Nurse Practitioner - Emergency Nurse Practitioner

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Sitting here on Sunday night contemplating my future LOL. I am 100% focused on eventually getting an ED job as a RN but I do wish to further my skill set and scope of practice by attending a nurse practitioner program. Now my question for anyone that stumbles upon this to become an emergency nurse practitioner, did you go directly into a program that had this a course track or did you obtain your FNP followed by a post masters certification program, the information online was pretty confusing.. Also have no idea if NYS even allows NPs to work in the ER in that role but that is whole different story. Thank you for any help you guys might be able to provide   

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Specializes in PMHNP/Adjunct Faculty.

It would be ideal to become an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner if you want to work in the ER. I have seen a couple of FNPs in the ER but it's controversial whether working in an ER is out of the FNP's scope.

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If you want to treat patient of ALL age group, kids included. FNP allows you to treat patients in the ED of all age groups. ACNP is perfect IF you want to work in an ED that is exclusively for adults.

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

How was your NP application.

As I am planning to become an NP (ER) as well. Want to know how it went and your story - road to become an NP.

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Specializes in Anesthesiology, General Practice.

The AAENP is the professional organization for ENPs and they have lots of information on their website. They also have a list of all ENP academic programs. There are 3 routes to becoming certified as a ENP - one of which is academic programs. 

As for the ACNP vs FNP debate, there are reasonable arguments on both sides. There's some scholarship on this issue as well: 

https://journals.lww.com/aenjournal/fulltext/2015/10000/family_nurse_practitioner_or_acute_care_nurse.1.aspx

However, at the end of the day, new NPs in the ER going forward should strongly consider being a board certified ENP (AANP is certifying body). The route to this is with a FNP/ENP program or extensive experience as a FNP in the ED. At this point, AGACNPs are not eligible to become a ENP-C. 

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If you've never worked in the ED I suggest you start getting some ED experience as an RN, it will help you decide if that's the route you really want to take and give you some ED experience. Also if you're going to get you're FNP and have little to no ED experience, make sure you do an ENP program. 

I have ED experience as an RN and am currently about to finish my FNP and half way through my ENP program.

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