RNcherry77

Yes, I'm an RN. When in my master's program, some classmates opted to continue to FNP, but I decided not to. I believe it was an addition year of schooling, making it a total of 3 yrs. It wasn't in my heart then, and now I think it is. The NP programs I've reviewed recently are 2yr programs, so I was hoping I could just do the didactic part only and not the entire program.

I got my master's in 2014, and felt the same way about going for the FNP. Of the three tracks offered at my university (healthcare leadership, community health, and education), I did a dual track for the first two. Education/teaching wasn't in my heart. FNP would have been an additional few qtrs. As a fairly new nurse (I went from a non-nurse to a master's prepared nurse in 5 years), it's been difficult to find any management roles because of my lack of official supervisory experience. It's been 3 years now, and I still have not landed a role that fully utilizes my degree. In retrospect, I feel like I should have continued and gotten the FNP, so that I would more likely get an entry level position and actually use my degree. In your case, even NP isn't in your heart, but you want to earn a higher degree, I say go for it. Unless there's another, less specialized MN program you can apply for instead. But having the FNP would give you something to fall back on. And, in my job searching experience, just having a master's in nursing opens doors for teaching opportunities. I took a per diem lab instructor position at a local university, but don't really hope they'll ever need me. Good luck!

Hello! Does anyone know how I can become an FNP if I already have an MN? I'd hate to retake general master's level courses, and I'm hoping some would get waived. My MN specialties are healthcare leadership and community health (I did a dual track), and I graduated in 2014 from the University of Washington. TIA!