jeffb

I appreciate the insight. I know of a couple of NPs that have been, let's say disenchanted, with their 'collaborative' relationships. As nurses, we tend to be more clinically-savvy than business minded. I hope to hone my negotiation skills prior to graduation. Thanks again for the advice.

I just started a FNP program this year. Just curious if anyone had experience practicing independently. Also, what should I know about collaborating with a physician or physician group? Any pointers in regards to pay, insurance, autonomy, etc?

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you view it, image is everything in nursing. My advice: 1. You've worked hard, don't let your career get tainted by anyone. 2. Work on your image and keep your personal and professional life seperate. My experience has been when I've mixed them, I've had trouble. 3. Be who you are. You're the one that has to look in the mirror and know who you are. Good luck

I spend a lot of time each day taking care of staffing issues. It would be nice to staff an additional nurse each shift, each day, just so you can have peace of mind. But, that's not really practical. My advice: 1. Enforce your facility's attendance policy and look for trends with your employees. Intervening early will help. 2. If you cannot financially incent an employee to work, then making work deals is the next best thing. I will give someone a day off on a weekend if they can cover a last minute call-off during the week. That will generally take care of my crisis moment, then I have more time to fill the weekend shift. Good Luck