ARNPCD

I worked full time and did school part time. It can certainly be done, but something will have to give. Be it your sleep and health, or social, or family time. I also had a few tougher semesters when you seem to get teachers that appear to thrive on making your life miserable, and everything fell to the wayside then. But, if you are motivated and have support, which I was so blessed to have, it can be done. It took the support of my family, significant other and also job to make it work.

I have kept the thought of working as a bedside RN in the back of my mind..... If I ever needed to just work part time, and NP jobs were not meeting my flexibility needs, I would probably work per-diem as an RN. However, I would try to find an NP job first. I hesitate dealing with other RNs, like any other person, some nurses can be brutal to another person they are jealous of. Myself and other classmates dealt with many snide comments from co-workers. I just wanted to say "YOU can be an ARNP too, just get off your big #*@!!

I completely agree with you, everyone has their preference, and they are welcome to insist on the Dr, but it just seems silly to demand a surgeon to review labs or put in a few sutures?!

You bring a great, valid point. When patients get sent to the specialist, they are scared, and think their problem is special and unique. However, I work on the other side of the fence, in the specialty, and 90% of patients fall into three or four problems. If the patient wants the specialist to also be a skilled surgeon, then the specialist has to spend more time in the OR, and not funneling the patients through pre-operative testing, that in reality an RN could oversee. However, it took me working in a specialty to realize this. I have great respect for those working in primary care, such as you carachel2, I couldn't be an expert in so many areas :)

I totally echo the sentiments of the few posts above. It all depends on your geographical area. If your school is well known where you want to get a job, it should be no problem, irregardless of the presumed prestige of it. However, if you go out of your geographical area, it differs how big of a problem it is. For me, my school is somewhat well known, so it was a bonus for me getting a job. Did it make it easier, yes, I think it helped get me several interviews. Experience I believe plays a bigger factor, but my school helped make me more competitive.

As a new NP, I find myself running into this frequently. I am the first NP for a specialty practice, in which the majority of patients do not understand what an NP is, or what we are all about. I get called "nurse" numerous times a day, as in "I don't want to see the nurse!" Don't get me wrong, I can sympathize wanting to see a physician for a new or dangerous condition. However, I often see the "easier" per say patients, follow ups and lab checks. In reality, an RN could realistically do my job, however patients seem to want the Dr. for EVERYTHING! I am at my wits end about this, I guess it is my fault for starting a job at a practice that has never had an NP or PA before. Any suggestions? Has anyone run into this before?

What kind of NP are you? (acute care, peds...) Adult How many hours do you work a week? 40-50 How many hours do you take call a week? On call every sixth week, ALL week.

I would say the decision to become an NP is not the same for everyone. It depends greatly on your personal life, motivation, personality, etc... I consider myself a halfway intelligent and motivated person, however my MSN tried my patience, time, and finances in ways I could not even anticipate. I think my BSN program did a great disservice by promoting their MSN program so heavily to young naive graduates, such as myself However, in retrospect, now that school is all said and done, I am happy with my decision to become an NP. Would I be as happy as an RN, some days yes. There is a ton of responsibility as an NP. If you feel overwhelmed as an RN, imagine that the buck stops with you as an NP, YOU are the one being called to make the decisions. Some days this is stressful, some days extremely overwhelming for a new grad. My schooling was pretty good, like others have said, too much time is spent on theory and nursey garbage and not enough on patho and pharm. I feel somewhat well prepared, but it definitely could of been better. As for job satisfaction and personal life, these two go hand in hand for me. If the job allows me to life comfortably, and have time for a real life with those I love, I am satisfied. This was the main push for me to be an NP. I got tired of working nights, weekends, and holidays. Being with my family on the holidays is well worth all the other headaches being an NP can bring. Do I wish I chose a new career? A resounding yes! I am already over demanding patients, whose expectations are so unreasonable. But, I guess this is in every line of work.