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Hi all, Does anyone know if there are any extra credentials that nurse practitioners can obtain in the cardiology specialty? I was googling some information and came across American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine, Inc. that claims to be able to certify NPs for the credentials of Cardiovascular NP-Board Certified (CVNP-BC). I am a bit leery about this as I cannot find any other source that backs this up as an official credential. Has anyone ever heard of this? I'm not sure if this is legit or not. They also claim to provide AEKG-BC (advanced EKG-board certification) which I have honestly never heard of. I was just wondering what the options were for a NP wishing to obtain extra cardiac-related credentials. Thanks in advance!

Such a great informative post. I agree on everything that you've said. Interpersonal collaboration (especially between physicians and NPs) does lead to improved patient outcomes. I am working on my nurse practitioner degree and I feel that I would actually prefer a physician to collaborate with (especially starting out as a new grad)! I could go on and on about the benefits versus having no team collaboration at all however I would just be reiterating everything you've just said in a nice long post. Always great to hear from you. Thanks again!

Hi Juan, Thanks a lot for your answer! You are always very helpful on the message boards. I came to the same conclusion but ultimately thought I was reading something wrong. It's good to know that you re-affirmed my suspicions. I was mainly confused because on one website, I read that Maryland is independent in terms of the general NP roles however the AANP site and Maryland Board of Nursing stated that I need that attestation. I plan to become a surgical NP and obtain my RNFA certification after completing school. Thanks again! :)

Hi all, I was looking at the AANP's "State Practice by Type" webpage and my state (Maryland) is listed as "State practice and licensure law reduces the ability of nurse practitioners to engage in at least one element of NP practice. State requires a regulated collaborative agreement with an outside health discipline in order for the NP to provide patient care. " I went on the Maryland board of nursing's webpage but couldn't find any information regarding this - it just says that I do in fact need a written attestation form/agreement with a physician. My question is this: What does the written attestation agreement mean later? I don't think it means I have to practice under the direct supervision of a MD. If I don't need the direct supervision of a MD, what does the attestation agreement have to do with anything? Thanks! P.S. Long story short, I am researching the level of autonomy for nurse practitioners in Maryland.

Anyone know the number you can call to find out about admission status? Still haven't received any letter at all.

The typical salary for a RN around the area that I am at is around $64,000. The NPs who specialize, which I plan to do, are typically starting at around $85,000. I work in an ER and the place is over-ran by PAs who work with MDs. I informed the director of the ER that I would be attending NP school and would be interested in working in the ER dept. and he said that he could hire me and I would be performing the same duties as the PAs who are doing it now. I know for a fact that the PAs make more than the RNs in the ED. Granted, my friend, who is a FNP, said she went back to the floor because she wasn't making enough in a primary care clinic. I also know of an ACNP who started out in the ICU at a local hospital and is earning $110,000 as a new grad. However, it's just a few NPs that I know who went back to the floor. Guess it just depends on where you end up working at. Also, I didn't know NPs are not considered mid-level providers. I just read several articles on the term "mid-level providers." Thanks for pointing that out.

The online NP program that I am planning to attend allows me the luxury of choosing my own preceptor, from NPs to MDs. Having also been an ER nurse, I had the chance to meet and collaborate with many physicians from all different specialties (hospitalists, OBs, PEDs, etc) and many of them said they would be happy to have me as a student. The "back-up" plan was that the advisor told me that if I had any trouble finding any preceptors, they would be able to assist me and locate clinical preceptors in my area. I opted to base my decision of attending certain online NP programs due to a lot of reasons. The main one is whether or not I would be able to choose my own preceptors. One school had pre-set clinical sites already, however with my current life, I have no idea what kind of schedule I would have by the time I am at the point when clinicals are starting. Having this "luxury" of finding my own preceptors, making my own clinical schedule and precepting with NP/MDs that I want to learn from made this decision all the more easier for me. However, I do agree that these online programs *SHOULD* assist the student in finding preceptors... otherwise, like everyone else said, the best bet would obviously be to choose another program and give someone deserving your hard earned money.

Very true insight!

Hey all, I have been accepted to a NP program and am looking to start in this career path. I have come across 4-5 NPs recently and needless to say, these FNPs, PNP and ACNPs have all told me that they stopped practicing as an NP and are "working as a floor nurse because we aren't getting paid enough as an NP." Of course, I didn't have the audacity to actually ask them how much they get paid, but I could pretty much get a figure in my mind because they are working in the same facility as I am and we have concrete pay scales for RNs. This worries me because although I love nursing, I am looking to proverbially "move up the ladder" and work as a mid-level provider - I don't necessarily see myself still working as a "floor nurse" when I become an NP. Any thoughts/insights? I'm located in Maryland. Thanks.

Hi all, I just found out that my state finally got approved within the last 2 weeks and finally applied to the FNP program recently and got the acceptance call for 7/7/14. I got my RN-BSN at Chamberlain Online so I am very familiar with the type of work they expect; it sounds a lot like it is the exact same format for the MSN program. I just wanted to say thanks a lot to everyone who has contributed to this thread; it really DID ease a lot for us who are/plan to be starting this program. I did apply to a dual degree FNP/AG-ACNP program, which is the same tuition and amount of time to complete the program as Chamberlain. Just waiting to hear back and then I will be making my decision. Granted, I am biased towards Chamberlain because the school has treated me SO WELL in the past. Maybe I'll be able to join up with you all in the 7/7/14 cohort!

Hi all, I applied for the ER dual degree Fall 2014 program at USA. I have sent numerous e-mails from back in March (when I finished the application) and long story short, it took about 5 e-mails with congrad before I was directed to someone else. I asked about my application status (since I have NEVER received any confirmation e-mail or anything), and the person said "we will start mailing out letters soon." I specifically asked if they received MY application and I didn't receive a straight forward answer. Needless to say, I am *slightly* relieved that I am not the only person in this predicament. It is a bad situation and I would take it up another level, however I feel that I would put my application in jeopardy if I were to report this nonsense to the higher-ups. Hope we hear something soon!

their website advertises 2.5-3 years for bsn-msn i think.

hey does anyone know why certain states are not allowed to apply for the program? i was excited to find out that chamberlain finally offers an online FNP program - only to see my state listed as one that is not accepting students.