Aniva

I love using UpToDate. Even now, I still use it. It's not an end all be all, but gives great guidance. Keep in mind, all cases are never 100% black and white. Everyone has different practice styles. You pay prescribe one thing and others may not. BUT always have a good rationale as to WHY your prescribing something or implementing a certain plan. If you don't understand the rationale behind a plan another provider gives, ask why. If your mentor has a different plan, ask her what her rationale is and why whether or not she/he feels your plan is reasonable. For viral processes, don't always feel pressured into giving a medication. Sometimes, support therapy is an appropriate route of action (unless you have some concerning findings...).

Look into the Fitzgerald prep course. It really helped me. If self study seems too overwhelming, I definitely recommend the in class learning option to focus on various subjects. It may be expensive, but I felt it was worth the investment and great confidence in passing it. Doesn't hurt to look into it. :) good luck! Keep moving forward!

yea..sometimes they have choose-the-best-answers type questions, where there are multiple correct answers... Sorry you've had such a bad experience. Try taking it easy for a while. Study overload can backfire. Sure, consider the ANCC. I've heard of students applying for and taking both. I personally avoided the ANCC because it has a reputation of having questions on anything... AANP had the reputation of being more clinically based. From taking the AANP, I agree, I had all clinical questions and a pretty diverse spread of topics. Did you take the live course reviews? I prefer live over book/online. Good luck!

Hm.. interesting... my experience through the NP education and becoming an NP has been wonderful. Brutal program though. In retrospect, I would have made the same decision. Wasn't happy as an RN and very happy as NP. And pay was MUCH higher... Everyone just has to make the decision to do what's best for them and do what makes them happy, regardless of title.

Congratulation! Good for you!

Yes, relocating can definitely improve your chances of getting a job. It may not be ideal, but it gives you experience and it's not forever. Consider casting that wider net and see where it takes you!

I've seen this backfire on some candidates. Imagine if you were the manager and getting numerous applicants coming to you, which could disrupt daily care routine. There's a reason why hospitals and organizations have an HR department. It's up to you if you want to chance it. It has been successful at times, but you don't want to shoot yourself in the foot either. Good luck!

A lot of great advice out there. Refine your resume and tailor it to the job description posting. Some times in HR, the specialist will look at what's needed for a position and if you've got the skills and knowledge. If they were swamped with resumes and applicants and get only a few seconds to "browse" your resume, do you fulfill all the bullet points in his/her head on being able to accomplish the job? What makes you stand out? Also, be care about circumventing the HR department and going straight to the managers. I've seen this work against many applicants. Some managers automatically put this person on the "no" list because of it. I've also seen hospitals post videos or a posting of applicants doing this and how it can hurt one's chances. It may be difficult, but perhaps relocating if they offer financial assistance. It's not like you'll be there forever (unless you love it and establish your life in the area..). Don't forget about the nurse residency programs and volunteer work. Keep your attitude positive and others will pick up on it! You'll never know who's eye you'll catch. Good luck :)

To better chances of finding employment, perhaps relocating may be the best option to gain experience. It's not forever and you'll get your foot in the door. good luck!

For the NHSC, there's only one application cycle per year, so you must accept a position, start, and submit the necessary paper work for loan repayment program. I think after your application is accepted, you are given an offer of a certain amount based on your facility score, and then you can choose to accept or reject it. If you accept, you're locked in for the time commitment. If you break the agreement, there is heavy financial penalty. Check out the website for further details and deadlines :)

a majority of the time, the NP salary is higher than RN. Personal experience, my salary as NP was definitely much higher than RN.

Buszta NCLEX Review Busta prep course is reputed around the region to be an awesome prep course. Upon finishing, you'll have a VERY high probability of passing the NCLEX, whether or not it's the first time or 8th time. If you don't mind the commute, perhaps this could be an option for some. You've already sacrificed enough time and you know you have the knowledge and skills (you've already made it through all the nursing courses and clinicals!). Maybe treat it like a continuing ed conference week. Couldn't hurt to look into it. A lot of students in my class and the class who graduated before me states this was better than Kaplan and other more well known study courses. I agree with the others, Don't give up! Chin up!

Congrats on the acceptance into the program! I hope you will enjoy your new career path. I'd make a list of pros and cons for each decision you make and discuss it with your family. Cannot say much about Kansas, but NY is very expensive and (depending on unit/department/specialty), and markets a bit saturated. There are a lot of positions that may be open to RNs or NPs with experience though. If you go to school and work in Kansas for a bit, it will improve your chances of landing a position you desire in NY. I just moved away from NY due to the cost of living (far too high to be sustainable for the future and security I would like to have).

