PNP-AC or FNP?

[klb17]

I'm highly considering going back to school for my NP. I know I want to do peds, but I've been told I'm limiting myself by getting a PNP-AC certification instead of FNP. My question is... Should I go for it? I know I only want to work in a hospital setting, most likely some type of critical care, and I do not want to do adult care. Am I limiting myself job wise? Can I still work in a Children's Hospital as a FNP? If so, what types of units would hire me?

Also, I've noticed there are significantly less programs that offer a pediatric acute care specialty. Are there any online?

[Bumex, DNP, NP]

Yes, you are limiting yourself from it being able to do primary and urgent care, but if you have no interest in those specialties is that a bad thing? I'd say no. Besides, many areas are pushing to using acute care NPs in hospital settings, so getting your FNP would not necessarily assist you (again depending on your area).

My advice is go to the education that most matches your goals. If you want to be an acute care peds NP, do that.

Anecdotally, I'm an AGNP, I got my job over FNPs because my boss liked that all of my hours were in specialty and internal medicine, which matched more into nephrology. The FNPs split their hours between IM, peds, and ob. FNP seems to be a default for some, but it isn't the automatic correct choice.

[Dodongo, APRN, NP]

If you want to do hospital based care of children, then you're limiting yourself with the FNP. Go for what you're interested in. There are jobs. An FNP won't give you any training for that so why do it?

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to student NP. Please look at the Consensus Model prior to making these choices.

[Julius Seizure]

I just finished my acute care PNP degree. Yes, you are limited to working in hospitals and a pediatric population. But...thats what you want to do, right?

FNP will not give you the training to work in an ICU. You might find hospital jobs that hire FNPs (less likely in a stand-alone Children's hospital), but its not ideal because you won't be as well prepared for the acute care environment. It also will give you a lot less peds-specific education, since they will spend more time focusing on adults/elderly.

Yes, there are fewer jobs out there for acute care PNPs...but there are also fewer NPs competing for those jobs. You might need to be open to moving to find a job, but maybe not. I say figure out what you want to do, and then pursue the education to do that. You can always go back for a post-masters certificate later if you want to broaden your options. Someday I might go back for a primary care PNP certificate.

You won't find a fully online program, but there are several hybrid programs that are partially online or have block scheduling. Check out Rush, Duke, Vanderbilt, and University of Florida, for starters. Good luck :)

[Dodongo, APRN, NP]

But...thats what you want to do, right?

Haha, it's a shame people take something so plain and make it so complicated.