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!
I am currently a fnp but work in ent and have gotten my corln certification which is really for rn's but it looks good that i have this on my resume...most of my experience in ent was "on the job training">
Specializes in trauma-burns CCM, endocrinology, ac care.
I am an Acute Care NP (and I teach at a university in the same program as well). I have worked in critical care, in the hospitalist role, and in endocrinology. With my scope of practice as an ACNP, I am allowed to treat pts from age 13 years and above. i have toyed with obtaining my certification in the Family NP track as well, so that I will have scope for practice with pediatrics and women's health. Many of my colleagues have multiple certifications as well.
With experience and hard work, and depending on which state and which type of practice, NPs can earn from entry level of $60K+ up to $100K+ with experience.
I started out in endocrinology, which was a good place to start. I learned about a finite speciality in internal medicine, became good at it and from there ,allowed my horizons to expand. I saw the bread and butter of endocrinology, which is about 65-70% diabetes mellitus cases, but also grew to be very adept with thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, adrenal and gonadal disorders, not forgetting osteoporosis and osteopenia as well.
During my second year in endocrinology, I began moonlighting as a hospitalist, which allowed my internal medicine learning curve to explode. I was exposed to a wide range of internal medicine disorders, and I gained a lot of experience in a very wide field of both internal medicine and pre-and post-op care (when surgeons consulted us for medical management). With my experience expanding, I quit endocrinology and went full time into the hospitalist role and took a part time job in critical care as well, which is where I stand after a year.
Many NPs take on moonlighting jobs along with full time jobs for many reasons. It is possible if a full time position requires only 36 hour weeks or, as in my case, 2 weeks per month working full time.
As a hospitalist, I have full autonomy seeing new pts from the ER to be admitted, I work them up fully, start treatment and then hand them over to my attendings when I am done for the day, and they resume care the minute I am finished with these pts. Sometimes I take over an attending's list when the attending is off for the day (we have 10 MDs and 4 fulltime NPs, and a whole slew of moonlighters working in our group, and on any given day, 2-3 MDs can be off).
In the ICU setting, I work 12 hour days with an attending by my side. I do everything that he does, run codes and rapid responses in the hospital when they are called, do procedures, etc. I see new admissions to the ICU, transfer stable ones out of the ICU, and continue care with the established ones.
I love my jobs and would not trade them for the world.
My attendings (hospitalists and critical care) are always available to me if I have any questions either by phone or in person. I have great working relationships with them all, and have come to regard a few of them as friends after all.
How much do I earn? Six figures in total. I still have days off, but strange enough, I love my jobs so much that when I am off, I miss working.
I know many NPs in different settings and specialties. Not everyone is happy in their setting and specialty, which is why many NPs are flexible enough to seek out jobs and specialties until they find a niche that best suits them, and then they usually settle down and blossom in that field.
How you settle on pay and benefits depends on how good a negotiator you are. You do not have to sign a contract the second it is placed under your nose. Remember, you can negotiate, which means, you are allowed to disagree with terms, and both parties will have to find compromises. With a little help from other NPs around, you can learn how to negotiate contracts that will be beneficial to you.
Many NPs have succeeded before you, which means you can do it too!
Has anyone heard about UMDNJ's ED concentration in the FNP program? I just spoke with them and the program (brand new for Fall 2010), will prepare NP's to work in the front of the ED, not just express/urgent care. They are sending me position papers from the ANA and what not, but said that since "a lot of the ED is now primary care...etc....NP's will be able to do it all....intubate...."
If this is true (I was given a lot of info on the phone and don't remember it all!), that sounds exciting and a little terrifying/questionable.
They said the concentration is three extra classes....um...hmm. I will wait until I have their snail mail information before I comment on all that.
Anybody heard about it? Insider info? Hate to say it, but wonder what salary would be like. Maybe NPs will be in the front, but not trauma rooms...
UMDNJ is tops on my list of schools to consider. Hoping someone replies to your post.
Also, last week, one of my patients that had knee surgery said that the ANP closed up the incision. Can anyone give me an idea on how does a ANP assist with surgeries ? What can they do in surgery is what I am trying to understand.
I'm an advanced practice nurse (APN) who works in nephrology.
First, I must say that the reason (nowadays at least) for APNs is that they can bill and bring in revenue for the practice.
I work in a large practice and do dialysis rounding in several chronic hemodialysis units. I see anywhere from 40 to 70 pts per day. Though this sounds like a lot, most are pts I know well and so the visit is quite focused. Also, these pts don't require rooming, vitals are done and they are already to see me which saves a tremendous amt of time.
I'm an adult health CNS (2006) and I just recently completed a peds CNS (2010) so I can now see everyone and since I've had two acute roles, I have no problems being qualified to see both inpts and outpts.
This is a question I've been wanting to ask NPs for a while....do any of you miss direct bedside nursing or have you never looked back once you got your NP?
