twalker

When I am asked about FNP and if I would recommend this career to anyone, I always ask why the person is thinking about becoming a FNP. If the reason is for money, the answer is no. Why go to school for so many years any not make the money that you are worth. However if it is so that you can help someone and be a valuable asset to a community than the answer is yes. Family Practice Physicians are at a record breaking low and one day we will be needed to take up the slack (even more than we are now). There are so many rural areas that need providers to help them. That is why I work as a FNP. Now is the pay great--heck no and yes I still work as a RN. So sorry if I do complain or speak the truth about my salary but ya know if I think about other alternatives in life, begging for a job, working for 20,000 or less a year, wondering if I will be the next one to get layed off, then maybe I shouldn't complain because I am blessed.:wink2:

that would be a good thing, however, I said something to the doctor here before about the MAs and our laws and she quickly made comments to let me know that "it is cheaper to keep them". As if it is such a monetary help for the clinic if they work here.

In the clinic they introduce theirselves or when they are talking to patients they say that they are nurses. MAs don't even have nurse in their title, so how can they addrress theirselves as nurses.

Just to answer the above questions. I am employed. No I do not get money for anything---I pay for my own insurance. I work for hourly rate. As far as a bonus. I started working there a little less than a year ago. I was to get a bonus in December--did not get it, finally got a $400 bonus added to my check so that it could be taxed to pieces. And as far as the last comment , I work prn as a RN for higher pay. Thank you for your comments.

I live in Arkansas and make more as a nurse than I do as a FNP. Actually I work as a RN in the hospital to make up for what I am missing.

I am glad that I found this question. I am an APN in a clinic in Arkansas. The doctor that I work for do not want to pay a LPN to do what they are trained to do so he has hired several MAs. They give shots and every thing. They constantly complain about their pay. One day one of them made the comment that she did not know between them and the LPNs and RNs. How dare she compare herself to a RN. She can not spell worth anything and do not care. When she write down medicines it takes 15 minutes to make out what they actually suppose to be and when she calls medicines into the pharmacy it is embarrassing. One day one of them was giving an IM shot with a SubQ syringe. When questioned about it she just said that it would still get in the muscle, it just would not hurt as bad, the doctor just laughed. This made me so mad. Where can I find their scope of practice? This is so dangerous.:angryfire

arkansas---the doctors think that we are trying to take their jobs and the rns think we are stuck up...plus the pay is bad

Hello, I am a clinical instructor for a small college. I am so happy to find this thread because I need someone who can relate. I am somewhat new and need some advice.

I am new to the field, less than a year expierence and I thought that I would actually be helping people, and well I know that I am. However I have seen nurses just burned out because they are being abused by people who feel that it is there duty to insure that the doctors keep their narcotic supply up to "their standards". Xanax, lortab, percocet, methadone, constantly over and over again. The poor ladies at the front office, the receptionist, they get phone calls constantly, cursed daily by narcotic abusers. I am all for treating people who what is to be thought of as serious pain. I also realize that pain and anxiety is totally subjective, who am I to say that someone is not in pain or is not having acute anxiety. But those who take 90 lortab 10 in 15 days, or those who curse you because they get darvocet and want lortab from the doctor that is abuse that am just tired of receiving.

Hello fellow NPs. I have a question for each of you. Do you have to deal with pts that abuse narcotics and how do you deal with them. In the clinic that I work at their are so many pts that are just narcotic seeking. A prime example is, I saw a pt approx 3 wks ago. He actually had scheduled an appointment for abd. pain every time that he eats. When I started assessing him I started having the feeling that his stomach pain was really no that important and really was not a problem because he had been dx with IBS approx 2 yrs prior. So he asked about pain medicine refill, I told him that his doctor (who practices in the same office) had priviously sent his his scripts in, he did not realize this however when I explained this to him, he right then said that he had IBS and he will change his diet at home. I was speechless b/c he just let me know in his own words that he did not actually have a problem afterwards I let him go. That is a typical today. I am so frustrated. I guess it has gotten around that I will no refill the doctor's chronic and acute pain medicine, so today guess what I have no pts assigned to me today.

This forum is so real. I work in a rural health clinic. I am still officially a new grad. I graduated last May. I went to work for a rural clinic that offered $60K, which is a pay cut of what I was making as a RN. They promised me many things and sugar coated their actual plan for me. I went into the position like a kid in a candy factory and now I am truely bitter about the entire practitioner field. Thanks rural health for making my first year as a nurse practitioner a living disaster. I am thinking about returning to nursing, at least I will get more money.

I would love to go this year, please explain more about the student discount. Are you saying if you graduated or was a student after Sept. 07, I graduated in May 07. Terri

I notice that there is not much activity on this forum, however I was wondering if I can get some insight on parish nursing. I am actually an APN in Arkansas. I would like to work in my church and community as a parish nurse---volunteer if need be. However I can not find a program, can you or someone help me. Thank you and I wish more parish nurses would post:nurse:

:nurse:The contract that I have (that I did not really understand and comprehend the way that I should b/c I was just so happy that I passed boards) states how far that I can work from the clinic after I stop working there, if I do resign how long I have to give them before my last day, and so on and so on. It really teaches me the importance of taking time time out to understand everything. I have a friend that graduated with me. She got a job with a private physician was promised a huge bonus however when his census somehow became low and he actually "laid" her off, he explained a loop hole in her contract that protected him when he did not give her the bonus

My advice to all seeking their 1st np job is make sure before you accept you really read and understand the contract. I read through a contract approx 6 months ago (1st np job) and I missed a lot of loop holes. don't make the same mistakes that I made. Be careful and good luck.

Thanks for that information, I did not know that.

I am also a new grad, I actually graduated last May (2007) and started my first job in October. I started working for a rural health clinic and I was so happy. I was promised exactly what I wanted and I believe that I was told what I wanted to hear. In school I was not taught how to deal with pts that made you feel uncomfortable due to pain management or pts who made you feel as if they were not there you would not be there. I have actually been followed down a hall while a pt spoke to me in a very unprofessional way (that is an under statement) because the doctor gave him Darvocet and Lortab. Another problem is that I was told that I would work in there clinic that is approx 15 mins from my house or another clinic (there are a number of clinics) that was 20 mins from my house which was awesome because I have 2 school age children. Since then every month I have driven close to 2000 miles a month. They do pay mileage, but gas is close to $4 so mileage is a joke and besides I wanted to be close to my children, however I am usually 1 hour or more away from kids (one way). i am so frustrated and disappointed. I respect the way you handled your problem and situation. It is encouraging. I just feel that this decision to advance my degree was not the best:scrying:

First, I am sorry to hear about your results. I took the ancc exam last week. I used fitzgerald, ancc also offers a review that is good. I also answered a lot of questions from different review books. But I believe that fitzgerald was the best. Good luck.

Arkansas, has to be on the list with the worst. The doctors can not see past the word "nurse" so therefore they just want to run their errands for the same pay as RNs.

I am taking the FNP exam..........I must be nervous.

Thanks for the info. I am taking the ANCC exam. Which one did you take?

I am reviewing for boards and I was wondering if anyone has any good advice or recommendations. I am taking the ANCC certification test and I am soooooooo nervous:uhoh21: everytime I try to review it seems as if I don't really make any progress. I will appreciate any and all advise or maybe somebody can just relate.

I have to agree that it is hard to work full time and go to school however it is not impossible. I am not by all means one of the smartest people in the world but I do have responsibilities. The number one is family. In the FNP program that I am in, we go to school every week and do 240 clinical hours. The last semester requires 480 clinical hours. Those hours do not include class time, clinical time, study time, and the multiple papers and projects that are required. Despite all of that I have to put in 36 hours of work a week to maintain my insurance and to keep the utilities on. It just depends on what you have to do. If you don't have to do it, then you want it and if you have on other options other than to do it, then you really have no other choice. God Bless

Thank you so much, this really helped.:roll :icon_biggrin:

Thank you. Did she work for the facility? That is interesting. I work in the ER now and receive a lot of patients from surrounding nursing homes just because they can not do IV medicines. It would seem that an APN would eliminate that as well as save the facility and residents money.