NP working as RN

Specialties NP

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I have seen a number of NP's working as RN's on the floor at the hospital I work. One of them told me she did not like working as an NP because of the doctors, and another said she worked as an RN to suppliment her income. Is this normal everywhere? Just curious to know how many of you dont like working as NP's, or went back to the floor working as RN's after obtaining your NP license. Or just dont make enough to work strictly as NP's.

I work in a teaching hospital where continuing education is highly valued. I approximate that 3 out of 20 nurses is in a mastesr program or well on their way, yet when they graduate most of them still work as RN's. So what do you think of this?

Well, with all due respect to allnurses.com, you can't take all information posted and accept it blindly without any doubt or reservation. You also have to consider whether the facts are offered as first-hand information. No offense to the above posters but it seemed like references were made about "this NP I know" and "that NP I used to know". The reasons for working as a RN instead of a NP did not come direct from the horse's mouth so to speak.

The few and far between NP's I know who work as RN's currently had a hard time finding a job or didn't do quite well with a previous NP job they had. I am not sure if it was a problem with self-confidence but this person I knew actually never held a NP job for a long time and kept going back to being a RN. Eventually, this person found a CNS position in an ER and from the last time I heard was enjoying the role.

It really depends on where you are. When I was in Colorado there were a lot of NPs working in the ICUs. For the most part they had gotten FNP and found out that they could not work in the hospital. Here in Georgia there are more than a couple MEPN grads working as RNs. Nobody will hire them due to lack of nursing experience. Anectdotally there are a few places where this is happening. There are also areas where its relatively easy to find a job. Its kind of like the nursing shortage. There are some places where new grad RNs are having a problem finding jobs due to an oversupply while others will take any warm body at very high rates of pay.

David Carpenter, PA-C

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.
Here in Georgia there are more than a couple MEPN grads working as RNs. Nobody will hire them due to lack of nursing experience.

I can see this happening. Fortuntaley, there are no MEPN programs in Michigan.

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The one NP that I know well loved working as a NP, but the insurance was just so crazy high she decided to start teaching at my college.

I paid $800 per year for as an Adult NP and when I added kids, my insurance went up to $1600 per year. I don't consider this "crazy high."

As far as pay...the RN's in my town make $20-$30 per hour and I'm making $50 per hour. It's disturbing to see so many places where NP's make less than the RN's. I'm definitely staying put, that's for sure!

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Specializes in Med surg, cardiac, case management.

Just to clarify (since I've seen this confusion before) MEPN don't necessarily result in an NP or CNS. Quite a few produce the generic MSN. Though a number of these generic MSN students go directly into NP programs without working as an RN.

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Specializes in Author/Business Coach.
I just don't see this at all here in Texas. As I've said before, STARTING salary for NPs is in the mid 80's with a lot of people negotiating 90-95K. A *very* seasoned RN MIGHT make in the 70's here with a lot of OT, holiday pay, etc.

I have no problem making 85K if I don't have to work 12 hour shifts, put up with floor nursing and work holidays.

Not quite true, I make $72,000 base without lots of OT (8hrs a month) or holiday pay. I only have 2 1/2 yrs experience as a RN, 4 1/2 as a LPN. I don't see the point in going back to school for my FNP for a 10k raise. It's not worth all the responsibility to me. I just have to pull a couple overtime shifts a month and I would be well over that. I have a friend who is a FNP as well, she works incredibly too much without much pay considering she is salaried as well. :no:

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Not quite true, I make $72,000 base without lots of OT (8hrs a month) or holiday pay. I only have 2 1/2 yrs experience as a RN, 4 1/2 as a LPN. I don't see the point in going back to school for my FNP for a 10k raise. It's not worth all the responsibility to me. I just have to pull a couple overtime shifts a month and I would be well over that. I have a friend who is a FNP as well, she works incredibly too much without much pay considering she is salaried as well. :no:

Do you live in the Austin area? I've heard there's an overabundance of FNP's there. However, I have friends who are seasoned RN's living there and they certainly aren't coming close to what you're making! In fact, I've never lived in any city (other than NYC) that pays their RN's what you're making.

Does your FNP friend live in the same city where you reside? If so, then he/she can do better than that. I'm not aware of any city where the RN's make as much or more than the NP's. It just doesn't make sense. If there's an overabundance of NP's in an area, then it's the same with the RN's.

