PNP4KIDZ

I am going in as a nurse practitioner to the Air Force and will be 43 in a couple of weeks. The age waiver was not a problem. Of course, I had to pass the medical exam and meet the requirements.

That is tough CCRNDiva! You sound like an incredible candidate. I think these schools are so flooded right now, and it could have only been one person that made the difference. Keep applying!!! You have a really great attitude! Best of luck.....which ever school you end up going to, they will be lucky to have you :)

You are welcome! With your drive and passion, you will get in. Sometimes, I look back at my career and am glad now that things happened when they did (even though it wasn't my idea of good timing). I truly believe that the passion you have to become a nurse practitioner is not by accident, and doors will open for you :)

Keep your head up! It sounds like you have most if not all that they will want! They are getting pretty competitive, and maybe they wanted just a little more experience. No worries! I applied to a DNP program (I am a PNP right now) last year and got rejected from my own school where I got my Master's and an award.....Hmmm! But, I applied again and got in. I am sure there were some people who had been NP's longer than me, etc. I try not to take it personally. I think it is hard to get the true picture of someone only on paper, so they have to look at those few specifics. Apply again.....you will have even more experience under your belt, and they will see your perseverance!!! Good luck! :)

No, you shouldn't have to worry about that unless they already have a form showing that. Otherwise, you should be good!

If you have had an elevated cholesterol that they have, they will want to retake it at MEPS, but make absolutely sure you fast for a full 12 hours or it won't be accurate. You will get the results back about 10-15 minutes after you have your blood work. Lifting weights and some cardio will help your numbers.

I'm over 40 and went to MEPS about a month ago...no liver enzymes. Make sure you fast for a full 12 hours prior so your cholesterol/lipid panel will not be elevated. Mine came out just fine :)

As a PNP with 3 years experience now in the ED, and having over 12 years of experience as an RN before going back to school, that is pretty good pay for a fairly new NP with a few years of RN experience. I agree that nursing has shot themselves in the foot by not demanding more monetary compensation from the onset of NP's CNS's, etc. I agree that about 1/2 of the salary of MD's and DO's should be instilled. There are many RN's making more than me when I have more liability, greater decision making, etc. Plus, I am generating revenue for the hospital. I only made approx $74k in the Midwest. This includes working many difficulty hours, getting no break to eat, working 10 hour shifts, etc. We earn PTO just like the nursing staff, which equated for me approx 5-6 work weeks per year. There is no matching of 401k, but I do have a pension. I think your salary sounds pretty generous and having a nice schedule, etc. is worth a lot. Hopefully, NP's will begin to be compensated fairly for what they do. It would be nice to have our nursing organizations help us with this at the state and federal level. Best wishes with your job!

Yes, finding your own sites really isn't that hard, and it is soooo nice to do the hours and days that work for you!!!! The little bit of effort really pays off. Do you feel like you aren't learning much from clinical sites or from the classwork? I think the real learning is in the "hands on. " So, if you feel like things aren't "clicking" yet, they will. I honestly think it took me until just a little bit before my last semester before things started to feel more comfortable. And, it took a while on orientation even when I was first starting out to learn things. It is a totally different role and just takes time. I learn something new every time I am at work. That is what I love about being a provider. Let me know if you have any other questions. Keep up the great work! You will be done before you know it!!!

I wanted to clarify that there are lots of NP's and PA's that get hired into every area of the hospital without "fellowships." For my MSN program, we didn't have fellowships, and our hospital doesn't have fellowships for PA's/NP's. But, we have great orientation programs for each specialty. As a staff nurse, I worked in the Urgent Care area prior to going back to school, and was able to find an NP in the ER to do some of my clinicals which helped me to get my foot in the door. So, after my last semester, when a position opened up in the ER about 4-5 months later, I was called. I had been looking at other jobs in the same hospital, but was very glad to get that. So, I think if it is possible, you should try to do some clinicals in the ER...even if it is for a handful of hours. I like the fact that in some states, NP's can practice independently. I do wish that every state would be the same. It is very confusing and doesn't make sense. I think PA's and NP's function in virtually the same role except the models that our programs are based upon, but PA's are usually paid more from what I have seen. I will probably go back to get my DNP since it is now the terminal degree. I have also considered getting my Acute Care PNP certificate as well. I am not sure if that addresses some of the questions here.

Contact Peds/Women's Health offices and let them know what you are doing. I would also contact the local NAPNAP (pediatric professional organization) and you can send out a blanket email explaining what you are doing. I am sure you will get some positive responses. I don't know what the professional women's health organization is for NP's, but you could contact them too. The health department would be a good place too. Sometimes, people are willing to do 1-2 days per week. If you can find a couple of people for that, you have it made! You should also ask the adult contacts you have if they have any peers that might be interested in helping you out. The school can guide you too. I personally liked finding my own sites/people/hours. That way, it stayed very flexible for me and what worked with my schedule. Good luck! :)

As a Midwest PNP who works in the ER/Urgent Care, it was amazing to me too how low pay is for NP's in general! I believe the pay scale needs to start about where the RN/Staff Nurse ends with maybe a little overlap. For being in a critical area, our NP's get a 10% differential. But, we are not paid the extra for evening shifts. I have to say that there are many RN's making more. I just think our nursing organization should stand up and demand more for what we do. We actually generate money for the hospitals, have greater liability, and don't get hardly any breaks. Being in the ER is amazing! The fellowship you have will pay off. I don't think you are being petty or greedy. You just want to be compensated fairly. I think it is a fair wage considering it is a fellowship, but I would expect more once you finish :) (By the way, that wage isn't far off from what the new hire NP's get even with years of RN experience). As a profession, I agree that we need to demand higher salaries for what we do and the extra education we have. Best of luck!!!

Just letting you know that you can usually take the NCLEX after the date of your "official end of semester" which may be sooner than your graduation date....just a little info if you wanted to take it a little earlier.

My distance school was in Alabama with me living in the Midwest. Because their distance program was so established, they already had existing contracts with facilities in most states, and even overseas for military. There were not any pediatric places in my state they had a contract with, but it was no problem, and I established contracts with two major hospitals with one being a children's hospital where I work now. So, they didn't always have specific preceptors set up, but I did not have any problem. I contacted offices I had been to before, and contacted the local NP chapters. I got responses right away for people who wanted to help me. We just had a form from my school they had to sign. I live in a big city with A LOT of nursing/NP/physician/DO schools and did not have a problem. Maybe it depends on which part of the country you are in, but I had no problems at all. Your school will help you with any paperwork necessary. It is not a big deal.

I agree about not mixing the roles 100% for many reasons: 1. It is harder to learn the role you are in....totally different way of thinking 2. The provider/nurse/CA role is a great team with you as the director of patient care. It will be harder for others to see you in that role if you go back and forth. 3. By focusing all of your energy into you advanced practice role, you will learn more just by collaborating and being around other mid-level provicers/MD's/DO's and discussing various healthcare situations, etc. I am a true believer that all of the healthcare roles are essential to optimize patient outcomes. What we choose to do in life is based on so many things...our passions/skills/goals/family situation, etc. I think sticking to the NP role and maybe doing some shadowing even while in a different area of the hospital or community would get you where you want to be, and you would be gaining skills as an NP in the meantime. Best of luck with the rest of your schooling and certification exam. You will do great! Let me know how things go!!!