AutumnBlaze

At our VA, community living is our nursing home. It includes long term rehab, extended care and hospice.

Love it!

There are many online,some of which are free.AACN currently has a free sepsis CE.ANCC & AANP have lots of acute care CEs.I also use NPACE,and various other online sites.

It's my understanding that several of the lab companies, such as Lab Corp., do this. I have also been told that one of our local hospitals allows this, though I cannot personally confirm it. My friend uses their services, since she has very limited insurance.

I am inpatient, so I either wear tennis shoes or flat clogs.

I am a ACNP who works in surgery. I do not scrub, although I could, as I am not needed to. My team, NPs and PAs, cover our hospital 24/7. There is always someone here. We round, write orders. we admit, we discharge, see patients in ER and our clinic. My background is critical care. Not sure what else you want to know?

changed mind

I was a critical care RN, ICU, SICU, CCU, CVICU, for over 20 years. I am now an inpatient ACNP . I am much more stressed now.The amount of responsibility is so much higher.

This is true in my VA too. I have been an NP for 16 years and I make less than some of the RNs. I was astounded when I first found that out.

I went to a brick and mortar school in the south east and felt it adequately prepared me for being an NP. However, I also had many years of experience as a critical care RN, so that helped as well. I also was and am always looking for more self education and knowledge.

Will becoming a Nurse practitioner be enough for me? I doubt it, based on your post and aspirations. I would advise going to medical school.

I work as an inpatient ACNP and I work 7 12s and one 8 a pay period. We don't get paid 40 hours unless we work 40 hours. I sorta miss those three 12s as a RN, lol

AANP hours are accepted by ANCC. Below from the ANCC website- Q: How do I know which contact hours are accredited/approved? A: Formally approved continuing education must meet the following criteria: Continuing nursing education (CNE) approved for nursing contact hours by an accredited provider or approver of nursing continuing education Continuing medical education (CME) approved for CME hours Sponsored by organizations, agencies, or educational institutions accredited or approved by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), or the Commission on Dietetic Registration Provided by one of these accepted agencies: American Nurses Association (ANA) American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) American Psychiatric Association (APA) American Psychological Association (APA) American Psychiatric Nurses Association (APNA) Emergency Nurses Association (ENA) National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health (NPWH) National Association of Pediatric Nurse Associates and Practitioners (NAPNAP) For a list of ANCC accredited organizations, please visit Find an Accredited Organization

As a current VA employee, I mostly agree with this, with one exception.Although many workloads are quite light, the primary care NPS tend to have very high caseloads and the turnover is high. The vacation and sick time is generous. The so called pension is not really relevant unless you plan to stay at least ten years. At 5 yrs, you can leave and take your insurance with you and you may get enough pension to just pay your insurance.My health insurance costs are no better than at a non government facility, My salary is low compared to my private NP practice in the past. I came to the VA for reasons other than pay, but I have learned my lesson. And as you posted, the politics.... It is very frustrating,