hrs of NP exp (is this the Fellowship part) ?

4. After 1500hrs, i can apply to take the exam

The ONCB is not really a certification in the sense that the FNP or ACNP is. Its a certification designed by a nursing group for their members.

Generally certifications fall into three categories. Those that are recognized by all states for NP certification. Those that are recognized by some states for NP certification. Those that are recognized by no states for NP certification.

Generally the certification organizations that are recognized by all states are:

ANCC, AANP, NCC and PNCB. Most state are also accepting the ACNP from AACN.

Within the ANCC but also other organizations there are certain certifications that are not accepted by all states:

Chief would be the Oncology NP and Geriatric NP.

The ANCC has a special place here. There are many states that will accept any ANCC certification. Other states will only accept select NP certifications. The certifications from ANCC that may not be accepted include school NP and Family Psych and mental health NP.

Finally there are certifications that are sponsored by various private or nursing organizations. These certifications are not recognized by any state (as far as I know). They would include transplant nurse practitioner or orthopedic nurse practitioner to name a few. Part of the issue with these certifications (and the oncology and geriatric above) is that they do not require further formalized didactic or clinical education to get the certification. Most State BONs have a policy that you can extend your scope of practice with experiential learning but you cannot attain an entirely new certification without a formal program of education.

If you are interested in orthopedics you can certainly get certified but it doesn't really do anything. Also you should probably examine the barriers to working in orthopedics.

David Carpenter, PA-C

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Specializes in Critical Care & ENT.

The first thing you have to do is to become a RN, then go to NP school. Since your interested in Ortho, you probably would do best in a Family or Adult track. (Assuming you want to work with adults). You obtain the education that would allow you to manage various diseases and health issues for patients. If you choose to specialize in Ortho, finding a NP residency might be the next move for you. Maybe after you get your RN, you work on an Ortho floor. It all depends on what you want to do within the role as a NP that specializes in Ortho.

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Thanks for the replies....

I was under the impression that after a certain point in the program....you would concentrate more on a specialty....much like what I did for my undergrad in business and I was not finding any Ortho programs and you have explained why.

I am opting for Ortho now, because of my experience over the summer. Moreover, I was told that there is a good chance I may have a spot in the Ortho area after graduation.

Just trying to somewhat map things out now and come up with a game plan for the next phase. I don't want to stop taking classes...last time i did, it took forever to start up again. I'm 40 and want to get this over sooner than later...hehehe

Thanks my friends.....but uh...I may still have a question or three left in me :-)

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