NP w/no desire for RN?

Well, not so much NO desire...but are there any NP's out there that wanted to become (and had their sights set on being an NP from day 1) an NP with no real 'drive' to be an RN first? My cousin is finishing up her RN-MSN program and never really wanted to become an RN, but she really wanted to become an NP, so she went the RN route to become an NP (which I know you have to do).

I know this is somewhat rare, but wondering are there any other NP's out there that looked at RN as kinda pre-NP school/clinical stuff in order to become an NP? Like, they may not be real thrilled with what they are doing (RN) but they know they have to do it in order to become an NP. Keep in mind I'm not saying you would hate being an RN or hate RN's or anything to that affect, but you dream has been to become an NP and RN school/work is a sort of necessary 'not the most enthusiastic' hurdle?

[ECMOismygame]

I was told today by a Health Professions recruiter that California is no longer going to reimburse PAs for Medical patients. PAs are going to be dropped altogether. Does anyone know if this is true? There could be serious implications for PAs wanting to live and work here...like no job!

prolly not. California is one of the most PA friendly states in the country.

[desanobsn]

Well, not so much NO desire...but are there any NP's out there that wanted to become (and had their sights set on being an NP from day 1) an NP with no real 'drive' to be an RN first? My cousin is finishing up her RN-MSN program and never really wanted to become an RN, but she really wanted to become an NP, so she went the RN route to become an NP (which I know you have to do).

I know this is somewhat rare, but wondering are there any other NP's out there that looked at RN as kinda pre-NP school/clinical stuff in order to become an NP? Like, they may not be real thrilled with what they are doing (RN) but they know they have to do it in order to become an NP. Keep in mind I'm not saying you would hate being an RN or hate RN's or anything to that affect, but you dream has been to become an NP and RN school/work is a sort of necessary 'not the most enthusiastic' hurdle?

i can't even tell you how much i relate to what your saying!! i graduated at the age of 46 with a bsn in may 2004, after staying home with three children for 18 years. i NEVER, NEVER, NEVER wanted to work as a floor nurse. i would have gone straight through the NP program if they would have let me. i worked exactly one year, almost to the day, on the floor, which is the amount of experience my university wants you to have. in that year on the floor what did i learn, to put in a foley and an NG tube on a real person instead of a model, 12 hr shifts really mean 14 hrs (and don't think your getting a lunch break either), a safe nurse to pt ratio of 1:5 is a fallacy, experienced nurses seem to despise new grads, and last but not least, nurses are generally treated like crap. if i had to come up with one word to describe the work envirnoment that i saw nurses tolerating, it would be ABUSIVE!!! i think it's very sad, because most nurses really want to do a great job, but how can you accomplish this goal when your working conditions are so poor. i don't know of one nurse that i worked with that left feeling like they were able to give their pts the care they needed. that's pathetic. is it any wonder there's a nursing shortage. i am now taking grad. patho and research and will graduate dec.2007 as an FNP. i am so happy to be back in school. with my new scope of practice comes the knowledge that i will be able to spend quality time with my pts, and give them the care they not only need, but deserve. i can't wait!!

[desanobsn]

I thought 31 years ought to be enough, he, he:chuckle

hi there, i may be missing something, but i don't see that.....although i do hear it all the time. the role of an RN is so entirely different than that of a NP. it seem what you learn on the floor is almost null and void. everything you need to be a NP is taught in the program. how does this prior experience benefit you? your hand on skills will never be used, you will be writing orders instead of taking them off, you don't pass meds, start IVs, etc. grad school has enhanced the knowledge i learned as an undergrad, not vis a vis. maybe it's as i learned in research on the importance of having an EBP, just because some procedure is done on the floor a certain way, doesn't mean it's the best way. many times it's because that's the routine of the floor, or how something has always been done. current research may show differently, so maybe it's the same thing, people always say nursing experience is helpful prior to becoming a NP,when it's really not that much help.????

