AnalystRN

I can relate to your situation when I was in nursing school almost 10 years ago. My first semester was terrible and I cried after my first clinical day. I wanted to quit and change majors because I hated med-surg and thought I could never be a good nurse. But, I stuck through it and kept telling myself that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. I finished nursing school and went straight to OB. If you don't like Med-Surg, there are other areas in nursing that might be a better fit for you - OR isn't the only option. It's normal to feel anxiety as nursing school isn't easy. However, you have to do what feels right in your heart. There are so many other options (like informatics, quality - which I am now in and I don't take care of patients but am an RN) and you don't have to force yourself to be in a career you won't be happy in. It's important you know what you want and it is okay if nursing is not the answer. There are many nurses who go into other non-patient care areas that are still indirectly helping people.

I have an idea of what NP does but I am going to shadow some in different areas to get a better feel. You make a good point about DNP. Thanks for your feedback.

Hello fellow RNs and NPs, I have been reading on this topic on this website but haven't found anything posted recently about NP school and is it really worth it? The previous posts were almost 10 years old and so many things have changed in healthcare in the last 10 years. So, my story in a few words is this - I got my BSN and worked in OB for 5 years. At that time, I got my MSN in Administration. I left bedside and did informatics, quality, and now, I'm a Nurse Analyst. So, I'm a M-F 9-5 desk job "nurse." It's a super comfy, low-stress job and I'm in a "specialty" because not a lot of nurses can do the data management that I can (I know a lot of Excel and Access and can manage databases). However, it gets routine and I don't feel like a nurse. I just started FNP school for a post-master's certificate but I feel super out of touch because I have been away from bedside for almost 4-5 years. I don't feel I will be ready as an FNP, plus with the DNP requirements, pressure of patient satisfaction scores, meeting quality metrics, etc., I wonder if being an FNP is as great as it once was. Schools are accepting students as long as they can pay, I feel standards for NP are lowered, you have to find your own clinical sites, and jobs are more limited compared to RN jobs. Plus, I don't want to get an MSN-FNP and end up going back for DNP. My question to the FNPs and FNP students out there - with the changes in healthcare (good and bad), what is your take on being a new FNP in today's time? Is it worth it?