NP w/no desire for RN?

Specialties NP Nursing Q/A

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?

Specializes in rehab, ortho, cardiac.

i say go straight for the np pinoy. if you believe that you can do it, then give it a shot. you just make sure that you put in all your effort into it. yes, youll spend some time in hell but youll be making orders after the fire settles. =)

by the way, tell me how it turns out, im gonna be doing the same thing as you.

I only chose to pursue nursing in order to become a NP. I looked at the time I spent in nursing school getting my BS as "clinicals" and the two years I worked to gain experience as a sort of residency. I'm now in my second year of the FNP program and loving it. I don't hate being an RN but this is not what I want to be doing the rest of my life. I chose not to go the PA route because many states offer more autonomy for the NP than they do for the PA. Plus I really like the theoretical framework that most NP education programs implement as far as patient care, family education, and preventive medicine. Don't feel bad for pursuing your goals and looking at the RN program as a stepping stone to your future.

Specializes in oncology, surgical stepdown, ACLS & OCN.
PAs have much more clinical time than NPs, 2,000 hrs plus compared to 600 hrs or so so there is not quite an even comparison.

When I was in the ARMY in 1970,the best officers and leaders were the ones who had the most experience. So who would you want in this life or death situation, a newbie right out of school or someone who had experience under their belt?

If you go straight into NP school WITHOUT any experience, you're just plain dumb no matter how smart you are. You certainly don't have to have 31 years of experience like me, however, consider that I was "learning" along the way. I really don't consider it "punishment" but "educational moments" that others might love to have.

I am a nurse (oncology specialty & step down ) I couldn't agree with you more! These people who want to be NP's without getting the practice and experience of an RN in the acute arena are going to get into trouble because

of lacking bedside experience. Practicing in an acute area such as a hospital is very valuable experience!

I understand that most nurses suggest having bedside experience, and I agree completely. I'd never want to start as an NP without knowing the basics and having clinical experience. But I'm confused why so many nurses are adamantly against Direct Entry programs. Yes, I want to be a NP. Yes, I want clinical experience. But for me, right now, it makes sense to get all my schooling done at once as opposed to working 3-5 more years as an RN to gain experience beforehand. I'm young, I'm not married, and I have no kids. If I wait until later, it may not be as easy for me. I know this is true for a lot of people going for their MSN/NP w/o RN experience. How is it any different than a newly graduated RN/BSN learning the ropes? I don't think any of us expect to be running our own practice or able to be the perfect NP the year we graduate. I think a lot of us plan on working bedside for a while after graduation to gain that experience (and improve our resumes). So why all the fuss about when we get our education?

Specializes in CRNA, Finally retired.

The fuss is about a lot of people refusing to get a year of med-surg nursing under their belts before stepping up into the practitioner role. As a mid-level practitioner myself, I chose to have my last OB check-up from a nurse midwlfe and my general medical needs supplied by a nurse-practitioner. One complained that she'd made a mistake not becoming a CRNA and the other was trying to get into the cosmetology business. I think that both of these practitioners were "fragmented" because they really didn't understand what they were doing since they had no experience assessing the PATIENT'S needs but were doing a pretty darn good job of assessing their own. And I do fear for all of us when nursing theorists are taken seriously. Their mumbo-jumbo is embarrassing to me. There's a lot of serious work out there to be done and they have contributed nothing except for the sheer pleasure of listening to themselves talk. Taking any of them seriously is a symptom of not having any nursing experience. Good weekend to everyone!

Specializes in oncology, surgical stepdown, ACLS & OCN.
The fuss is about a lot of people refusing to get a year of med-surg nursing under their belts before stepping up into the practitioner role. As a mid-level practitioner myself, I chose to have my last OB check-up from a nurse midwlfe and my general medical needs supplied by a nurse-practitioner. One complained that she'd made a mistake not becoming a CRNA and the other was trying to get into the cosmetology business. I think that both of these practitioners were "fragmented" because they really didn't understand what they were doing since they had no experience assessing the PATIENT'S needs but were doing a pretty darn good job of assessing their own. And I do fear for all of us when nursing theorists are taken seriously. Their mumbo-jumbo is embarrassing to me. There's a lot of serious work out there to be done and they have contributed nothing except for the sheer pleasure of listening to themselves talk. Taking any of them seriously is a symptom of not having any nursing experience. Good weekend to everyone!

DITTO!!!!! scooterRN52

Yes, If my NP program completely deleted the "theory" course I would be ecstatic!! Mumbo-jumbo....but don't forget, the mumbo jumbo doesn't end with that ugly book they wrote. They have now contributed to the pile of BS that the BSN and MSN nurses get to pull quotes from~~when writing all these lovely APA papers.