[desanobsn]

GO FOR IT!! Skip the RN time and don't look back. PA's aren't required to "do time" why should nurse practioners be required to do such? Also, something I've noticed as I investigated your question among nurses with varying degrees of experience:

The nurses that climbed their way up the hard way always seemed to think many years of experience were needed prior to becoming an NP. It's almost as if they were thinking, "I went through the punishment, and you should too". Luckily, this type of thought is changing, and these nurses who have worked being miserable with their two year degree for 30 years will soon be retiring. I had the unfortunate experience of being under their grumpy preceptorship during most of my BSN clinicals-- YuK! An interesting sidenote to this: most of these nurses were overweight, ate junk food at work all day, compained incessantly yet never did anything about their complaint, and took smoke-breaks whenever they could. This is the antithesis of what NP's stand for: mind/body holistic healthcare. No wonder these nurses never went past two years education.

right on brownrice!!!! i absolutely agree with everything you said. i feel like, if you have issues with having a two year degree, or with being an LPN, or whatever, then do something about it. don't just run around being miserable and making everyone around you miserable, just because someone took a different path than you did. nobody just hands you a BSN, or any degree for that matter. i put my family on hold and worked my buns off for 4years to get my degree, and i'm proud of it, by golly. even got a class ring, exactly 30years after i graduated from highschool. why do you see so much of this in nursing? i had a horrible time with this ADN vs. BSN thing at the VA. so much pettyness. i was told that it was because i did not start as an aid and work my way up.....whatever. as a divorced mom of three children, i didn't have time for that . man, where is the love? don't hate, celebrate.......you know who you are!!!

[LCRN]

In response to Desanobsn--> Not all jobs are as you described...maybe it was at the facility that you chose to work at or the particular floor. I am extremely happy as a nurse, I feel I'm respected and love to discuss the plan of care with my physicians. The patients are my priority and I am their advocate. I feel I work in a safe environment because of my co-workers who know what true teamwork means and have my "back" to prevent safety issues when we have a patient doing poorly. I could not imagine doing anything else other than bedside nursing. As many RN's have told me, I hope in 10 years I will remain feeling the same way.

My opinion is that to go on for graduate work you NEED to do some time as a nurse and I'm glad that many schools require a minimum amount of time required.

[desanobsn]

you're just plain dumb no matter how smart you are

Wow what insight and intellect. I went straight into NP school and in less than one year out of NP schhol I am paid in the top 1% of all NPs. I'll be 'just plain dumb' all the way to the bank...

hey cgfnp......LOVE IT, i'm on my way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! do you own your own practice? is that what the top 1% is all about, because that's what i've heard. awesome, desanobsn

[desanobsn]

Yes, I follow you, but would one year of experience as a bike maker give you valuable insight over someone who was not a bike maker. You don't have to be a schizophrenic to treat them, but according to a schizophrenic doctor, she has greater insight into her patient's condition.

Think about what you learn as a floor nurse that would be useful as an NP...lot's right?

lots, WRONG!!

[desanobsn]

In response to Desanobsn--> Not all jobs are as you described...maybe it was at the facility that you chose to work at or the particular floor. I am extremely happy as a nurse, I feel I'm respected and love to discuss the plan of care with my physicians. The patients are my priority and I am their advocate. I feel I work in a safe environment because of my co-workers who know what true teamwork means and have my "back" to prevent safety issues when we have a patient doing poorly. I could not imagine doing anything else other than bedside nursing. As many RN's have told me, I hope in 10 years I will remain feeling the same way.

My opinion is that to go on for graduate work you NEED to do some time as a nurse and I'm glad that many schools require a minimum amount of time required.

lcrn, i'm happy that your experience has been good, my wish is for all nurses to have your personal experience, but i know that it's not. that why we are in the mist of a nation wide nursing shortage, that will only get worse with the ever increasing geriatric population. statistics show that many new nurses are coming out of school, working one or two years, and getting out of the profession entirely because of the poor working conditions and low pay. i worked in two of the three facilities in my area, and never knew of one floor nurse that liked their work. we all wanted to like it, but how do you do that when you are expected to work with limited staff all the time. many times i've seen the night nurses come in with 13 pts each, and they don't take acuity into account like some facilities do. how can you like working in a place like this. my dream job would have been working in same day surgery, but those jobs never opened up, and if they did, they hired internally. if you didn't know someone working there, forget it. i was totally new and just out of school, when i went in for this interview. i guess that's why 75% of their staff are travelers, and they don't renew either. i just want to encourage those who are unhappy, and have not found that dream nursing job, to remember that you can never go wrong by increasing your level of education, because it always opens up your opportunities. it's always worth it.

[zenman]

lots, WRONG!!

It's unfortunate that I have to give some examples of how nursing experience helps in NP school. Here's a few.

1. I have lot's of experience dealing with patients, families and other healthcare providers.

2. I have a working knowledge of how the healthcare system works.

3. I know medications, including which ones are given for different conditions. I actually gave the meds and I'm the first to see the effects of them.