I am in PICU and in school getting MSN. Basically I am not sure what I want to be when I grow up. Thinking FNP (as a post master's) for marketability but focus will probably still be on Peds. I guess I'm not sure I want to leave bedside nursing yet but I also am trying to look to my future and areas I would want to invest that future in. The more I research it, the more I have questions. Thanks!
Specializes in Emergency, MCCU, Surgical/ENT, Hep Trans.
The UMDNJ curriculum appears to be a dream program. Sounds like a fun time! You probably could make it what ever you wanted, including wrapping an "ortho" rotation into it by talking with one of the Ortho attendings with faculty/advisor by-in.
My grad school was very open to us exploring opportunities, especially once we finished our 2/4 rotation. I chose cardiology and spent several weeks with different cards NPs, fellows and attendings in clinic, cath labs, echos, treadmills, etc. They took the approach of this being "our time" to make it what we wanted, especially if we knew WHAT we wanted and it sounds as if you have a plan. Go for it!!!
I am certified as an ANP and have certification as a CNS in cardiac health and disease management. I work at a large academic institution in the electrophysiology department. I am in clinic two days per week and in the office the other two days and I take off one day per week. I work no weekends, no nights, no call and no holidays. I love my schedule and my job.
My suggestion is if you want to work in a speciality area is to get as much experience as you can in that area as an RN and in your clinical rotations in order to make yourself more marketable when it comes time to job hunting.
And in answer to one of the previous posters, no, I don't miss bedside nursing. You couldn't pay me enough to go back to that. NP is the way to go, INMHO.
WOW!! With only 7+ years experience, you have accomplished ALOT! How long were you a nurse before you became a NP? How long have you been working as a NP?
I am an Acute Care NP (and I teach at a university in the same program as well). I have worked in critical care, in the hospitalist role, and in endocrinology. With my scope of practice as an ACNP, I am allowed to treat pts from age 13 years and above. i have toyed with obtaining my certification in the Family NP track as well, so that I will have scope for practice with pediatrics and women's health. Many of my colleagues have multiple certifications as well.
With experience and hard work, and depending on which state and which type of practice, NPs can earn from entry level of $60K+ up to $100K+ with experience.
I started out in endocrinology, which was a good place to start. I learned about a finite speciality in internal medicine, became good at it and from there ,allowed my horizons to expand. I saw the bread and butter of endocrinology, which is about 65-70% diabetes mellitus cases, but also grew to be very adept with thyroid, parathyroid, pituitary, adrenal and gonadal disorders, not forgetting osteoporosis and osteopenia as well.
During my second year in endocrinology, I began moonlighting as a hospitalist, which allowed my internal medicine learning curve to explode. I was exposed to a wide range of internal medicine disorders, and I gained a lot of experience in a very wide field of both internal medicine and pre-and post-op care (when surgeons consulted us for medical management). With my experience expanding, I quit endocrinology and went full time into the hospitalist role and took a part time job in critical care as well, which is where I stand after a year.
Many NPs take on moonlighting jobs along with full time jobs for many reasons. It is possible if a full time position requires only 36 hour weeks or, as in my case, 2 weeks per month working full time.
As a hospitalist, I have full autonomy seeing new pts from the ER to be admitted, I work them up fully, start treatment and then hand them over to my attendings when I am done for the day, and they resume care the minute I am finished with these pts. Sometimes I take over an attending's list when the attending is off for the day (we have 10 MDs and 4 fulltime NPs, and a whole slew of moonlighters working in our group, and on any given day, 2-3 MDs can be off).
In the ICU setting, I work 12 hour days with an attending by my side. I do everything that he does, run codes and rapid responses in the hospital when they are called, do procedures, etc. I see new admissions to the ICU, transfer stable ones out of the ICU, and continue care with the established ones.
I love my jobs and would not trade them for the world.
My attendings (hospitalists and critical care) are always available to me if I have any questions either by phone or in person. I have great working relationships with them all, and have come to regard a few of them as friends after all.
How much do I earn? Six figures in total. I still have days off, but strange enough, I love my jobs so much that when I am off, I miss working.
I know many NPs in different settings and specialties. Not everyone is happy in their setting and specialty, which is why many NPs are flexible enough to seek out jobs and specialties until they find a niche that best suits them, and then they usually settle down and blossom in that field.
How you settle on pay and benefits depends on how good a negotiator you are. You do not have to sign a contract the second it is placed under your nose. Remember, you can negotiate, which means, you are allowed to disagree with terms, and both parties will have to find compromises. With a little help from other NPs around, you can learn how to negotiate contracts that will be beneficial to you.
Many NPs have succeeded before you, which means you can do it too!
johnson0424
261 Posts
I am currently a fnp but work in ent and have gotten my corln certification which is really for rn's but it looks good that i have this on my resume...most of my experience in ent was "on the job training">