RN vs NP vs DNP

Nurses Career Support

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Hello All,

I am trying to decide if I should go straight into school after my RN to get my DNP, or if I should work for 1-2 years as a RN then go get my DNP?

Anyone have any opinions on FNP vs DNP? I want to be on top, I do not want to be at the bottom any longer than I have to. I have big plans for my future.

Anyone had any luck with the DNP program ?

What are the pay differences of DNP vs FNP and job responsibilities?

Everything I read on DNP is very vague, so I would like to know soem more information on the program.

Do any of you think I should have any problems getting a job as an DNP or FNP?

I believe it would be better to work as a RN for 1-2 years then go back to school , but just wanted to hear you all's thoughts on the matter and the FNP vs DNP.

Thanks so much!

Also, if you guys have any recommendations for other ways to get to the top professionally with different rooutes I would gladly take them into consideration.

I will graduate RN school with my BSN

Specializes in Pediatrics, Step-Down.

As a strong type A personality, I understand your desire to become a FNP or DNP. But as a new grad, I strongly encourage you to put more value into experience. You have your whole life to become a FNP/DNP, why not enjoy being an RN for a while? Every day I learn something new as an RN, and developing instincts/intuition/prioritization should not be undervalued. One of the best decisions of my life was to work (and I will for at least 3-5 years) before going back to school.

Specializes in cardiac, ICU, education.
"I want to be on top, I do not want to be at the bottom any longer than I have to"

Then you may want to re-think health care as a field. According to the latest IOM report, "all clinicians regardless of education should be treated as equal members of the health care team." We cannot expect physicians to take us seriously if we do not respect each other's areas of practice wether it be an ADN or PhD.

Furthermore, if you are a BSN, then I am sure you are well aware of Benner's Novice to Expert model and most NP's out there will not believe you are a credible practitioner unless you are at least at the proficient level which takes a minimum of 4 years of full-time practice.

Why would you want to rush to be an NP when you haven't even been a nurse yet?

Specializes in Cardiothoracic ICU.

Well being a RN or a MD is not being "on top". Maybe you should consider being a CEO of Chase or maybe President or something.

Most grad schools no longer require RN experience for NP programs. They offer "entry to practice" programs that allow people with bachelor's degrees in any subject to become NPs in three years.

That said, whether you should have RN experience before becoming an NP depends upon the area in which you intend to work. If you want to work in a hospital setting, it's highly unlikely that you would be hired as an NP without significant bedside experience. On the other hand, if you want to work in a primary care setting, bedside experience is not required. Valuable? Of course. Will it enhance your job application? Yes. But it's not required.

I'm a third-year RN in an FNP program. Many of my classmates are becoming NPs with no RN experience. That's not necessarily bad. They don't have a comprehensive understanding of the RN role, nor do they necessarily need to as students. (One second-year classmate who just became licensed as an RN with no experience couldn't figure out why she couldn't work per diem in an ER with no experience.) Their point of view is that they are providers from the get-go.

The DNP is an important consideration if you have any interest in a career in academia. It is the terminal degree. Many universities are now wrestling with whether to recognize the DNP as equivalent to the Ph.D in terms of tenure. Some have already decided to do so.

I understood what the original poster meant by stating that she did not want to be at the bottom. I too have felt like floor nurses are considered worker bee's that we don't always get the respect of our co-workers, we are replaceable especially as novice's on our way to expert the journey can be a rocky one. I have also considered going back to school, thinking it will at least get me the respect I feel I deserve. I am also aware that it is the experience combined with the education that commands respect and education alone is not a quick fix.......just my two cents. It doest matter how you get to the finish line (education wise) there is no short cut for gaining knowledge that only comes from/with experience.

"I want to be on top, I do not want to be at the bottom any longer than I have to"

Ouch. Is this what you think of nursing before you've even become licensed?

I thought this too. My second thought was "NPs are on top??"

Specializes in MCH,NICU,NNsy,Educ,Village Nursing.

Well, OP, if you truly feel that being an RN is "at the bottom", why in the world are you in school? Believe me, if you carry that attitude, you will not have a good road "to the top" whatever that means. Look at yourself & ask why you want to do what you say you want to. Being an advanced practice nurse whether master's or doctorally prepared is a lot of hard work and SHOULD require experience in the field of/trenches of nursing. It's more than a means to make money and be in perceived or real power (which I sense may be a couple of "perks" of interest to you). It means having the lives of people rest on your knowledge and ability to provide wise counsel, appropriate diagnoses, and meds/education/etc. That knowledge begins "at the bottom", imo.

Specializes in Trauma, Emergency.

I don't mean this to sound harsh, but I would not want myself or my family to be seen by an NP with no bedside experience other than clinical rotation from school. Nursing under your own license (as opposed to nursing with a CI to supervise you and whom you can run to with questions) entails a whole different level of competence, confidence and judgment. Along with the titles NP and DNP, maturity and experience are expected along with the expertise that comes from the higer education. I wish you luck in your efforts, but please consider the importance of bedside experience before you start trying to gain positions where experience and wisdom (not just knowledge) are imperative for dx, clinical judgment and many other aspects of practice.

Specializes in Trauma, Emergency.

and ps: if you really want good advice, why in the world would you ask a bunch of bottom dwellers?

Specializes in PACU, Oncology/hospice.

I did not mean the comment of " don't want to be at the bottom" in a negative way. I was just stating my personal life goals of eventually making more money and have better hours so I can do what I want, and thus I need to be at the top. I know many RNs with many years of experience that wish they would of went on so they wouldn't have to take the "crap" at the end of the day from their supervisors and such.

Specializes in Psych.
I did not mean the comment of " don't want to be at the bottom" in a negative way. I was just stating my personal life goals of eventually making more money and have better hours so I can do what I want, and thus I need to be at the top.

Just remember that whatever degree you pick, you will be a mid-level provider. You will deal with as much crap from patients as a floor nurse (not always literally, but definitely in stress level), but with a greater level of responsibility.

Well I too am in a BSN program and I too was curious on the difference between a DNP and an FNP. Instead of receiving valuable insight on the differences, I had to read negative comments about your post. One thing I know for sure is that there is a difference between being a nurse and one who has the ability to diagnose and precribe medications. However, I do feel that bedside experience is important, I also feel that you can gain bedside experience while also going to school to further your education. I also know that "nurses eat their young." I hate this concept and in no way want to be a part of it. I feel that everyone is of value to quality patient outcomes regardless of education. Just because you want to do more than what a registered nurse can do does not make you on a "power trip." I know what you meant by having big plans. Also, in my last year of nursing school, I would fret if I received a "B" and no one understood why. It was because you have to maintain a certain GPA to be accepted into a nurse practitioner program after completeing a BSN. I am certain I want to be nurse practitioner and not just an RN. If I wanted to only be a registered nurse I would have just done the Associates program, because from what I hear there is not a difference in the salary. The only difference is being able to excel up the ladder in nursing management etc. Which I guess would provide more salary, but may take a while to earn that privledge. What I am trying to say is that if you are devoted to becoming a nurse practitioner and not a nurse, then that is perfectly fine, because there is a difference between the two.

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