4. I know how to assess patients and when a physician makes rounds can verify his findings with mine. I can even "play" like I'm the attending and see how correct I am when the physician makes his assessment.

5. I really know how to set priorities in the care of patients.

Do you see how this could be a rather long list? Startling how much you actually know!

[sirI, MSN, APRN, NP]

I know my opinion will not be well received, but I need to interject again.

Having RN experience prior to NP school is, IMHO, a must. I've had experience with NPs coming from both backgrounds, with and without RN experience prior to NP school.. The ones who possess the exceptionally higher critical thinking skills are the ones with adequate RN experience. This cannot be obtained with little or no experience and certainly not something one can sharpen in an NP program. It is always difficult to sharpen a blunt object without the proper tool.

Yes, you will get a wonderful education as NP. But, the ones without any experience will not have that smooth transition as they "advance" their practice. And, that is the whole idea, to advance ones' practice.

For example:

As an RN, especially one seeking the NP career, one will gain much knowledge on the whys and hows of medicine. As an RN seeking the NP role, one should be able to logically and systematically obtain an adequate health history applicable to the disease process. If one has never done this prior to NP school, one will be less than prepared for the complex nature of the disciplined physical assessment tool.

As an RN, one will obtain valuable knowledge on why certain diagnostic tests are ordered and how they apply to the disease process. How to interpret said diagnostic values and how these interpretations guide the health care provider (HCP) to tweak the treatment of the patient. This is something you learn in any NP program, but believe me, prior experience in this area allows for a better understanding during the learning process while in the NP program.

As an RN, one will learn how to interact with members of the healthcare team and understand the valuable role each play in the management of the patient. The RN will learn how each develop and manage treatment modalities for the patient.

As an RN, one will observe firsthand how the HCP consults and when, when referral is necessary and why; all necessary to the role of the NP.

Again, this is siri speaking from years of experience as an NP. An NP who serves as mentor for newly graduated NPs coming from both backgrounds and is privy to the difficulties of each. An NP who believes the difference between a good NP and a great NP is a systematic process: the RN living and working in the world of advanced practice.

[desanobsn]

WOW!! Talk about judgmental and bitter! I am a new grad nurse, very SLIM (not that it matters), healthy, non-smoker, workout--- and I, personally, would never want to go to an NP who had no bedside nursing experience. And my future goal is to possibly go to CRNA school as well, but I believe strongly that my skills learned while working as an RN will be invaluable and important.

Thanks for your time and good day...

tinderbox, just because you don't like what brownrice has to say, doesn't mean she's judgmental or bitter. she is telling you how it is, or should i say, how it can be. i can tell you, i have personally seen this exact behavior. people can have good or bad experiences. if your a new grad, you don't have a clue about what your talking about anyway. that's usually how it is, people that know the least, have the biggest opinions. i can relate to everything she says!!! about the NPs, i'd be much more concerned about their knowledge base, skill at diagnosing disease, and following through with a good plan of care, than how good they are at placing an ABD pad, or inserting an NG tube. i think you need to reseach the role, and scope of practice of the NP.

[desanobsn]

It's unfortunate that I have to give some examples of how nursing experience helps in NP school. Here's a few.

1. I have lot's of experience dealing with patients, families and other healthcare providers.

2. I have a working knowledge of how the healthcare system works.

3. I know medications, including which ones are given for different conditions. I actually gave the meds and I'm the first to see the effects of them.

4. I know how to assess patients and when a physician makes rounds can verify his findings with mine. I can even "play" like I'm the attending and see how correct I am when the physician makes his assessment.

5. I really know how to set priorities in the care of patients.

Do you see how this could be a rather long list? Startling how much you actually know!

this is not rocket science. you make it sound like a NP is just thrown out there. when you graduate as an advanced practice nurse, that means you have gone to school for a minimum of 6 years. don't you think in that time, you would have a good understanding of everything involved? if you don't, then somethings wrong. i believe that if you plan to practice mostly in a hospital (which i don't), then get some experience if that's what you feel like you want to do, but i don't think it's necessary. before i began working the floor, i thought the same way, you HAVE to have experience. it wasn't UNTIL i worked on the floor that i realized everything i was doing had nothing to do with being an NP. so i asked my friend who was already in the NP program, "of everthing i'm doing on the floor, what translates to helping me in the NP program", she said basically.....nothing, and she was right. now that i'm in the program, she's totally right. it's two entirely different jobs.