NP- worth the time and $$?

Senny.ANP.FNP · Mar 22, 2014

Yes worth time and money to become an NP if that's what you desire to do. I would say most NPs chose advanced practice for the education and role not for the bottom line salary. RNs that make that much money do not generally work M-F 40 hrs per week. But become a NP because you want to serve your patients in a greater capacity, you want to impact the future of healthcare, you want autonomy, you want to expand your medical knowledge, and achieve more for yourself. The RN and NP role are so very different, the RN brings a lot to the NP that one can become but still so very different. If you enjoy acute care or inpatient work you can always function as an Acute Care NP. I would say ask yourself why you would or wouldn't want to be a NP. How the different roles would work for you 10, 20 years from now. I can almost guarantee you though as far as money concerns hour vs hour salary wise that an NP will always make more and depending the area that you specialize in that amount will continue to increase at a higher rate, but again don't base the decisions on money.

zenman · Mar 22, 2014

Having to work OT to make close to what an NP makes should not be part of the equation. I make well over $100K working 40 hours a week. Now, if I just wanted to make OT for the fun of it imagine what I'd make. I enjoy my job so much I love the drive in and rarely have to strain myself. How much you enjoy the job should be one of the most important deciding factors.

newFNP2015 · Mar 22, 2014

I agree with some of the above posters that it really depends on your goals and work satisfaction. NP vs RN is very different in role and the decision should not be made about $$. Yes, you can make a similar paycheck as an experienced RN (especially night shift) as most entry level NPs make, but that is about where the line is drawn. There is another topic about take-home salaries of NPs which might be of interest if you are wanting ideas about individual paychecks, etc. As far as time is concerned, I believe 2 years is a good average of the length of most programs. Many students also work during this time to avoid or decrease loans and debt.

Take home post: https://allnurses.com/nurse-practitioners-np/what-your-take-846768.html

To the OP about DNP, it is an option, but not a requirement at this time. There are many rumors about 2015 being the year that it becomes a requirement, but the truth is that nothing in the legislature or individual school programs supports those theories and it will likely be several more years. I believe our dear friends, the CRNAs, are set on track to have a required DNP by 2025, and I would imagine ours will fall in line around the same time after the universities have appropriate BSN to DNP programs across the board (some do at this point, but not all or extensively enough to become requirement). There are other posts about this topic as well if you are looking for more information.

zmansc, ASN, RN · Mar 23, 2014

OP, why have you "always wanted to be a NP"? If that is a true statement, than it really should be about the money. As zenman said, loving your job is worth far more than any amount of additional salary you will achieve. Find what you want to do and do it. You will spend more hours doing your career than almost anything else in your life, so if there is any place where you shouldn't compromise, it's in picking your career.

Secondly, if you do want to compare the wages of two different professions (which you are doing), make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Starting salary to starting salary, median wage to median wage, not top dollar overtime/night shift salary of one to starting salary of other.

In the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report there were 105,000 NPs, making an annual mean of $91,450 and 2.6M RNs making an annual mean of $67,930, so a 34.6% higher mean salary (May 2012 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates). Those numbers are a few years old, so I would guess the percentage is actually higher based on the salary survey's I've seen that are more recent but less complete (fewer respondents). Most current salary information I've seen on NP salaries indicate the mean is now over $100k.

Could RNs making in the top say 5% of RN income make as much or more than NPs making in the bottom say 10% of NP salaries? Absolutely, and totally irrelevant comparison.

edg0902 · Mar 27, 2014

Hi. Actually, this was a question for a research assignment and maybe I didn't word what I was looking for the correct way, but it didn't help me at all to receive rude answers. Seeing a NP as my primary HCP, thats what made me want to be a nurse. Salary DOES matter, actually, because if I am going to go and spend THAT much more money on graduate school...why would I if the pay isn't going to be worth it? As much as I would like to advance to NP, I'm not going to put myself into a hole financially. So until I either save up, or pay off loans from BSN, grad school won't be happening. Whether I'm a NP or just a regular staff RN, I am still a nurse regardless, and thats my first goal. So thanks for the advice but no thanks. And I've worked with LPN's who believed that it actually wasn't worth it to progress to RN or BSN because with as "much as they work, they could make just as much as an RN." So, instead of bashing my question, how about ask for some clarification first.

allnurses Guide · Mar 27, 2014

1. Actually, this was a question for a research assignment and maybe I didn't word what I was looking for the correct way, but it didn't help me at all to receive rude answers.
2. As much as I would like to advance to NP, I'm not going to put myself into a hole financially. So until I either save up, or pay off loans from BSN, grad school won't be happening.
3. Whether I'm a NP or just a regular staff RN, I am still a nurse regardless, and thats my first goal.
4. So thanks for the advice but no thanks.
5. So, instead of bashing my question, how about ask for some clarification first.

1. This question was for a research assignment? For school? You mention it being an assignment question (which was not in your OP) then proceed to discuss its personal implications for you, so which is it?

2. You just answered your own question didn't you? You really didn't need any help from us, which is unfortunate because you got some good advice. I make as an NP double what I made as an RN, but more importantly, my quality of life is much better.

3. If you have obtained your goal then don't feel the need to continue on to advanced practice until such a time as your goal changes.

4. This truly demonstrates maturity.

5. So instead of bashing the people that took time out of their day to respond to you and painting yourself the victim why don't you consider the responses you received; if you feel like people should be asking you for clarification then perhaps you should reflect on your original question and ask yourself why everyone wake just didn't understand you. Moving to advanced practice requires maturity and self reflection.

newFNP2015 · Mar 28, 2014

I'm not sure to whom you were referring with your response, edg0902, but I never intended for my response to be rude. My intention was to provide advice about what to consider when making the decision to pursue advanced practice, not tell you how to manage your money or to say that money is not important. Of course money is important to maintain a certain quality of life and to be able to provide for yourself and your family, but making it the deciding factor for career choice is not always the best option (as most of the responses discussed).

If this was truly for an assignment, you should have been a little more forthcoming in order to get that type of response.

I hope that the responses you received were helpful to some degree. If not, perhaps you could post more of what you are looking for and I'm sure people would respond more appropriately.