Okay, back to the topic. Has anyone heard from poor Pinoy? Probably never thought that a discussion quite like this would ensue.........

Specializes in ER, Family Practice, Free Clinics.
Keep in mind it's just a thread, and most often people come in here to say things they wouldn't normally say in person for whatever reason. It's not really like this in the real world.

Unfortunately, it IS like this in the real world. I HAVE heard these kinds of comments directly to my face. Instead of "Good for you, its going to be tough, so best of luck". I get "Huh, you're going to crash and burn, hope you don't do it on my floor!". I have gotten this response from more than one nurse, so even though I am excited and happy to be on this journey, I just don't tell people anymore. Its awful hard to learn from APRNs about thier roles and how they feel about different aspects of thier job when you are scared to ask questions that reveal your DE status.

Thank God, my Manager Mentor for my externship program is very supportive, and is looking to guide me not just to any experience, but the right experiences that will fill in my education and will expose me to positive supportive people.

FYI, not all DE programs are created equal. I will have been working as an RN full time for two to three years when I graduate the MSN protion of the program. I took all the same pre-reqs, will take all the same BSN classes in the same amount of time, but my MSN portion is part time and designed specifically to allow you to work full time to get experience. I take all the same classes, and its not compressed, just the opposite.

I'd like to be judged as an individual, or better yet, not at all. We've all had diverse experiences that have lead us here. Mine, for instance, included hospital volunteering, a microbiology degree and five years of research experience, most recently with phase one clinical trials in cancer immunotherapy. Is it the same as nursing? Nope. Is my experience relevant and critical thinking oriented? Yes. Is it underwater basket weaving? NO.

I don't have anything against RNs taking time between BSN and MSN, if you have the luxury of time and its what you want, go for it. But my financial aid situation just wont allow it.

*sigh* Flame away, I'm expecting it. Just hope that some people will be able to be supportive and helpful as well.

To give a slightly different perspective on this whole issue, there are a good number of RNs who are resentful of, or threatened by, ANY nurse, no matter how experienced or inexperienced, who returns to school for a graduate degree, to become an APRN, CRNA, CNM, PhD .... Their behavior will range from snarkiness and nasty comments to sabotage, undercutting you at work, harrassing you until you quit, screw up your performance evals, generally bullying you in any shape, form, or fashion. There are also a sufficient number of RNs out there, including management (they can feel threatened, esp. if they don't have advanced degrees), who will make you miserable if they know you have degrees in other fields or if your intention is to become an APRN, CNM, whatever. I've only worked on one unit where the nursing culture supported RNs returning to school to advance their career (although I still got a couple of snarky comments) -- many of the RNs had degrees in other fields, many had master's, and there were a few PhDs. Many of them also taught undergrad nursing students.

Yes Anon, I experienced this throughout my BSN clinicals. Especially bad was one of the charge nurses who was in the process of getting her own BSN, after having worked with her 2 yr degree at the same hospital for 20 years. She was downright mean and nasty to me. She even went as far as calling my professor, making up bad things to report to her about me. Hard to believe? It happens. Fortunately, my prof saw through what she was doing; my character, grades, and work ethic were already well known. Scary that these such people are working around vulnerable patients, and spitting venom to others along the way.

Specializes in urgent care, GYN, primary care.
i'd like to be judged as an individual, or better yet, not at all. we've all had diverse experiences that have lead us here. mine, for instance, included hospital volunteering, a microbiology degree and five years of research experience, most recently with phase one clinical trials in cancer immunotherapy. is it the same as nursing? nope. is my experience relevant and critical thinking oriented? yes. is it underwater basket weaving? no.

i don't have anything against rns taking time between bsn and msn, if you have the luxury of time and its what you want, go for it. but my financial aid situation just wont allow it.

*sigh* flame away, i'm expecting it. just hope that some people will be able to be supportive and helpful as well.

thank you so much for saying this! i had several years working in women's health care before going to school, and i am very comfortable in primary care working with family planning, gynecology, etc. this has given me a base to start with, and now i'm getting better at psych, hypertension, derm, and all of the other things i come face to face with every day.

i have a new coworker who was an icu nurse for many years, and i do go to her, as well as to the physicians i work with, for assistance on the more complex patients. but she comes to me for help with several things as well. we all bring different strengths to this career, and we have to make room for all, as long as the quality of our care remains solid. that must remain the bottom line. i went into this to deliver the best care possible to my patients, in partnership with other health care providers!

administrator note: edited out reference to de

I worked with a nurse who was working prn trying to get trhough pa school

we all have to make decisions 'THAT WORKS FOR US'

there are a lot of roads ou tthere we choose our own

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