Polly Peptide BSN, MSN, RN, APRN

I don't know about exam specifics. I do know that once you have been board-certified (I assume regardless of which organization you are certified by), and you apply to the board, it is taking about 4 weeks.

As far as how to get a job NOT psych-related, I honestly can't imagine that would be too difficult. Consider that you are 1) FNP-certified and 2) experienced. Many of those you will be applying against are NOT. You will just need to focus your app...

I've been noticing a trend, at least in some hospitals, that those in a "provider" role (be it physician, NP, PA, CRNA) like to wear "scrubby" scrubs. OR scrubs. Basically, you have to look like you just left surgery, like you don't care (but reall...

Agree...however, the OP stated "assuming your state allows" an acute care NP in private practice. There are some states that do not give guidance on what an acute care (vs FNP vs PMHNP etc) can or cannot do. I live in one of them. In that scen...

The patient may not only be acute but can have complex chronic conditions, at any location. "The purpose of the ACNP is to provide advanced nursing care across the continuum of health care services to meet the specialized physiologic and psy...

Vanderbilt virtually has a lock on preceptors in the middle TN area, probably up to 150 miles away from Nashville. Many of the local PMHNPs are Vanderbilt graduates and take Vandy students. I would not be comfortable attending an online NP school i...

Can you reference what area of the country this is? That is worrisome. I am currently in an acute care program (top 10) and they have said both certifying bodies are equally valid. ETA my understanding for acute care NP (adult): AACN (Ame...

You're hitting a nerve with her. Are you preachy in general? Is she annoyed by you giving "advice" all the time? Is there something personal in her history or someone close to her in regards to illicit drugs? Do you take it upon yourself to give ...

I am a former hospice RN, oftentimes hospices run notoriously lean, they may be short nurses and if they don't need you for a F2F on any given day, they will slide you into a routine nursing visit. They probably figure they are still paying you the ...

I actually did do my research - years of it, in fact. It’s one of the primary reasons I became a nurse first instead of going directly through to NP. But discovering just how many NP jobs there are to applicants seems to be a little less concrete.

I'm not sure the reasoning, but it seems I see more psych practitioners having their own practices than others. Perhaps due to overhead being lower (not as much need for equipment, etc). I'm theorizing. But I see a lot more talk on here about PMHN...

I respect much of your advice on this site but telling someone who has already invested much time, money, and energy into this career path to "reconsider their career path" is a tough thing to say. And perhaps not much more helpful than telling a ne...

So, is it the overall consensus that there are "jobs" but one must be willing to move? What happens when you can't move (spouse has a job that ties them to an area and that area happens to be saturated)? Logically, I know what happens. But...

I am at a decision point and I am struggling with pulling the proverbial trigger. I decided to change careers and go back to school several years ago, with the goal of becoming an advanced practice nurse. I always thought I wanted to be an AG-AC...

I made my original post after a particularly exhausting day in a job that I did not enjoy. I quit and went back to hospice - now working part time - as I am in school. I am happy with my choice. I do not feel obligated to remain a bedside nurs...

I went straight into OR from school and am now in ER. My only stop in between was a brief hospice stint, which I probably would have stayed in longer if it weren't for some personal/other needs driving me back to the hospital and acute care. I perso...

I was contacted AFTER I left an employer for an exit interview. Mostly, I didn't want to give my precious time to them anymore than I already had. But I wanted my truth heard. So even if it was a risk to my career, I told them that I had been bull...

Hospice case management can be very rewarding but there is definitely a reason you are salaried! You will often be working "after hours" with charting and preparing for IDG (interdisplinary group) meetings, which happen weekly. If you are still int...

What you are saying actually makes total sense and I too am disconcerted by the caliber of our NP professionals, as more and more schools make the barrier to entry almost zero. Maybe if providers would start refusing to precept students from these s...

I think the biggest take-away is there is not a one-sized-fits-all specialty. OR is not "the best", nor is ER. ICU isn't for everyone. Just as we shouldn't tell a person automatically to go "peds" or "med-surg" or "oncology" or any such thing. We...

I cannot say why you were waitlisted and others got in because you seem like a great candidate based upon what you shared. However, you should know that you are compared against the pool of applicants you apply "against" and that changes from year t...

I went into hospice is an almost-new-grad. I, too, have a heart for it and my experience confirmed I was right...I love hospice and my patients. However, I am doing what the above-poster said and quitting to go to acute care. I have other reasons ...

I am yet another mid-life career-changer. I've been afraid to even post on this board, as I believe I will get attacked by all the nursing traditionalists. But I would like the opinions of the experienced, and I can't get them without putting mysel...

In certain areas, vacation rental property has a much better ROI than local rentals. Some are willing to maximize their income by self-managing, using AirBnb, VRBO, promoting on FB, etc. Others want to set it and forget it but that comes with a cos...

I, too, am curious about the answer to this question. As it relates to NNP - I've heard that a factor that keeps some away is the schedule. Many are required to work 24 hour shifts and some just would rather not, for quality of life reasons.