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I've worked at 2 different hospital systems in WA and have not seen NP's in the critical care setting. All the NP's I have had contact with were either specialty or hospitalists in the med/surg/tele units. Some of the more experienced NP's sometimes had a couple patients in the PCU in collaboration with the intencivist MD.

I got my DEA # in one week and another classmate of mine also got hers in one weeks time. We are both in different states. I was glad I had mine before my first job, and they reimbursed me for the DEA licensing.

bklynbaby, Does this pay include bonuses to equal the 120k? i'm currently being offered around 110k for salary for the ltc position.

Hi Jamijlewis, Did you end up taking this position? Im considering the same here on the West side. base salary offer: $110k benefits: healthcare isn't that great so i'm staying w/ my partner's health/dental and they do have a retirement plan - I need to look more into details regarding this part, but i believe the recruiter stated they match up to a certain %. 8 holidays off, no on call, no weekends. quarterly bonuses ranging on average $1-5,000. PTO: 23 days - no separate sick or personal time CE: $2,000.00

Hi Duckfan23, Have you stayed with this position? I'm considering a similar role as a newer NP. Thanks.

Does anyone have experience working with optum on the LTC side? How was it?

Do you happen to know how the bonuses work there? I am looking into a position here on the Western US w/ Optum as a NP.

Do you happen to know how the NP's that work in the LTC's feel about their workload/pay?

You could seek out a dual FNP/AGACNP program, but that would be outside WA state. From what I know there are no hospitals on the western side that have peds and adults inpatient together. Most all patients are taken to either a Childrens Hospital or any other hospital that only has adult patients; and AGNP's can see patients 13+ years old. I know UW and SU both have ACNP programs for RN-DNP, but yes they are AGACNP. Good luck.

Maybe it depends in the area you live in. I know in the Northwest there are many adult family homes and so there are NP's that work with smaller organizations that go out to some assisted living facilities and adult family homes. depending on the schedule you are hired for as various organizations can offer different scheduling options like nursing- 8 or 12 hr days. Larger companies that do "house calls" like United Health Care also exist. I have a couple friends who have done this and they saw around 15-20+ patients 2-4 days a week (depending on their contract they had to meet a certain number of patient load per pay period) and charted at home, in addition to on call.

When I was working as a RN in Seattle with 3-4 years experience, certification pay and not taking benefits on per diem I was making ~$40/hr but a lot of times I would also have a student or new hire with me which gave me additional $1/hr, or staying over during part of evening shift, etc would add a little more. Swedish union is through SEIU so you could look on that site for union rights/pay there. Swedish Medical Center | SEIU Healthcare 1199NW I believe in the Seattle area BSN is pretty standard so there isn't extra pay that goes along with that. Seattle has gorgeous summers I hope you have a positive experience.

I know a couple people who went through that program and you can easily drive out of the area to hang out in other places on the weekend easily. It can get depressing due to the lack of activities available and weather during the Fall/Winter. I think it's doable for a couple of years. If you have a car you won't be isolated there. Practice common sense as you would anywhere and you will be fine.

I attended their accelerated BSN program in the past (it's phased out now) and I didn't travel from the east coast, but I did drive and fly multiple times during my time in ND. from the PNW, flights at their cheapest (usually bought 3 months in advance) were as little as $700-800 (which isn't really "little") and if I flew short notice (within the 1-1.5 month range) it was easily a little over $1000.00. When I drove (about 24 hours total) we stopped in Montana a couple of nights before making it back to the Seattle area.

If there is no choice and you want to stay in your current location then the only other option would be to seek distance programs. For me, who finished a masters level NP program I don't have desire to go back to get more debt for really little to no pay difference. From what I know among colleagues is that negotiation is key when you first sign. Good luck!

If you see yourself wanting to work with peds in the future then you should go for a FNP. I don't think AGNP programs are easier to get into, esp in the schools in WA State as most programs in the Seattle area are highly competitive. You should though decide if you want to do primary vs acute care. If you do get your FNP you can still work in urgent care. Maybe you should shadow or volunteer to figure out where you would like to focus on. If you want to work in a inpatient setting I would recommend getting a ACNP, because the Seattle area is putting out more grads out of acute care programs (UW and SU) it would be tough for you to find a position w/ a primary care degree in a acute care setting. From what I know there are no dual FNP/AGACNP programs in Washington. You could move out of state to do a dual program and/or attend a distance program. Really decide in the area you want to focus and if you can't then go for a dual program that would cover you in both arenas. Good luck.