NPs in 10 years

Psychcns · Jul 20, 2014

Staff nurse and NP are different jobs. I think working off shifts short staffed managing providers and other staff and taking care of patients should be well compensated. NP's autonomy and responsibility should be well compensated. There is a surge now of new NP's. so far there are jobs. Who knows??? How you decide can't be entirely about the money. The markets change. You have to decide what is doable for you and make it work for you. best wishes!

CantDecideUsername · Jul 20, 2014

It's really hard to predict

On the one hand people are saying that the market is becoming saturated with nurses due to all the online programs cropping up

On the other hand people are saying that demand will skyrocket due to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and millions of more patients who will be insured and need a health practitioner

No one has a crystal ball, but first finish your BSN and get some experience as a nurse. Then reevaluate :)

uta.student · Jul 20, 2014

Thanks for the input guys :)

Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Jul 21, 2014

Most of the literature I have read is that for nurses top to bottom, the supply will not meet demand, especially since hundreds of thousands of RN's of all walks of life are expected to retire in that time frame. Bloomberg just ran an article last week on how our supply right now is higher then expected, but imbalanced nationally, creating vacuums of demand in certain regions.

Specifically to NP's, if you are an NP in primary care you are solid. Each year, more and more physicians and PA's are choosing specialties over family practice and primary care medicine, leaving a huge void in services that currently exists. I actually just had to write a scholarly paper on the subject of the growing need for primary care, even without factoring the millions more insured in the population. The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) reports a need for 52,000 family care providers by 2025, and currently less than 15% of PA's and Physicians are choosing primary care, compared to 80% of NP's that are in primary care.

I am bullish on the future of the NP practice given the ongoing trends.

uta.student · Jul 21, 2014

Thanks for clearing it up Riburn3! Thank was helpful, especially your comment on a different thread about salaries.

Adenium · Jul 21, 2014

Just keep in mind there are reasons why MDs and PAs and often many NPs are choosing specialties over primary care......you need to know a fair amount about a lot of things, see many patients in a day in short time slots, and you generally get compensated less. I would have loved to take the primary care spot I was offered, but when I was offered at least $35K more elsewhere plus better schedule and benefits it was tough to justify.

CantDecideUsername · Jul 21, 2014

Just keep in mind there are reasons why MDs and PAs and often many NPs are choosing specialties over primary care......you need to know a fair amount about a lot of things, see many patients in a day in short time slots, and you generally get compensated less. I would have loved to take the primary care spot I was offered, but when I was offered at least $35K more elsewhere plus better schedule and benefits it was tough to justify.

Exactly

Don't think MD's are running from primary care to make room for NP's

Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Jul 21, 2014

Exactly
Don't think MD's are running from primary care to make room for NP's

MD's are running because it isn't cost effective for them and NP's are showing they can manage primary care just as well. Why go through all that training when a provider like an NP can do it just as well? Does making $120k sound good to you? Now...does making $120k sound good when you just finished med school and are $250k in debt? OR would you like to specialize and double your income?

Meanwhile, an NP working in a primary care discipline graduating with 1/10th that debt load is likely going to snap up that primary care job. With how much med school costs today, MD's and DO's are forcing themselves out of primary care and we NP's are there to fill the gap. While 100k sounds paltry to an MD, I, and thousands of others will be happy to take that job.

Adenium · Jul 22, 2014

Sadly the primary pay was about $70k, not $100k. I paid out of pocket at a state school and spent plenty. Wanted to recoup some and start real retirement savings.

With the DNP push NPs' education will be even less cost effective

The powers that be seem too focused on educational quantity over quality.

CantDecideUsername · Jul 23, 2014

MD's are running because it isn't cost effective for them and NP's are showing they can manage primary care just as well. Why go through all that training when a provider like an NP can do it just as well? Does making $120k sound good to you? Now...does making $120k sound good when you just finished med school and are $250k in debt? OR would you like to specialize and double your income?
Meanwhile, an NP working in a primary care discipline graduating with 1/10th that debt load is likely going to snap up that primary care job. With how much med school costs today, MD's and DO's are forcing themselves out of primary care and we NP's are there to fill the gap. While 100k sounds paltry to an MD, I, and thousands of others will be happy to take that job.

Pnp's in my area are making closer to $75k not $120k. Not too bad but not $120k

BlueDevil, DNP · Aug 1, 2014

Its regional. I make more than 3.5x (but not quite 4x) what I did as a RN. I have great hours (I make my own) and benefits, and practice completely independently.