Nurse Practioners, what are your hours/schedules like?

Trauma Columnist · May 1, 2008

In IL, anyone with an MSN can teach, so concentration is not important. As to hours, I'm an adult health CNS working in a large nephrology practice in central IL. My hours are very flexible - as long as I put in 40 hours and get my work done, no one says anything. However, I do have 10-12 hour days and some weeks work as much as 60 hours. There are other weeks where I work 40 and that's it. This weekend I'm "on call" which is kinda of a misnomer as in reality, I must see pts in the hospital and do rounds at two of the five hospitals where we admit. I also take telephone call on these "on call" weekends from the dialysis units (9 of them).

I think you will find a lot of variability in our roles/positions.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · May 1, 2008

There's a good variety of hours for NP's. In my hospital, clinic NP's work Mon-Fri somewhere between 8-10 hours each day. Those who work in specialty practice such as cardiology, nephrology, oncology have about the same schedule. These NP's are usually salaried. Critical Care NP's have a rotating schedule. We work 3 12-hour shifts and take turns working nights. We work a total of 72 hours bi-weekly but get paid for 80 hours. Overtime pay is given for anything over 72 hours per pay period. Holidays worked are paid as overtime. There is also shift and weekend differentials. Our mid-level council (composed of NP's, PA's, CNM's) are proposing standardized pay and hours across the board but there is resistance from those (like us and some surgical PA's) who work the off shifts.

You can teach as an NP both in undergrad and grad programs. When I taught at a community college here, many full time faculty were actually certified as NP's.

scribblerpnp · May 4, 2008

I'm a part time PNP and a full time nurse instructor. I teach in a four year BSN program. At my college, I can not teach at the MSN level because I would need a doctorate to do that. I do guest lecture sometimes!

I feel like I have the best of both worlds. Working part time as a PNP, I don't have burn out, and since I am an instructor, I have extra time off in the summer and at Chirstmas. I am working on my doctorate (EdD) so that I can become tenured and move forward in the college atmosphere. Having the two jobs is nice. I am usually home by 5 every day and have weekends and holidays off, plus the changes in environment is nice since I'm not really any one place long enough to get bored or tired. With teaching every semester is different because every group of students is different.

gbarrera2 · May 5, 2008

That's exactly what I would want as a schedule, having summers and holidays off would be great. So holding only a Masters you can't be on a tenured track in most Universities? I didn't know that. I'm contemplating getting a PhD. in Nursing since my ultimate career goal is to become a Nursing professor.

What are your thoughts on the BSN-PhD. programs?

scribblerpnp · May 5, 2008

The university where I received my master's had a BSN to PhD program. I am really kicking myself in the butt over not doing that now! But at the time I never thought I would be in teaching. The only problem with the BSN to PhD program is that if you drop out and don't complete it, you don't get anything. You only still have your BSN. No Master's degree at all, at least that is how it was where I attended school.

And in some colleges or universities you do can work summers. Some nursing schools have a rotating full time program, where you are expeceted to teach in the summer, it just isn't that way where I work.

JerseyGir1 · May 5, 2008

Can you only be tenured with a PhD or EdD? What about the clinical DNP?

elkpark · May 5, 2008

Can you only be tenured with a PhD or EdD? What about the clinical DNP?

That is up to the individual school. It is not clear that the DNP would be universally accepted for tenure. Some schools do accept only PhDs (not other doctorates) for full tenure, other schools accept a broader range of doctoral degrees. But, although the nursing community tends to not draw a distinction, within academia there is a definite two-tier system, with those holding doctorates other than PhDs being second-class citizens (again, how important a distinction that is depends on the individual school).

yellow finch, BSN, RN · May 5, 2008

Thanks to all who have posted so far! I'm wondering what my future job will look like now that I've read your posts.

Less than 7 months to go!!!