melmorris

I do not know where you are located - I only know of a few on line schools -- I have precepted students from Texas Tech and Vanderbilt who both offer distance learning -These are the only ones I have knowledge about but I am sure there are lots out there- If you are wanting to move back to the NICU - then you might want to explore a neonatal nurse practitioner program rather than an FNP -- although the NNP program would greatly limit your work opportunities it would probably prepare you better for that type of job - not to say that someone trained in an FNP program couldn't work in a NICU-Good luck - you will love being a nurse practitioner if you find the right job for you.

I live in New Braunfels TX, here most ER's are not requiring the ACNP to work - some of the hospitalist groups are using ACNP's now around here -- I remember actually reading an article not too long ago about a hospital up north somewhere that actually hired NP's to be hospitalists -- they worked along side and with the physician hospitalist groups but were employed by the hospital -- I currently work for a cardiology group and am mostly office based mainly because my workload is huge and I don't go to hospital - have on occasion gone over to do a quick stress test or two but that is about it -- we used to have a PA that worked with our docs in hospital only but when he quit they never replaced him -- I really like the office based practice - I have been with this group for 7 1/2 years so the pts are so used to me and many will only see me - They become very dependent sometimes - I run a coumadin clinic and a lipid management clinic as well as some nuclear stress testing in the office and then see pts for follow up visits, answer lots of phone calls, screen and make decisions on any outside labs/tests done etc besides a lot of other pieces of the practice - the day is long and goes by very quickly. I also do some part time ER work too - and they have mix of PA's and FNP's ( mostly PA's currently) but no discussion of making us do the ACNP upgrade. Best luck to you in your program and beginning your practice - I hope that you enjoy being a nurse practitoner as much as I do --

Do they have it as a distance learning track also ? Might be interested in that for myself - wouldn't take as long since I have the FNP part already -- So when you go to take your board certification - will you take both or the ENP one only?

I did not realize that Vanderbilt had an ENP program - I am a preceptor in their program and have precepted several students from there doing the distance learning track

I totally disagree with direct entry programs -- As an FNP you are making huge decisions that could be deleterious -- Having background as a nurse even just a few years will not only help you in the long run but be beneficial to your pts -- I went into FNP program with 18 years of nursing experience as both an LVN then RN - the programs out there do not teach you everything you need to know - and your clinical is only as good as the place you can find that is willing to take a student -- Even with that experience and most of it as an ER nurse - I was scared to death when I first started practicing - lucky for me the clinic where I first started had another FNP with lots of experience so I could ask lots of questions - I always wondered if there would come a day that I didn't have to look up everything -- she assured me it would come - and it did -- I have now subspecialized into Cardiology - and I have had to learn so much initially whenI first began = now it is every day stuff - but I still also keep up my pedi and procedural skills by working in an ER part time - So to sum it all I think that there should be a requirement for experience prior to acceptance into NP school - but what would that magical number be ?? I would say from my perspective at least 5 years

There is discussion about ACNP and FNP -- The ACNP definitely limits your work choices specifically to adults unless there are some pedi acute care programs coming forth out there -- I too was an ER nurse for many years ( also director of the unit - a working manager) before I went back to school - I choose FNP program because of the education across the age spans and it would not limit where I could work -- one of the things that it seems you are looking for is a program that has both adult and pedi acute care focus - you might consider an Emergency Nurse Practitioner program - there are not a lot of them around but they teach the spectrum and the procedures -- Good luck deciding

Reply to deannichols ( sorry I can not figure out how to reply to you ) I think it is me - I saw something about not being able to do private messaging until you had 15+ postings - so it may be that since I am new to the forum ) I trained as an FNP - graduated from the University of Tx Health Science Center - San Antonio in 1999.

I see a lot of abcesses - Am in South TX - we see lots of MRSA -- here they are the most sensitive to Bactrim / Doxycycline/ clindamycin-- usually on a bad abcess we will do Bactrim DS bid and Doxy bid x 10 days - occasionally also give Clindamycin injection as boost before these antibx

reply to deannicholas : ( unable to reply to your pvt message d/t your settings) It is a cardiology practice in TX

I am in office based practice - no call - no hospital - have worked for the group >7 years - up to 6 weeks vacation , 1 week CME ( paid for to $1500) 1 week sick time - make now over 110,000 plus usually year end bonus --

joanolisa-- I have been a nurse for over 30 years - beginning the career ladder as an LPN when I graduated from high school -- went straight on into a BSN program but worked part time while going to school - I graduated in 1983 - did floor nursing for about a year and then moved into ER nursing - later becoming the director of that ER for 14 years -- I always wanted to be a NP but I got married and had kids and then where I lived no programs available - but then in the mid 90's UTHSCSA started nurse practitioner programs - so at the age of 37 I went back to school full time - worked fulltime - and graduated in 1999 with MSN and FNP -- I have to say that I LOVE being a nurse practitioner - It is the best career move I ever made although it took me a while to get there -- It is challenging, hard work but the rewards in the end are many -- You just have to find the right job out there for YOU -- I did family practice in a small rural clinic for 3 years - lots of autonomy - saws lots of families - it was so rewarding and I was devastated when they closed the clinic ( it was hospital owned ) so I had to go look for a job after working for that hospital for 22 years - anyway I ended up working for 2 cardiologists and have grown my job over the past 7 1/2 years - It is hard work most of the time but it is great to be autonomous - It is all worthwhile when you get a hug from a patient as they are leaving the office saying thanks for taking care of me - or the card you receive thanking you for taking such good care of them - or the comments they make to their friends about the care you give them and then it comes back as a compliment from someone - or to have someone you just meet say to you " Oh you are the Melanie that Mrs so and so talks about all the time and how good you take care of them : All of this makes the job worth it - You just need to find the right job for you when you get out of school - it may not be the first one you take - but network with other NP's - Almost all physicians are using midlevels in their practices anywhere from peds to derm- to allergy - to research to ER- to cardiology - to even hospitals employing NP's as hospitalists types if that is your bag- I again think that being a NP is a wonderful profession - many nurses that I have worked with over the years have gone back to NP school - I precept alot of NP students in both my settings ( cardiology and ER) and love showing students that being an NP is a Great job - Keep that dream alive if it is what you truly want - I don't know what part of the country you live in but again I can't emphasize networking - we have a group of NP/PA's here that meets monthly and we encourage students to join us - many of us precept and bring our students others hear about it - they get lots of tips on jobs etc -- I wish you the best of luck should you decide to go on to school