elizabell

Just to be realistic - you should stay in FL until you have your BSN and 2 years of experience. After that, some job opportunities should start opening up to you. I had a BSN and 2 years of experience before I moved to Manhattan and my job search took about 6 weeks... which is so much better than a lot of the horror stories that you hear on this board.

You might already know this -- But make sure to keep up with how many CME hours your state requires for licensure renewal. In some cases, that requirement will exceed the requirement for recertification. I live in NC and I am required to have 50 CME hours PER YEAR to renew my license... so the AANP requirements that I need to meet for recertification are just a drop in the bucket.

I became a mother while I was doing my NP program and finished clinicals, took boards, and went on the job market with a young child at home. My preference was to find part-time work so that I could continue to spend time with my little one (especially because we plan to add another 1-2 kids to the family in the next few years). However, I was anxious about the possibility of finding part-time work as a new grad NP. Shortly after graduation, I was contacted by a recruiter for a company that does home health assessments. It is not the best work, in terms of experience or resume-building but it is VERY flexible and was a nice transition back into the work place. I have been working for them 2 days per week for the last few months. I can set my own schedule, the pay is good, and it is very low-stress. However, I am not using the skill set or knowledge base that I developed in school and, career-wise, I know that it is important for me to take on a more challenging role. I ended up getting an offer from a primary care clinic where I precepted. Their interviewing process and credentialing takes forever... seriously, from the time I first talked to the recruiter until my first day of work will be 8 months!! I was able to negotiate one day off per week (32 hours/week) so that I can have a full day home with my son and still be eligible for benefits (which are excellent, by the way!). I am technically 80% full-time and I wasn't sure if I would be able to do that as a new provider. It makes it a lot easier for me to think about sticking with the position long-term after I have more experience and more little ones at home.

Yes, I did have 5 years experience as an RN and I received an adjustment for that in my salary.

If you are at all considering working at the Minute Clinic, it is a good foot in the door. A Minute Clinic recruiter told me that they strongly favor hiring NPs who did a clinical rotation at their sites.

I am a new grad FNP in a metro area of NC and I was offered $90k base for outpatient clinic at a major health system.

I am in a similar situation. I have a young child and graduated earlier this year, hoping to find part-time work so that I can be home at least part of the time. I attended a webinar info session with a Minute Clinic recruiter and she said it was extremely unlikely that she would hire a new grad NP as part-time. At least according to her, their part-time NP positions are reserved for experienced NPs who will require less training/orientation. I was able to find part-time work straight out of school doing Home Risk Assessments as a contractor where I am paid per visit. I make my own schedule and work 16 hours/week. However, it is not the best experience because you are not really treating or prescribing. However, the flexibility cannot be beat! I took the position because it sort of fell into my lap and it was a good transition out of school and back into the work place. I have been working for them for 2 months however, I was recently offered a permanent position at a primary care office where I did a clinical rotation in school. I was able to negotiate one day off per week so I am only 80% full-time but I still get benefits. Although it will be hard to leave my family at home 4 days a week, I know that this is the best thing for my career and my professional development. It's all a trade-off. :/ I think you may be able to find something

Thank you for all the responses! Yes, I will definitely have UpToDate access. I did my final clinical rotation at the site during school and you better believe that I used the UpToDate app on my phone all day long. You can also link to it within their EMR, I believe. The Habif's Clinical Derm sounds like a good pick... I wonder how much you lose out on by purchasing an older addition on Amazon. The new editions are >$100 but the old editions are

I am starting my first *real* FNP job in a few months and would like to invest in a few more reference books to keep in my office. It is a family primary care practice... mostly adults but some peds come through the door, as well. It is part of an academic medical center so I will have access to lots of online resources-- UpToDate, LexiComp, etc. These are the texts that I still have from grad school: Bates Guide to Physical Examination (Bickley) Pharmacotherapeutics for Advanced Practice (Arcangelo & Peterson) The Sanford Guide Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care (Collins) Primary Care: A Collaborative Practice (Buttaro) Pediatric Primary Care: Practice Guidelines for Nurses (Richardson) AAP Bright Futures Pocket Guidelines What are your favorite must-haves to keep near your desk? What am I missing? Is it worth investing in a derm book? Is the 5-Minute Consult helpful? What did you find yourself reaching for again and again when you were a new provider?

I was per diem last winter when a major blizzard hit NYC (29.5 inches!!) and I was still considered essential staff and required to be at work.

I was licensed in another state and it took me about 2 months to receive my NY license by endorsement.

You're welcome! I was pleasantly surprised with the compensation. I interviewed at NYP Cornell at the same time and the pay was going to be almost exactly the same... it was literally within a few pennies of each other.

When I started at Hospital for Special Surgery three years ago, they paid me $45.30/hr on days and $48.50/hr on nights. This was with 2 years experience + BSN diff + certification diff. I imagine it would be more now. When I was PRN there last summer, I believe I made $53/hr.

I did the opposite move -- Raleigh/Durham to NYC -- and watched my pay increase from $21 to $49/hr. Eventhough NYC is clearly more expensive, it's not *that* much more expensive. My quality of life is definitely higher in Manhattan. Cost of living is cheaper in NC but when you're only making $21/hr, it's hard to get ahead. You can be diligent about saving but one or two unexpected expenses (car repair, medical bill...) can really throw you off! (Especially for new grads who are still paying off loans... they don't have much to put aside at the end of the month). On NYC wages, I have a lot more flexibility with my money and I no longer feel like I'm watching every nickel and dime. That said, if you're looking to buy a home, you might feel differently... unlike NYC, property is pretty affordable in NC and a mortgage payment is comparable (or cheaper!) than monthly rent so owning a home is a real possibility in NC for an RN. The costs taken out of my paycheck is comparable. I pay about $45/mo for individual insurance in both NY and NC. I've never had dependents on my insurance so, I can't comment on that. Duke claims to have tuition reimbursement for nurses but those programs are capped and overenrolled and my friends have found it very difficult to actually access the tuition reimbursement funds. So, don't count on it. In comparison, my hospital in NYC actually reimburses $12k/year in tuition for RNs with no work commitment afterwards. All in all, my take home pay in NYC is about $1200/week, compared with $550/week in NC.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the estimates on Glassdoor are low. I interviewed 6 weeks ago at several of the big name Manhattan hospitals. Their compensation packages were all structured a little differently but the pay ended up being pretty much the same across the board. I was shown a base rate of $84k (for new grads). With 2+ years experience, a BSN, and certification, I was told to expect $89k for day shift or $95k for nights.