I think that for any job, where you work can make a huge difference in terms of job satisfaction. Some love being and RN instead of an NP and some, vise versa. I love being and NP and work in a great organization. I did, however, feel the education I received was not enough to make me feel like a "bad ass NP". This takes time and more experience. Would I have taken a different road to a different career path? No, but I was fortunate in my experiences so far. School was rough, but if I had a choice to do it all over again, I would in a heart beat. Has being an NP had a significant impact on your personal/marital relationships?-Everyone has been extremely supportive of my decisions in life. As a nurse, I think there are opportunities to work 3 days (longer shifts) and have more days at home compared to positions I've seen for NP's, but I love what I do and don't mind the 4-5 days/week.

Medisec, as a scribe, you be the expert of navigating through your organization's specific EMR. Every facility may have a different documentation system and if you were to switch positions, you may need to retrain on the particular system. In general, however, every EMR has the same elements. Vitals, PMH, HPI, ROS, PE, Labs/imaging/tests, Consults, etc. Some smaller facilities or hospitals may still be on paper charting or in transition to EMR (dual documentation). If you're comfortable using a computer, you should be fine on any EMR (they will never throw you in without proper training).

Antibiotics are being overly prescribed and providers are not reading the latest guidelines and studies... I'm in a similar work environment with another experience NP and I'm having the same issue. I just do my own thing and let her do hers. If I get one of her patients, I try to explain the pathology and rationale for my management plan. If they get upset with me for not prescribing an antibiotic for 1 or 2 days of cold symptoms, oh well. A physician who was my old preceptor discussed this issue with me and a few residence. It's a big issue, but he told us to "practice good medicine" when we're out in the world-and I intend to do the best I can regardless of what the other NP is doing. Everything we do and the medical decisions we make have to be justified. I'm sure then they were in school, they were told to pass out antibiotics like it was candy for reasons like "prophylactic" or "better to be safe than sorry", which is nuts. All drugs have risks.

Yes, but I side with the providers who do not often prescribe narcotics/controlled substances. Even if I do, it's extremely strict (contracts, screenings, etc.). If there's even one strike, they're out. It may also take a few visits for me to get to know the patient and exhausting other therapies before considering it as well...

Seems like there's a shift from the masters NP program to DNP. So would you want a DNP or MD? MD route will have further education/training by way of residency programs. DNP has fellowships/residencies, but very few if you want to further your education/training in a specialty. I'm also not sure what you mean regarding "disrespect you"... No matter what position you're in or degree you get, there will always be someone who would disrespect anyone if they had the chance (but they're probably really sad, rude people...).

It's never too late if this is what you want to do. It may be intense, but I personally feel becoming an NP is worth it. :)

Friend of mine did that during school. She had a good support structure at home and support from the school/class. We helped her when she couldn't make it to class or meetings with notes and stuff. I'm sure it was hard to time manage, but she was able to do it and graduate with us :)

completely understand where you're coming from. It's important when you do any interviews or speak with the hiring manager what you would like as a new grad. I understand it's important to find a job as soon as possible to gain experience, but it's also important to get the right support when you're starting out and make sure they don't 'throw you to the lions". Communication is key. Good luck! :)

-I'm very happy with my job as an FNP. I also see a lot of opportunities I can branch into if I desired. I have a friend who went to NP school, but switched a few times back to a position of an RN because she needed the change, but she had the freedom to do so. Just make sure you get a great preceptor if you go into an NP program. School is not cheap and yes, I've racked up a hefty amount of student loans. Would I do it over again or change anything? I would do it in a heart beat and wouldn't change a thing. Up to you if this is something you really want to pursue. get an idea of where you want to work and specialty. :) Good luck!

I would at least start the search now (actual application up to you). Cast a wide net. Look for hospital, clinic, residency programs, etc. i agree with Meriwhen in terms of positions for new grads vs. rn positions. Those who have experience preferred are not off limits, but decreased chances at this point in time. Those that say "required experience" would be worse. You never know. I had friends who were hired into "rn experience preferred" positions, but that was before the economic downturn a few years ago...

Regardless of any specialty you go into, there will always be a degree of psych. If this is still something you want to focus on, then it may be your current position that's dragging you down. You could always try a different psych floor or if you want to move to a different specialty area, try it out. there's probably a greater demand for psych nurses though (greater demand for any health care worker in psych in general)...

why not? couldn't hurt. You can always keep your eyes out for an RN position when it opens up :) BUT when you sign the contract, keep a close eye out for the non-compete clause...