Stress level: RN vs. NP

staphylococci, NP · Mar 12, 2018

This is interesting to read. I am an NP who feels just the opposite.
Most importantly, I now have vastly more control over the situation.
I am not an employee of the facilities where I work, so it is no longer my fault when patients don't receive their medications, ordered diet, laboratory studies, or personal care.
It is also not my fault when patients are found laying in their own excrement for hours at a time, or have their belongings stolen.
As an RN, I was blamed to a ludicrous level if anyone had the slightest complaint. I was guilty until proven innocent.
Now, as an NP, I don't just waltz in, and make recommendations. That would be great enough.
I also make close to 3x the money.
If being an NP is not better than being an RN, you are truly being screwed.
My opinion only.

Having little control over situations and the plan of care, family complaints, as well as constantly being blamed for other departments' or disciplines' mistakes wore on me as critical care nurse. It's what stressed me out the most, not the medical/surgical emergencies or patient acuity. Being a NP is a very different kind of stress because the buck now stops with me, but it's much more manageable than the stress I experienced as an RN. I'm only 6 months in as new grad NP, but it gets a little better each month with the more I learn and experience. I'm finally figuring out "my groove" so to speak! Even with the added responsibilities of being an NP, I would never go back to working as a RN. I really enjoy the autonomy, intellectual challenge, and work-life balance that being an NP affords me.

cayenne06, MSN, CNM · Mar 17, 2018

Yes, I agree with the PP who said it is a different kind of stress. The daily grinding stress of being a bedside RN was terrible; just the sheer burden of work you were expected to carry and carefully document on. My daily work is so much more enjoyable as a CNM, but I find myself tossing and turning at 5am worrying about a patient, second guessing my plan of care or suddenly realizing I forgot to do XYZ. Nursing was overall much more mentally exhausting and stressful for me.

Rnis, BSN, DNP, APRN, NP · Mar 19, 2018

I see about 13-16 patients a day in primary care.. i close my charts at the end of the day without a lot of issue. I usually have down time. hands down my job as a NP is less stressful than when I was an RN on a telemetry floor. I used to work on the a busy med surg floor with 5 patients on days.... this role demanded that I learn to be efficient and flexible....and honestly by the end of my role there most days were pretty stress free too. It's all about efficiency.

JackChase1212, MSN, APRN · Feb 17, 2019

On 3/2/2018 at 12:10 PM, Bumex said:
Today I will see roughly 40 patients at three different LTC. I am a specialist so that number isn't nearly as daunting at face value. However, it will still take me roughly 12-13 hours including travel.
To answer the OPs question, this is a different kind of stress. Being a RN in a rough tele unit somewhat desensitized me to massive mental stress. That being said, I would say my role as a NP is slightly less stressful, but I recognize that I am bias for coming from a rather highly stressful RN job. I would think on average, being a NP is somewhat more stressful as the responsibility is so much greater.

Bumex, you make an excellent point. It truly depends on your background and ability to cope with stress. My previous experience is in high-stress positions in trauma and surgery. I became numb to the level of stress I performed under both physically and emotionally. My environment decreased staffing and increased the responsibility of my role systematically over the years to the point of complete overload and compromised safety. My goal in advancing my career to NP is to decrease that level for my health and family. I know that is attainable.