Joan Z

Suckasaurus, funny... I agree that chronic pain is a terrible thing to manage, especially frustrating since you can't SEE anything. And I admire anyone who can treat this and remain compassionate! My concern other than being worn out--since this is n...

But, some pts ARE draining and will suck as much out of you as they can get--it is essential to set limits! We have a few such pts and what the group has taken to doing is seeing so many visits and then saying "and next time I want you to see X so we...

I practice in Michigan. I have never figured out why some pts prefer certain providers--I know when I see some folks who usually see the physician they are disappointed when they see me (or the other NP). I'll try to have the MD stick his head in the...

I am extremely happy to have made the transition to NP. At one point I remarked that it was so great, I'd do it for free... well, no, I couldn't really unless I had some income from elsewhere. After a lot of number crunching I went from salary to bei...

You're not automatically a NP if you complete a MSN program (or even a DNP)--you have to pass a certification exam and then get licensure in the state you're planning to practice in. It sounds more complicated than it is--plus while you're in the pr...

It is scary in this economy to not have a job or to leave a job which isn't right--that's not to say you shouldn't try different jobs. If (like Nursesabeti) you know what you want, then you should focus there. However, if you're thinking IM/hospitali...

Given that I did not want to move away from my three young children and husband, nor did I have the ability to support us if he quit his job to move us all to a brick/mortar institution town, I did not have any choice if I wanted to advance my educat...

Hi Chris Sorry about your life upheavals, I was hoping you'd post to say you'd found another job... but it will happen, some day! I don't know if you are interested in moving to Michigan but here are the Michigan Council of NP job postings: http://ww...

A couple of comments-- being in a major university town, I disagree that "doctor means physician"--where I am it is just as likely to mean "Professor". Many of my pts--who have PhDs--wish to be referred to as "Doctor" and they are very much entitled ...

I had more years of beside nursing (not as much as some on this forum, think there was a posting about this recently). I don't think it will matter. Good luck.

I can't speak to the lack of experience, but as to age would have been very happy to have started as an NP at the age of only 47. I had no problem finding a job as an entry-level NP. I believe your skills will speak louder than any number of calendar...

Hmm, I have lived in IL and saw several NPs there (where I first learned about them) and they were fairly autonomous so must be some mini-Twilight Zone you stepped into... So, you worked with the medical director before and had a good relationship, h...

No wonder the "midlevels" didn't work out... What is the advantage to having someone else doing the procedures if they need to be there anyway? How much autonomy do NPs have in your state? Is the hospital not aware of what you could legally do on you...

I have a PhD (in chemistry) and the joke among some of my RN coworkers was to call me 'doctor Joan'. I do see pts who refer to me as "the doctor" and I will always correct that. As for the serious part of your post... yeah, that'd be great, wouldn't ...

Have you worked nights before? I know some people are great with them, some get sick. I learned it was really different to have to be up all night and work (as an RN) as opposed to hanging out with friends or lying on the couch reading. If you can bu...

Right now I'm living in an area which gets at least 200" of snow a year, so anywhere else in the country seems pretty dry by comparison. Normal New England-type winters, but there are plenty of mountains (not like Colorado) to the west so they catch ...

I grew up on the east coast and my youngest son is currently a freshman at Amherst College. It is a cute little town, very pretty. There are five colleges in the area, in addition to AC there is UMass-Amherst (which is huge), Smith College, Mt. Holyo...

Ten years.

After reading birdgardner's post I went back to look at case studies from my research class--all medical except one and that had to do with adopting a survey tool in a Spanish-speaking population. So the lesson to be learned was that you can't automa...

I had this discussion with one of my professors during my MSN program--with a lot of eye-rolling on my part. Her research was in making results of nursing research more user-friendly and applicable to practicing nurses of all levels. I told her good ...

My program had a similar requirement... and I am not sure how so many folks made it through the program with averages on exams in the 70s or lower at times.

I had my first experience last week handling a call from the ICU. I worked as an ICU nurse for MANY years and from experience figured the guy making the call knew what he wanted... so I asked. He of course had an answer ready. Now the irony is that a...

I have a contract which required a bit of negotiation but it is good for me and for my employer. Part of our training included a session on negotiating. It was helpful as I would have otherwise undervalued my services.

I've been at my job as a new NP for almost two months. I totally love it but it is still stressful--every day I learn more that I DON'T know. My advice--realize you have other resources (another NP, an MD or DO), and you can always bring the pt back ...

In my class of 2008 of about 21, two guys (~10%) Locally (within 100 mile radius) about 7 NPs, 1 guy (14%)