seanpdent

I'm curious. Why does/should it matter if the test is changing?

1. DO IT 2. DO IT 3. I would highly recommend doing a thorough job market research in the area where you plan on working (will you move to a new location for a new job?). Bottom line, will there be a job there for you once you get your license/cert as a new NP. 4. Age should not matter. And yes... it's absolutely worth it.

Heh heh... been blogging for 10 years.. with no repercussions. Treat your blogging the same way you would treat conversations in the hospital elevator. It's that simple.

Correct... as an ACNP I perform the same (if not more) procedures as a PA. Keep in mind we are referring to an ACNP, not an FNP. An FNP does not get the same training. That would be one of the defining differences between a PA and an NP... NP's are (becoming) very specialized in their practice.

PA's need to recertify every 6 years (it will be changing to every 10yrs)...

Sigh.... We actually have Nurses who question and undervalue other members of our medical team? Especially a Respiratory Therapist, a trained specialist in pulmonary medicine and respiratory therapeutics? A professional who augments the very care we provide to our patients? As Nurses we are held to a higher professional standard. I'm trying to maintain some order and respect here, but how does a Nurse come to the frame of mind that RT's are not needed? What planet do you practice Nursing? And what Galaxy ..... ..sigh.. Sorry. I can't seem to maintain my composure to answer this question respectfully. I'm going to stop now. Thankfully I posted a vlog post recently that supports our amazing RT colleagues. For anyone that is interested in viewing and sharing the vlog, let me know.

I've been blogging for a decade. Just finished a shift, saw your post... and wanted to give you 10 great reasons why every Nurse should blog: 1. Creative outlet 2. Improve your communication skills (writing) 3. Break barriers: conquer stage fright, as well as control your own 'impostor syndrome' 4. Promote your profession 5. Educate the public & other health care professional: Dispel false information about your profession (explain why hollywood medicine is wrong) 6. Professional Networking 7. Social interaction with others who share your struggle 8. Develop healthy coping mechanisms 9. Learn and properly manage HIPAA compliant online information 10. Teach and educate the next generation of Nurses (or Nursing students) 11.... bonus... you can actually make money doing it. ~Sean ACNP, blogger, podcaster, mediapreneur

The better question to ask first is, "What the heck is a podcast?" The garden variety dictionary definition: It's an on-the-go recording that you can listen to at your leisure, on your own time, when you have the time. The recording itself can be virtually anything you can think of. There are story telling podcasts, interviews, topic gathering, information sharing and fact finding podcasts. There are how-to podcasts, podcasts that actually teach you how-to podcast. Podcasts that can walk you through starting a business, becoming an entrepreneur, how to run a business, marketing secrets. There are podcasts just for listening to music, and there are podcasts for watching videos!! The list truly is endless. The type of podcast you choose to listen to is only limited by your imagination and effort you make searching for them. Ironically podcasting has been around for decades, once called audio broadcasting. It was actually referred to as 'audio blogging' for a short time, but thanks to Steve Jobs and his visionary company Apple (you may have heard of it) who invented this little thing called the iPod the name podcast was created. So, now that you have a brief idea of what a podcast is. How does this podcast-thingy work? It's easy-peasy. You need two things. An actual "Podcast" that produces an RSS feedA podcatcher system/program/applicationSo. RSS? What the heck is that? Check out this quick description: Sean is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, host of The Change of Shift Podcast and has been a Nurse blogger 10 years. He's a mentor, educator, leader, coach and consultant (#asktheNP). His website, Sean P. Dent, MSN, ACNP-BC, CCRN - The Host of The Change of Shift Podcast. Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. Mentor. Leader. Coach. Consultant. is a social media vault for all nurses across their career spectrum who are seeking guidance on how to succeed. RSS is a fancy-shamncy way to gain access to any piece of multimedia (when you subscribe to a topic or article within allnurses.com, RSS is being used). You don't need to understand the guts or inner workings of RSS, just know it exists and whatever podcast you choose to listen to must offer/have an RSS feed (99.9% of them do, so don't worry) Now that podcatcher. It's a program that 'catches' your podcasts. A program/website/mobile app that catches those pesky RSS feeds and makes them available for you to listen to. Most of us listen to podcasts from our mobile phone/device. Ironically those of you who have an iPhone... you already have a pre-installed podcatcher... it's called the "Podcasts" app on you iPhone. For android users you'll actually have to download one (you can Google podcast or podcatcher for a list of apps). That's it. Simple and easy. Now once again, why should a Nurse care about Podcasts? Wholly cow! Think about it. You can access thousands (if not millions) of free media to download onto your device to access and listen to at your own leisure. On your own time. Is that NOT the number one complaint of every Nurse? Whether a student or practicing Nurse.. time is not abundant. We barely get time to eat, pee or sleep. Podcasts monopolize on your time management. Listen to a podcast while on your commute. Maybe during your workout? Maybe during a meal break at work? Maybe in-between classes? All of those time-buffers when you are moving from one thing to the next... a great way to learn something new! I'll finish by listing a handful of Podcasts that would benefit ANY Nurse out there: The Change of Shift Podcast The Change of Shift – Where Nursing meets the Internet - Where Nursing meets the internet. They discuss current events, impactful stories and invaluable lessons from the front lines of Health Care. (Full disclosure, this is a Podcast I host)The Nursing Show Nursing Show Podcast - For Nurses by Nurses -Every weekly Nursing Show episode features news, tips and tricks, medication information, nursing career interviews, education and commentary for nurses, RN, LPN, BSN, and nurse students, and anyone interested in general medical information.NRSNG Show (NCLEX® Prep for Nursing Students) NRSNG | Helping Nursing Students Succeed. Period. I Help Nursing Students Succeed. Period. Free Nursing School and NCLEX Cheat Sheets at NRSNG.com/freebies Welcome to the NRSNG Show from NRSNG.com . . . #1 Nursing Podcast and the leader in nursing student education. New motivational episodes 2-3 times per weekEMCrit Podcast - Critical Care and Resuscitation EMCrit Blog - Emergency Department Critical Care & Resuscitation Help me fill in the blanks of the practice of ED Critical Care. In this podcast, we discuss all things related to the crashing, critically ill patient in the Emergency Department. Find the show notes at emcrit.org.The Elective Rotation: A Critical Care Hospital Pharmacy Podcast Critical Care Pharmacy Resources The Elective Rotation delivers unbiased & valuable critical care and hospital pharmacy content from a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist.The FlightBridgeED Podcast http://www.flightbridgeed.com/ The FlightBridgeED Podcast provides convenient, easy to understand critical care medicine education, and current topics related to the air medical industry.RNFM Radio Show http://rnfmradio.com/ RN.FM is a revolutionary Internet radio station for nurses and by nurses. Our mission is to challenge and expand the common understanding of what it means to be a nurse.I'm always available for blog or podcast questions. I'd love to hear from you.

