SkiBumNP

@nurseRNatalia - in hindsight the academic program was not want I wanted. I would look at going to a PA program. If you can do this part time then you aren't working hard enough. in CA the base number of clinical hours is 550, SMU asks their students to do 650. I did 1200 and look back and should have done more. I also took PA classes in addition to my NP classes because I wasn't getting the medical education i wanted.

The program does (did) arrange clinical placement. However, if you want any acute care placement then you will likly need to arrange that yourself.

And don't get me started on how NP schools are too effing cheap to compensate high-quality preceptors.

I just wish our title didn't have "nurse" in it.

I like what they use in Africa. Medical officer

DM me with your email address and I would be happy to answer any specific questions.

I have to say SycamoreStudent, if you are this quick to discredit folk medicine you may have many problems down the line working with patients who are not from the USA.

Good thinking. I did get the job at SFGH. I will be starting soon!

If only Kaiser used NPs in the ED.

1. good question. thats the rub about working in the bay area. the CA-BRN and the CNA are super strong and pay RNs a fair wage here. the rest of the county could learn that nurses are worth more money. however the NP wage hasn't been bumped up. it's too bad. I feel that it is just one part of the issue that is keeping the NPs down. 2. that all depends on what you want to do and who you know.

I would go with medical school, no questions, if you want to practice medicine, then go. Don't look back, make it happen. I wish I did.

So I am at a crossroads. I am an FNP-MSN who has been working in Emergency Medicine for the past two years. I am 32 years old, and feel the need to move forward. I am looking forward to more education, and hopefully more money. I still find it a huge kick in the pants that I get paid less than some RNs. One option is that I go to medical school, I figure that is a 10 year commitment until i can start pulling an MD wage. though it's a long game, i'm sure I could do it. But hell, I just ended school and the calculus and the physics and the MCAT freaks me our more than four years of school and three of a residency. Does anyone know of a CLINICAL based program, that further trains NPs with more medical training? And once you get this training, is there anyone out there getting compensate for this? And what about a differente board certification? one that takes the medicine we practice more seriously than the AANP or the ANCC. One that makes you re-certify, One that makes a D-NP stand out from a MSN-NP. I have NO interested in family practice, I Don't want to own my own practice, I LOVE emergency medicine and want to have the skills and the Knowledge to provide the best care possible for my patients. Alright, lets have it.

I have been an emergency NP for the past two years, the money is OK, but I want more. That said, I also want time for my family and travel. Has anyone found a way to balance life and work? I think for myself and my wife in the SF Bay area bringing in an extra 50 - 75K would make all the difference in the world. It sucks that an RN can work 3 shifts a week and it's called full time and they are getting more money than i am Maybe i'll start selling Medicinal MJ scrips. So this is more of a rant than a thread, but if you have any ideas on how to branch out and make more money, let me know! otherwise going back to med school is sounding better and better, I want to do more and get paid for it, but it's a long road through medschool and debt sucks.

So this was posted on another message board. I want to get your thoughts on this Read thru Family Physician and Nurse Practitioner Training published by AAFP, 2008....look at what they list as the educational training for NPs and other comments. I'm insulted. Someone needs to have a chat with the folks at the American Academy of Family Physicians..... It went on to say this: TRUE TRUE TRUE, this goes on to say allot of BS TRUE, though there are many bad doctors, at least the education is standardized. WAY more than we can say for NP programs See previous section It is embarrassing how little clinic training we have as NPs.Why spend our energy on whining about what other are saying (when much is true anyway). Why don't we spend our energy making our profession better. We need standardization in our education ... we need Recertification board exams ... we need more clinical training ... we need residencies for every NP. We need to STOP saying "was an RN for blah blah years" - it's not the same.