MoiFNP

I'm a new ANP grad. I just signed an offer for $40/hr, full benes, 3 weeks vaca/yr, and CME expenses up to $2000. I will be on holidays and occasional weekends with no add'l compensation, but I'm told it won't be every holiday (got to get that in the contract) According to salary.com for my zip code I fall within the area under the curve, maybe a bit to the left due to new grad status. Does this sound like a fair offer? Anything I should watch out for or ask for specifically in a contract?

I'm no longer a student..just passed the ANCC cert:yelclap:, but I saw many of the NPs I worked with using apps for patient management. Epocrates is a good one I've been told, and Medscape has some nice reference info on their site..both can be free of charge. I personally did not use a smartphone. I used pocket references for clinicals, and my reference books from home. I also like the Clincial Guidelines in Family Practice by Constance Uphold and Mary V. Graham. I believe there is a new version out this year reflective of new primary care guidelines.

I agree with you here. As RNs we tend to gravitate to what we have an interest in, whether acute care, ICU, home care, administration and so on. Experience is what you make it. But like anything else, life intervenes and one must adjust to it or become miserable. I have been an acute care RN since I graduated in the late 90's. Having never worked in a primary care setting I was nervous about going for FNP. It would have made sense to go into acute care NP, but that is impractical for my area. Going through the program and clinicals was a very rewarding experience; I was so unfamiliar with office RN work that I made sure I learned from them and my preceptor to gain appreciation for the RN role in that setting. I value my RN experience because I feel very strong in diagnostics and intervention, but I literally had to learn to be an office RN while in school for FNP. Simple things like getting a peak flow, strep test, or setting up a room for a pap was very foreign to a seasoned ICU nurse. I am almost well rounded. I say almost because there are still many things I don't know, but I can learn what I can from the ones that are expert in their fields. So, I think we need to accept we all come from different places in nursing. I don't believe that one type of experience is better than another. In NP school we all start out the same. Its the level of critical thinking skill that is developed after one becomes an RN that will be the variable in determining the degree of difficulty one has in school. And the only way to gain critical thinking skill is through the experience of nursing, so take from it what you can and go from there. We all have a common thread...we are all nurses no matter how many letters are behind your name, and no matter what sub-field we gravitate toward. :redpinkhe

I passed the ANCC exam today:cheers: ((breathe))......I actually 'Tebowed' in the testing center as they handed me my notice:bowingpur Thanks to all for the kind words!!

I am ready to take the ANCC exam in 5 days. I graduated in December from my FNP program, but have been studying for the exam since early Nov. I purchased Fitzgerald's CD's and review book, Leik review, and Hollier review questions, plus I've done various online practice tests. I am ready...I think. I feel that by purchasing these three references I have discovered my weak areas and my strengths. This enabled me to focus on what I need for the exam. Wish me luck...I'm a bit nervous, but I'm ready to take the plunge:no: