jalma527

I have pondered this question of why I am dissatisfied for sometime and this is what I've come up with so far: 1. I miss the commaraderie of having other nurses with you on the floor with bedside nursing. Maybe I had a unique experience when I was a staff nurse, but I worked with a group of RNs that provided me with support and laughs. It wasn't always great - I definately had beef with some, but overall it was a great sense of working with a team. I don't get this with my present job. 2. High stress due to liability issues. I really don't think it's fair that I carry the same burden of liability as the MDs in my practice and yet get less compensation. I have no doubt that if something goes wrong with one of my patients I will be held accountable and not my medical director. 3. M-F, 8-5 is what some people are looking for, but I can't wait to go back to 12 hr shifts! 4. Ultimately more than any of this I am tired with some of the redundancy in primary care. It's a lot of the same. I know this is true in all specialties, but in primary care it's so much reassuring of well status to paranoid anxious patients and lecturing of healthy lifestyles to unhealthy patients with very few patients changing that sometimes I think I might go crazy!

Sounds like you're not ready yet. Trust your gut. If it doesn't feel right to do it now because you're not sure - wait. The upcoming DNp programs are not going to obliterate master's prepared NPs, there are 2 many of us to allow that to happen! And despite all of the exposure in favor of the programs there are also many in the field of advanced nursing who are against it as well. I feel for you. I know it's a tough decision and you don't want to regret anything, but the program and the opportunities will likely be there next year right? So why rush?

What about public health nursing, school nursing, outpatient clinic, management, medispa work, or teaching? Some of these may be a better fit for you then primary care NP work. But if you're already in the program and can stick out, do so and just know that you don't have to be a traditional NP. You will be a RN with a greater breadth of knowledge and scope of practice, and that can only benefit you.

I agree with jjjoy - it is easier and faster to become a NP than an MD if that is your goal, but in my experience the work as an NP is not as comfortable. My job does not hold any different expectations for me than what are placed on the MDs, and I definately get paid less. Perhaps that is part of my dissatisfaction. Being an NP is A LOT of responsibility. This may also be due to where I practice but I can certainly say I am not always "working with fairly healthy patients". The majority of my patients have multiple chronic conditions and are uninsured and therefore lacking necessary tests and specialty consults that I am certain will cost them years of life as well as deplete their quality of life. This is a constant source of stress for me. I also agree that it is perhaps too easy to become a NP. I worry that the integrity of the APN, as well as the RN, professions may be jeapordized with the influx of people entering the field looking to make money and "help people" but who quite frankly are not that smart.

I apologize for this lengthy response.:typing My goal was always to be a FNP. Toward the end of my undergraduate schooling I was in a MVA, car vs pedestrian, I was the pedestrian. The accident left me with depression that was undiagnosed for sometime and affecting my physical health, it wasn't until I met a FNP who asked me what was going on with my life mentally and socially that I was diagnosed and received mental health therapy. The care that the FNP provided made me look into the field. Prior to this I was already interested in public health and was planning on getting a MPH. So a career as an FNP made me feel like I would be able to make a difference in community health and help people on an individual level (I was right about that). I researched the education and training I would need. I was in my senior year of college as a sociology major at a university that didn't even offer nursing (University of California). So I discovered that I'd need a BSN and MSN with FNP training. If I had gone back for a 2nd undergrad career and worked a couple years in between that and a MSN program (traditional route)I'd just be finishing my graduate degree this year. Instead I was accepted into a Master's Entry Program in Nursing which included an accelerated year of RN training and then I started my graduate program immediately after. At the same time as the grad portion I worked part-time as a RN on a med/surg floor and much to my suprise I LOVED it. At that time I even considered stopping grad school and continuing my career as a RN, but I figured I was already half way through, might as well finish it, and continue with my original plan knowing that I would always have the option to return to RN work. I have worked as a true FNP in primary care seeing pts of all ages and conditions (except prenatal care) for nearly 3 years and therefore I feel like I've given it a fair shake. It's just not as enjoyable for me as working as a staff nurse was. I realize that I may go back to the hospital and work as a RN and dislike that too now that my knowledge and experience is different but I think it's worth a shot. I'm glad I have a masters because I think it makes me more marketable, and the education and training I have make me feel confident that I can be successful in a variety of positions/specialties. In my experience many people who plan to become NPs do so because they think it's what they "should do". It's viewed as more prestigious "you're almost a doctor". The majority of people who were in my cohort in my masters entry program were pre-med. I found this outlook ridiculously annoying. You are and always will be a nurse! And that is something you should be proud of! But I digress... I always tell nurses and nursing students to take their time. Do not put pressure on yourself. Be proud of the work you are doing, you are not "just an RN". There are many options in nursing. If you aren't happy with what you are doing don't assume you need a masters or NP to make a change. Think about other fields or certifications. Try to spend time with NPs in a variety of fields to see what their day is like and ask them what they like and dislike about their roles, do this before you even apply to grad school to get an idea of what specialty would be right for you. Also working as a RN in an outpatient setting where NPs practice is a good chance to get a feeling for the job, the environment, the type of patients etc. I worked for 1 year as a triage nurse in a community clinic, during my second masters year, much like the one I took an NP job in and that really helped me know what to expect. I also know a FNP who worked in a OB/GYN clinic for a few years and that helped her decide who career path as a midwife. Hope this helps anyone who is still reading. :nuke:

That's a good idea. I've been working as a FNP for a little over 2 years now and I'm not really happy. In the middle of my program I thought about quitting and just stuck it out. I'm happy I did because now I know for sure that it's not for me and I'd hate to regret it or have doubts but if you are feeling that it's not for you trust your instinct.