Primary Care Pediatric NP - Current Job Market?

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My dream job is to become a PNP in primary care. I'm about to enter a direct-entry program so I'm not well-versed in the NP job market. Does anyone know what the current job market is for PNPs? What is a typical starting salary? While many hospitals provide tuition reinbursement, is this offered in primary care settings as well? I'm particularly interested in the west coast and pacific NW, but any feedback from elsewhere in the country might be helpful. I'm pretty set on pursing this field and just want to know what I'm in for once I graduate.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I'm starting a direct-entry program in the same field. I have the same questions as you so I hope someone responds!

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I have a PNP friend in SC. She started out at $50/hour in peds endocrinology, she has been a PNP now for 3 years and she makes $125/visit, 18-20 visits per day and only works two days a week....do the math....major bucks for the time she puts in!!!! I don't know if this is typical for experienced PNPs in SC or if she just got incredibly lucky, but she assures me that this is pretty typical in primary care. I'm (hoping) to start a PNP/DNP program this fall and in NC, I can't find much infor on NC PNP salaries.

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Wow, laurabs24, your friend is lucky. I was thinking starting salary would be around $60,000-$70,000.

Does anyone have an idea how difficult it is to find a PNP primary job in this economy? What about for direct-entry PNPs?

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Wow, that salary is insane. I have a feeling she is very lucky. I was thinking $70,000-85,000 in New England.

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I'm taking peds now and my preceptor makes about $65k in the south. I've heard it's one of the lowest payed, even for physicians! :(

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as a PNP is your scope pretty limited to what you can prescribe? Say for example, you needed an antiobiotic one night (male or female over 21), too late to go out to get a prescription for it, or needed something like BC, but you are over 21...would you not be able to prescribe this for yourself or someone a very close friend? I understand the whole you shouldn't prescribe without documentation, but just wondering how pharmacists see this. I know pediatricians can essentially prescribe for anyone since they are MDs first, can PNPs do so as well? Sorry to hijack, but was just curious about this :)

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Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

No, a PNP cannot prescribe to adults.

The only NPs that see and prescribe for patients over the life span are CRNAs and FNPs.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Or...those of us that are dual-certified....

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Specializes in Anesthesia, Pain, Emergency Medicine.

Excellent point. Some have dual certification as PNP/adult.

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Specializes in General.

Since I value the professional relationship I have with the pharmacists in the small community I work in I would never consider it. A friend would understand you refusing with an explanation

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No one knows what the job market is for PNPs...? What websites do fresh grad primary care NPs use to search for jobs? From a cursory search on hospital websites, they are looking for acute care PNPs, and I will be specializing in primary care.

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