ThePrincessBride

I would go for it if you plan on working for another 15 years. Just be mindful of how much you spend...I would go for a 2 year degree instead of a 4 year degree to keep debt to a minimum. Do not go to a private school again...stick with community college.

Urgent care NP here. Take the ED spot. You will gather SO much information from the ED, a variety of conditions and have an idea of how a critical patient who needs to be referred to ED presents. ICU would not be as helpful.

I became an NP. Not really a career change, but it beats 25 to life at the bedside. If I didn't pursue an NP career, I would have gotten my master's in library science and become a librarian or a master's in finance and help manage company 401ks.

RIght before I became an NP, my hospital was talking about bringing back LPNs because RNs refused to work in such terrible conditions. I am probably going to get chewed out, but I would rather the hospitals focus on improving the problem (nurse/patient ratios, pay, poor management, violent/disrespectful patients, ridiculous JCAHO) so that more RNs will return to the bedside than force the RNs that are at the hospital to supervise LPNs. The minute management started saying we would have an LPN for 10 patients was the minute I realized I made the right decision to leave bedside.

NICU is an amazing specialty. I know it may seem rough at first, but I would hang in there. If not, I have known plenty of NICU nurses who left for the following: aesthetic nursing, insurance companies, palliative/hospice care, labor and delivery and PP care.

I am an Urgent Care NP, but we have nurses in urgent care as well. We work 3 12s per week with some weekends and holidays. Also, there are retail clinics (think CVS Minute Clinic) where it is 38 hours one week and 27 hours the next (10 hours weekdays and 7-8 hrs on weekends). So not quite 3 12s, but definitely not a Monday-Friday.

Both shifts are not kid friendly; the 11-11 moreso than the 6-6. That being said, I would probably go with 11-11 as I loathe night shift.

LOL@ most healthcare workers tending not to be overweight. I am an NP who worked on the floor for over seven years. I would say nurses reflect the general pop in that most of us are overweight. Some even obese.

Yeah, you are doing it wrong (jk). I was contemplating working three jobs once I got my first NP job (urgent care NP and 2 PRN bedside RN jobs) but then I was like, why? Life is too short. So now I am sticking with one full time gig and a PRN job that is more hobby than work. Each job it comes with their own scheduling requirements. Better to work overtime at one job or to have one primary gig and one PRN job with a lot of flexibility. But having a full time job, 2 part time jobs and then a consulting gig is too much. And have 2 FT jobs is insane...like why? I think no more than 2 jobs unless absolutely necessary is best.

Most urgent cares and walk-in clinics only hire FNPs because of being able to see kids. BUT, you may find urgent cares that only treat adults. You just have to keep looking.

The most experienced CNA should not be making more than the least experienced RN. And I am shocked that you were making 32/hr as a CNA. That is really high.

When I make comparisons, I don't compare working overtime RN wages with regular NP wages because my aim is to make more working less, not working more to make more. That said, I wouldn't compare my wages to a travel RN, but the ones in my area aren't making $100, more like 60-80. As a staff RN, I make about $40/hr. After the fellowship, I would be at $60/hr plus monthly bonus potentials. Plus I never pick up. Either way, no amount of money is going to want me to stay another 20-25 years at the bedside.

Yeah I am a little bummed out about the initial pay cut, but once I am done with the fellowship, my pay as a new out-of-the-gate NP will be a few dollars more per hour than the most senior bedside nurse where I work. Plus I will be eligible for a 4% 401k match and productivity bonuses. Oh and is 120 hours of PTO decent or...not?

You can try to get a doctor's note to maybe get out of it, but I'm not sure if the employer will be willing to accommodate you. I think it is crappy that they are trying to do this to you, and it is a one-way ticket to even worse short staffing.

Hospital medicine is a beast, but I hear it is one of the higher paying NP specialties. I just got an offer for the Urgent Care fellowship. So it looks like the UC fellowship will get me more than enough CEU/CME. I will be contracted to do 160 hours per month (4 hours of didactic per week with 3 12s of clinical hours). 75k salary. 401k, health and vision (crappy health insurance, but still available). Not sure how much PTO, but probably 3 weeks. No job is guaranteed after the fellowship, but if they are like anyone else, I imagine that there probably will be a job available post-fellowship. Pay would be hourly $55-$60/hr after the fellowship if I managed to get a full-time role.