TachyNurseGuy

Thank you! Ill check it out

Any NP students out there that have had to purchase a white lab coat? So far, my clinical instructors have cared less but I'm thinking I still may need one as I have a few more to go. My questions are...which length did you buy, where did you get it and are you happy with the quality. Thanks for any info you can provide!

Awesome! Congrats!!!

Yes, just finished assessment & start clinicals june 1st. its very overwhelming! I read & study every day without fail & Feel quite behind. So yep.. normal

Im away from home but if you PM me, ill send you the APA software info i use.. it has worked quite well for me. DQ = discussion question. You post one a week, then respond to two or more students with citations on separate days. Its an effort to create scholarly discussions 😝. series of hoops to jump through... until the NP courses, then please give it all you got 😊

I believe I will continue to think your simply another case of a nurse who wishes to close the gate behind him, in order to both protect his self inflated position and attempt to make others feel less worthy. I would question any other motives behind your actions based on your statements. You seem to take a bit of joy in both pontificating on this issue as one who is above it and holds some very limited power over students. Frankly it comes off as bullying behavior and I'm sure you will continue to find others taking it personally if you continue.

sxyreesa. The start of the program is all nursing theory, writing papers on theory and practice, as well as writing and participating in discussions. Really no way to prepare aside from becoming familiar with word & purchasing a decent apa program linked to word. other than that just try and work one week ahead as stuff happens, but never submit work before Monday. Generally all papers are due Sundays and DQs are due Wednesdays. quizzes are also due sundays... ensure you make time to do it all. When you get to the actual NP classes things will change quite a bit & become much more challenging. I recommend taking patho, pharm & assessment one at a time to ensure you actually have time to do both the reading & the coursework. clinicals start after that, so you will want to be ready. always feel free to contact me. cheers & good luck! B.

I don't advocate going to NP school without RN experience..heck I personally placed myself in a variety of fairly bad, and low paying jobs just to gain a more well rounded background in prep for NP school. If I were king, all NP's would have a minimum of 4 years experience as an RN. That being said, we (as NP's) are going to be mid-level providers, who are competing with PA's for jobs. I don't agree with this designation either, but that's how it is and that's how it will remain for a while. Lets review the PA's base education requirements. To enter PA school you generally need a baccalaureate degree, similar pre-reqs to NP school, and something like 1000 hours of clinical experience. This experience can vary, and often has very little to do with caring for sick people, however A CNA position in an LTC facility would do nicely as an example. Then PA school is two years long, with a similar amount of clinical hours, however over a broader discipline base as PA's are not constrained to a specialty. I have several family members and friends who are PA's. They had no clinical experience before PA school, and can work in essentially ANY setting after licensure. I don't agree with this either..but that does not change the fact that NP's and PA's are seen as similar practices. Keep in mind that we as a discipline are competing with PA's for positions when discussing this mess. I think its reasonable to argue that an NP with NO experience, is theoretically better prepared to see a limited patient base (ACNP, FNP AGNP) than a PA is prepared to see an unlimited patient base. Again...I dont agree with this issue, but I do understand that nursing is in competition with PA's as midlevel providers, and we as nurses should keep this in mind when arguing (what we do best ). Also keep in mind that Physicians can come from just about any hole in the wall medical school, from any developing country and practice in the US. IMO, our ideals as nurses are great, but I wonder if they will hold up to market economics.

PS: any students who is in NP school should probably submit this conversation as a DQ post and align it with the ANA's position on contributing toward the profession. Focker out! 😊

Yes, Im constantly hearing the "walk in our shoes argument", its very helpful to students. Walden requires experience, so no that is not the case with my own school anyhow. I think when I am walking in "your" shoes, I will try and remember not to repeat those words to NP students who are seeking education & help. I somehow managed not to do this as an RN or a EMT, so I have a feeling its possible. Nurses... lets continue to circle the wagons & shoot inward..its worked so well for us in the past. I gotta get back to doing my HW at my sub-par school now, so I can become a sub par NP who did not merit educational opportunities :-) Fellow students, Ill send you the info requested for advanced prep.

Yes... its sadly getting hard for me to disagree with the PA thing. Im not a fan, but I can cert see the benefits

How do we get NP preceptors if they are unwilling to take us, because they feel students of thier own discipline are poor and the educational system for APNs in also poor? This leaves us with MD's, DO's & PA's or am I missing something?

Also, how does the time and sacrifice differ from my work in precepting critical care nurses and ER nurses? Why is it that my MD preceptors do not share this idea that students reflect their own practice?

I'm with Walden..I have a 4.0 and start clinicals next month. Does this qualify as another poor program that does not supply preceptors?

