future-peds-np

Thank you so much!!

I am working on an inpatient oncology unit and have been working on night shift. After talking to my manager, a position on day shift has opened. What tips do you have for being successful and staying organized on day shift?

Just to preface, I am only hearing this story from your perspective, so I'll try to be as helpful as possible. I have never heard of asking too many questions in nursing school, much less being called "unprofessional." When I was in nursing school, they were practically holding us down to pull questions out of us. As for the care plan, I'm a little unsure exactly why you were sent home for missing 1 intervention. Care plans are not easy to do, and it sounds like you were taking it very seriously. If for some reason you think that maybe your clinical instructor is intentionally doing this to you (not sure if you do or not), consider moving up the chain of command and telling them about the issue because your story seems very unusual. If you do not think so, I don't really have much advice to give you other than to persevere. You can and WILL get through this.

I can't speak from experience because I was a full-time student. However, I had several friends who worked a lot of hours to pay for school, and they all graduated. It can DEFINITELY be done. I think the most important thing is to remember to leave some time for some self-care. It's the only way to avoid burnout.

I am currently in an internship program and working on a med-surg/telemetry floor. I am learning SO much, but it really isn't my cup of tea. I'm more interested in primary care, health promotion, and public health. (My eventual goal is to be a pediatric primary care nurse practitioner.) This program ends around the second week of September and I'm having a little trouble making a decision as to where to go. There are a couple positions in my health system that are primary care jobs. My question: do you believe that primary care experience is sufficient or that more acute care experience is vital?

I'm currently in the last semester of my BSN program, and I'm looking into NP programs. I'm very passionate about women's and children's health, so I thought that perhaps I should look into being certified as an FNP and CNM. Considering the need for maternity care providers in this country especially for low-income families, I thought I could make a difference for a lot of people at risk. Any thoughts on this? *Disclaimer: I am a male, so I do worry about pursuing midwifery on account of the mixed feelings about male midwives.

I'm in the same boat as you on this debate. I'm so torn! In regards to PNP, I can understand being more "marketable" as a PNP since you'd be certified to work with patients from newborn all the way into young adulthood. That being said, you may or may not work in a clinic if you're a acute care PNP. (Just speculation, but the clinic would maybe have to be some kind of specialty clinic if you specialize in acute care.) Maybe a primary care / acute care dual track program? There are some that exist out there. As far as NNP, I love the NICU and the babies. I have a huge interest in neonatology, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time studying that material in my BSN program. As a very family-oriented person, I could definitely see how the work schedule as an NNP could be more strenuous on a family since you'd be on call and working 24-hour shifts most likely. They are definitely different career paths and will affect your personal life much differently.