NP vs ACNP

[aerorunner80, ADN, BSN, MSN, APRN]

I'm looking into these two programs and am leaning more heavily toward the ACNP. The difference in schooling here in New Mexico is one semester. NP is 6 semesters and ACNP is 7 semesters. I'm not worried about funding for the degree because I work for the university hospital which has excellent education benefits.

I like the idea of an ACNP because it is more hospital based and I know of several ACNP's in my area who have specialized in cardiology which is where I really excel. For some reason cardiology really clicks with me and makes perfect sense so I'd figure I'd roll with it and see where it brings me which is here.

Please tell me if I have this right in my thinking..............

As an ACNP, I would be based more in the acute care setting (hospital) whereas being a FNP, I would be based more in an office?

Another question is if I do go the ACNP route, you you know if I could then decide to work in an office if/when I get burnt out?

If you are an ACNP, would you please describe what a typical day/week is for you?

I'd really appreciate it!

[Cardiology EP NP]

If you want to work in a hospital, then the ACNP is probably the way to go, particularly if you are interested in working in an ICU. However, keep in mind that if you want to do outpatient, it might be harder to do that with just the ACNP. I know people who do but they are few and far between and they are limited in their scope of practice to their specialty.

I know you mentioned that you enjoy cardiology. I actually work in a cardiology office, managing patients on an outpatient basis. I did an ANP program with a CNS specialization in cardiac health and disease management. But I knew from the get go that I didn't want to work inpatient. I really like what I do and I'm glad I went this route.

I also know of some people who have done ANP or FNP programs and they work inpatient. Personally, I think the ANP or FNP are more versatile than the ACNP. Then again, a lot of it depends on your background and work experience too. Many employers look at this. So if you have inpatient cardiology experience and you do an ANP or FNP program, you could very well land an inpatient job.

It really becomes tricky because you really have to know what route to take pretty early in your education so that you don't waste time in clinicals and classes. We were required to know early on in terms of which program we wanted to do. And if we ended up changing our minds, we would need to get approval from the dean.

I'm sure you will do well with whatever you decide.