Actually many brick and mortar schools do not provide clinical preceptors either; although I'm unsure, from what I've heard I believe this is more the norm than not. In my home state (AZ) GCU, U0fP and NAU do not for sure. I spent a LOT of time finding/attempting to find preceptors. Sadly most NP's did not reply and the few that did were unable for various reasons. I have one NP preceptor so far, that Advanced Prep (paid service that pays NP's found)..the rest are physicians. The MD's for the most part were much more accommodating and ready (without reservations) to accept students. The Physicians are also doing it gratus. I'm eating truck loads of crow for all the crap I have talked about Doctors these days... That last bit is the most disturbing and discouraging to me (the APN's who dont take students)....I'm a nurse and I believe in what we do. Frankly, I think in general we have a noble profession and less economically driven than the medical discipline. But the way we treat students (NP students, RN students...Students) is somewhat appalling. When I became an RN, I was told that part of this was agreeing to teach, both patients and students. We teach students as part of our code of conduct and in efforts to carry forward our discipline. As an RN, I personally have done this and I will do it as an NP as well. Newboy, there are multiple services popping up like Advanced Prep, that pay preceptors for services; if this is what it takes then do it, but again...I think we have to ask ourselves, do we want respect for our discipline? The majority of students that make it as far as clinicals in an accredited NP program will pass boards at some point, so they will be your peers whether you like it or not. If you agree with this, then how would you like your peers to be educated? If you don't like the what you are seeing, this is the time to change it. Just my 0.02 and if I survive another year...contact me if you need an FNP preceptor in AZ and I will help you.

Just playing devils advocate hear... but poor NP students, will still most likely end up being board certified NPs, whether we all like it or not. So wouldn't it be better to try and ensure peers are better quality by helping them learn? Yes, finding preceptors is quite challenging btw. Many NPs dont want to take students, because they have had bad experiences. Both the quality of students and the quality of the NPs they become (as they tend to find poor preceptors) will probably suffer; so it makes sense that the discipline will suffer as a whole. self perpetuating scenario imo. nurses eat our young...😔

I think it depends on what type of insurance the patient has.... 😁... just saying

I start clinicals June 1st and I worked until about 40 days ago..or so. Patho & Advanced Pharm at the same time did it for me. I found that I either had time to do the coursework or actually learn...so I did the coursework, and aced the courses but learned verry little. I found this unacceptable, so I bailed my nightshift ICU gig and have been studying 7 days a week since in an attempt to get caught up before clinicals. I wont get caught up, but its better than it would have been if I'd continued working. I'm just like you....no idea what clinicals has in store for me so I'm just waiting to see what I can tolerate. This summer I only have family, but in the fall I do OB & peds together; its hard to imagine I'll be able to work doing both of those at the same time...who knows. Hang in there!!!

As a student I would do as others advised and talk to your instructor... thats very sad & Im very sorry for the resident and you. Im glad that your concerned about it though. If you were a co-worker, rather than a student then I would report it to a supervisor. Sadly, this is a good example of being exposed to a CNA that you dont want to be like. Hopefully youll see more that you do wish to be like... hang in there and keep your code!

Have you tried county urgent care? Not a floor nursing job but a way into maricopa health if thats your goal. JCL is notoriously hard to get into! Its certainly not just you!

congrats!!! you rock!!!!

Um... Im not smart enough for this path.... just saying 😁 I was an EMT... I learned from doing stupid stuff. No lives lost.. but truly stupid stuff Went to LPN school; got a ghetto ER gig in a busy fast-track... did more REALLY stupid stuff and learned from it.. Got my RN, More ER.. trauma rooms, red zones for a few years... more stupid stuff to learn from. Took ER manager job.. did many more brainless actions... ICU gig... man did I do dumb stuff there... learned a lot, from aforementioned idiocy. FNP school... yep... looking kinda dumb, but learning.. just saying....

any time! truly 😊

Im an FNP student; graduate Feb, if all goes well. Ive only done ER & ICU as an RN; EMS as an EMT. Im very grateful for the patho of the ICU experience and the fast & diverse exposure of the ER. I think If you challenge yourself in school & consistently choose assignments outside your comfort zone, then you will be great! Just take the hard path when your given options & research the things you dont know. I think that since your concerned, its not a problem... if you were not concerned it would be 😊 Strong work!

Not as experienced as many other posters, but 5 years in ER & 2 in ICU. good things about both; bad things about both. No perfection as of yet... nothing sublime. This is a great poll btw! I think it would be a nice thing for many students to see. Its important to understand how big nursing really is and how many options you have! great topic!! 😊