GREAT question with accurate answers. I encourage to hone in on what patient population you see yourself caring for, and be as specific as possible. If you are unsure, then try and decide on where you know you DON'T want to work. The consensus model supports the specialization of Advanced Practice Nurses, which strengthens are individual practice and presence. You need to choose a specialty (direction) before you enroll in school, but keep in mind in the worse case scenario you could always attain a dual role certification with a post-degree certificate in another specialty area. I am an ACNP, but if I had a change of heart.. or a new interest in practicing in primary care I could return to school and attain my FNP certification (usually 18months-3yrs depending on your student status full-time vs part-time). Of course this option costs more money and more time. I would highly suggest shadowing an NP, shadowing various roles in various settings in various institutions to get a 'feel' for what their day is like, what their job is like so you can make an informed decision about your career direction. Message me if you have any further questions. [P.S. Ironically I just released a podcast episode about this decision - it's how I found this post thread] Thanks for sharing this post Beth!

So one of two things may have happened. I agree with previous comments, you may have accidentally flushed the balloon instead of irrigating the catheter. Or quite possibly, the catheter was improperly placed. It could have not been in the bladder, and at the junction of the urethra & bladder neck, or even within the urethra. Both of which can cause extreme pain. It's understandable to feel hesitant to perform that task again, but the only way to overcome the fear is to get back on the saddle. Maybe take a fellow nurse with you the next time.. for support and mental clarity. Best of luck!

The greatest piece of advice I got when I started my journey into graduate school and deciding on my end goal of Acute vs. Family NP is this: "Who do you see yourself taking care of 10 years from now?" That answer will determine what path you take. Due to the implementation of the Consensus Model, the scope of practice of NP's is becoming very specialized. So you can't float in between disciplines (An FNP can't take care of acutely ill, and ACNP can't take care of peds and/or a primary care clinic). As an ACNP you could specialize with endocrine. I think the snag you'll run into is WHERE you treat the patients, in the hospital versus an office. You'll find out as you do your research there is a lot of red tape and 'practice setting' rules and regs that will limit your practice. Best of luck with your decision.

WOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO! Congrats! Hopefully I'll be able to follow in your foot steps in the coming months. How was it? Give me some gory details!!

Have you contacted your local colleges? Where are you located? Most ACNP programs have contracts with many hospital systems throughout their region, not just locally. And if you have a specific interest in an area, or a facility, the ACNP staff can accomodate most of the time to try and make potential arrangements for a rotation.

First of all congrats on finding your dream job. Knowing what you want and then finding it takes courage. I would highly suggest telling this exact story to your preceptor as well as your unit director/manager. You are definitely NOT alone in how you are feeling, but don't ignore it either. Just because it is a common reaction doesn't make it any less complex. You're right, the anxiety and fear will decrease the more you learn, the more you grow and the more comfortable you get, but you have to allow the transition to work for you and not against you. Learning should be fun, not intimidating and fearful. A certain level of anxiety is expected, but don't let it paralyze you. Hang tough and definitely talk it out with those in charge of your orientation, if you truly want to give this the best shot you got, then be sure to share your feelings with those that can help make a difference. If you're unit and co-workers are as good as you think they are, they will greet your fears with open arms and help you navigate your way through this tough time. Best of luck!

Hmm.. going on just shy of a decade of working as a nurse. I'll let you know when the anxiety goes away.