OR RN interested in FNP

[Vincent12]

Are there any OR nurses here who went to school for FNP? I am an ambulatory circulator and would like to venture into working as a nurse practitioner. I would love to hear about anyone's experience in this career track. I don't know if I want to stay in surgery as an FNP but I am very open to the possibility. I have med/Surg experience but love my schedule at the surgery center. Are you an ambulatory surgery nurse who is now an FNP? What has the transition been like? Thanks in advance.

[benrosy]

Hi Vincent12,

I'm also an OR nurse and going to start NP school in January. Have you thought about areas you would be interested in working as an NP? I haven been accepted to two NP programs one is for WHNP and the other FNP. I am still debating if I will specialize and go with WHNP, so I have not decided yet if I will accept the FNP.

Some areas I would like to work in as an FNP, are bariatrics, dermatology, and plastics. Since I do see myself venturing out of women's health, I am interested in the FNP track.

I used to work with a couple of ladies in the OR that went to FNP school and now work in primary care. Primary care is an area I do not want to work in.

Have you started applying to NP schools?

[Vincent12]

Thanks for your input benrosy! I'm in process of applying for Texas Tech. I work in ambulatory surgery right now so the schedule is pretty relaxed. I'm very excited to see that there are other OR nurses going into advanced practice. I think the FNP may be best since I'm thinking of RNFA as a possibility. Nursing is so great because there is so much we can do if we put our mind to it. There is a misconception in some circles that OR nurses don't do "patient care" and boy are they wrong! ������