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Specializes in ER/OR.
Not quite true, I make $72,000 base without lots of OT (8hrs a month) or holiday pay. I only have 2 1/2 yrs experience as a RN, 4 1/2 as a LPN. I don't see the point in going back to school for my FNP for a 10k raise. It's not worth all the responsibility to me. I just have to pull a couple overtime shifts a month and I would be well over that. I have a friend who is a FNP as well, she works incredibly too much without much pay considering she is salaried as well. :no:

Your position seems to be the exception, and not the rule. 10K more a year for many is a whole years mortgages or luxury car payments+. You have to remember thats 10K more every year for the rest of your life -- for 2 more years of schooling. That's $100,000 more in salary in 10 years you wouldn't have made. It pays off in spades. Also, education is always a good thing, regardless of $. Knowledge truly does equal power. NPs command much more respect and generally have an overall better lifestyle. Sometimes you have to look at the entire picture.

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Your position seems to be the exception, and not the rule. 10K more a year for many is a whole years mortgages or luxury car payments+.

You have to remember thats 10K more every year for the rest of your life -- for 2 more years of schooling. That's $100,000 more in salary in 10 years you wouldn't have made. It pays off in spades. Also, education is always a good thing, regardless of $. Knowledge truly does equal power. NPs command much more respect and generally have an overall better lifestyle. Sometimes you have to look at the entire picture.

True...

With my degree:

I am no longer working the floor in a hospital :chuckle:D:chuckle and all the crap I had to put up with as a floor nurse is a memory.

I have an office the patients come to see me

I am working smarter not harder, not longer... Even if it would have not been much of a pay raise most anything is better than how nurses are treated in the hospital.

of course situations vary from state to state, job to job. Even if we are all NPs situations vary so much it can be like apples to oranges.

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Specializes in Author/Business Coach.

No. I heard nurses were oversaturated in Austin as well. I live in Houston, working in the Med Center. I'm quite happy with my pay, would like more if I advanced my degree. I just don't see it to be worth it to be a FNP in my area. $10,000 is a lot of money, but not worth all the stress and schooling the job comes with. I'd seriously start thinking about it when the starting salary comes close to $100,000.

"Also, education is always a good thing, regardless of $. Knowledge truly does equal power. NPs command much more respect and generally have an overall better lifestyle. Sometimes you have to look at the entire picture."

Yes. I know knowledge is power regardless of money, but how much money and time would I spend on grad school??? I want to be compensated well for my education. If employers don't realize this, there will be a decrease of FNP's as well as nurses. I have to take into account my future compensation with more education, prices on everything are going up and I want to live comfortably and have more $$$ to put in the bank. I don't see things going to well for FNP's in my area. Some hospitals are having problems hiring them. If I were to go the NP route it would probaly be Acute care NP. I like the ICU and would like to do procedures. I'm a more technical person. I'm getting contradictory information about the two specialties though.

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Specializes in critical care.

You definitely have to look at the big picture. I make good money as a RN (80K with no overtime) but that is because I work float pool with no benefits (no vacation, no health insurance). In our float pool you have the ability to make over 95K without working overtime. But this is very hard work--physically and mentally. Not something I could do for the rest of my life.

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Specializes in Med surg, cardiac, case management.

The impression I've gotten is that the choice of becoming an NP or staying an RN has more to do with working conditions than money.

It seems that if things like poop, tense co-workers, arrogant doctors, and demanding patient bother you then the NP route is a big improvement.

If those things don't bother you as much (and I seem to be in this group), then the NP route doesn't seem worth it.

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No. I heard nurses were oversaturated in Austin as well. I live in Houston, working in the Med Center. I'm quite happy with my pay, would like more if I advanced my degree. I just don't see it to be worth it to be a FNP in my area. $10,000 is a lot of money, but not worth all the stress and schooling the job comes with. I'd seriously start thinking about it when the starting salary comes close to $100,000.

"Also, education is always a good thing, regardless of $. Knowledge truly does equal power. NPs command much more respect and generally have an overall better lifestyle. Sometimes you have to look at the entire picture."

Yes. I know knowledge is power regardless of money, but how much money and time would I spend on grad school??? I want to be compensated well for my education. If employers don't realize this, there will be a decrease of FNP's as well as nurses. I have to take into account my future compensation with more education, prices on everything are going up and I want to live comfortably and have more $$$ to put in the bank. I don't see things going to well for FNP's in my area. Some hospitals are having problems hiring them. If I were to go the NP route it would probaly be Acute care NP. I like the ICU and would like to do procedures. I'm a more technical person. I'm getting contradictory information about the two specialties though.

I know several NP's working in the Houston area and they are making good money. One of them, an ANP, works in Pearland in occupational health. Her base salary is 92K and she gets quarterly bonuses. She has a company car and outstanding benefits. The urgent care clinics in Houston are paying $50 - $65 per hour and this averages out to over 100K per year. There was a job listing for a PA/NP to work in a pain management clinic in Sugarland and the pay was 160K per year. All I can say is that the NP's you know are being taken advantage of big time!

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