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Hi OP, I was a tele nurse for 6-7 years and am a FNP now, I went to a highly rated school and graduated with a 4.0, despite this I was still not prepared for advanced EKG reading with my new job in electrophysiology (and honestly, this is a better attitude to have than to pretend you know everything). I can understand where you are coming from. Even if I had an understanding of basic to intermediate EKGs, I wanted to be better, and I still do! I work closely with an EP who will often be perplexed by EKGs, I've corrected him and hes corrected me as well, we've also read EKGs differently than various cardiologists or primary care MDs as well, nothing is textbook! So I don't quite understand the reaction you got earlier in the thread, pretty narrow minded IMO. I think the best place to start is Dubin's book, it is simple, to the point and a very easy read. It is just the basics. Then there is "The only EKG book you will ever need" which is also a good reference. And another is "The complete guide to ECGs". Keep practicing. If you can get a stack of EKGs and blind your self to the interpretation and just go through those and practice, it helps!

Hey OP, make sure you don't make life decisions and decide whether to purchase luxury items based on my single post (a person you don't know). Also I hope I didn't imply that student loan debt is no big deal. I would like to rephrase and say for me, it is no big deal, so I could probabyl afford the nicer things but would rather spend on Experiences. To further elaborate why I'm not worried: my only debt is student loan debt, I make enough money, live within my means, overpay my student loan debt so I'll be done in 6 years and still save money on the side, have a hefty savings, etc. But because you are young (as am I), and apparently impressionable from a single post on an internet forum, please don't mistake my comment on how common student loan debt is as an excuse to lavishly spend your time and get yourself into a financial rut. And i never said all new grads have student loans. I just implied that if you had them, you should be chipping away at that, and it is okay to live a little, but I should add as a disclaimer: *only if you are responsible* because apparently that has to be said for someone trying to obtain a professional career.

I try to spend my money on experiences and travel rather than designer handbags. But hey, as long as you are not in debt. Unless it is student debt, because we're all chipping away at that!

THIS is why i left bedside nursing.

Respectfully, DISAGREE. Future NPs - don't let any sour nurse deter you from your dreams whether you are 1 second out of school or 1 decade out of school. Yes obviously you lack certain skills that come with being a floor nurse (not really sure you will need those anyway being an outpatient NP) and yes you may also lack the understanding of hospital politics, dynamics of the healthcare system, how different providers interact and work with each other to care for a mutual patient, you may also have a very steep learning curve that may be more difficult to overcome compared to a seasoned nurse but that DOES NOT mean you cannot be a great NP. I would recommend at least completing a program part time so you gain valuable experience, but is it an absolute? Certainly not. With that said... 100% AGREE AGREE AGREE. This matters like a lot. And a great education can prepare any non-floor nurse to be a GREAT NP. Unfortunately, a lot of the programs these days are accepting and churning out average candidates - what a scary thought! The same thought applies with RN schools.

I have only been an FNP for 6 months now but am specifically only working in the field of cardiology, and even more specifically, electrophysiology. All I can say is there were days as an RN i would absolutely dread going to work because nurses, a lot of the time just get abused with the amount of work we had to do. The laundry list of things needing to be completed continued to grow as did the expectation of ideal customer service. I remember being lectured to use specific words "excellent care, always" to get the patients to rate us well on surveys so we qualify for reimbursement - all that BS, plus patient care, plus everything else, and our shifts did not get longer to accomodate for this, and our pay certainly did not go up. It was a bunch of crap and I was just a number. Plus the politics and opportunities for advancement were grim. Still, I believe my unit was pretty well run, we had extra help from two nurses who did not take patients, I don't believe this is the norm. Even still, I do not miss it for a SINGLE SECOND. I love my 9-5, the increase in pay, the challenge that comes with the field of EP, the providers I work with are all awesome, I love being able to help patients in this way, to be able to make decisions for myself regarding the patients plan of care. There are a lot of other perks, like the ability to go to Dr. appts when I can, my employer doesn't striclty enforce PTO as long as we cover each other, they respect us as providers, give us CME time to help further our knowledge (did not get that as an RN...) My schedule is managable, I work alongside an MD every other day so we handle clinic together off the same patient template, I have 2.5 days a week where I have a very light schedule (0-5 patients/day) which I get as admin days, which I eventually will use that time to do inpatient work. If you get a job where your employer respects you and doesn't burn you out, where you can continue to challenge yourself, I think you would be very happy as an NP. I appreciate the mental challenge of the new job, and am no longer physically burnt out - I can focus on all other aspects of life aside from work!

I can totally understand your concern with a bunch of debt hanging over your head. And you don't need to have experience in informatics to lead you to want to pursue your dream, if that is what you want to do. My friend had been a psych nurse at the hospital for 5 or so years and decided she hated the "people" aspect of nursing, very likely because she was so burnt out from the constant drama that encircles that field. She openly admitted it, that was her SOLE reason for pursuing informatics, but she knew that is what she wanted to do and so she started to become more involved in the EHR side of her work, once you are already working somewhere it is usually easier to transition into a new role in the same facility if that sparks your interest. So she became a super-user when they were implementing their new EHR system. Aside from that she had no other informatics experience, she decided to pursue a 1.5 year post bachelors certificate in Informatics and is now working at a top hospital in the area in her dream job. Perhaps you should look for other, shorter programs that can offer you the degree/post-bachelors/masters certificate you need and try to gain whatever experience you can within your current hospital, you really don't need a DNP. Maybe some of the courses you have taken will also be counted for credits to a new program. I'd keep searching!

I think 14-18 patients per day is fair as long as you have some admin time built in and you aren't routinely leaving late. Don't see why people are okay with leaving late, don't get taken advantage of!

Hey Cardiology EP NP, I got an email saying you tried to sent me a PM but my inbox was full, I cleared stuff out so hopefully you are able too! I still can't directly send you a message but I will when I can! It is definitely a goal of mine to sit for the IBHRE exam, I think I'm going to start looking into resources to help study for that exam so I can learn while I study and then eventuuallly I will take that exam!

aevans88, My first few weeks have been great, a lot to learn. I would love to exchange my contact info with you so we can keep in touch and perhaps be a resource to each other! Are you also located in the Chicagoland area? How has your job been thus far? I'm curious to hear more about your structure as well, especially with what you do in the EP lab, etc. I sat in on some ablations, device implantations and things like that so I have a better understanding of what goes on but I don't know if there really is a place for me there. So far I just have been seeing patients in the clinic, and while they wait for me to be all fully credentialed with third party payers and etc I have just been kind of seeing patients along with the doctor and they sign off on my charts and we kind of plan together for the patient. I think very soon I will be seeing my own patients and signing off my own charts. And I believe in a few weeks-months (depending on how busy we get) I'll also be helping with inpatient consults, and just as soon as I get credentialed into these hospitals. For now, I'm milking my time with the docs and asking as many questions as I can. Oh and I'm not an ACNP either, I'm trained in Family. The other NPs in my practice, and many that I know who round in the hospital are also trained as adult NPs. As far as my state goes, I don't believe the law designates between ACNP, ANP, FNP, etc. Although I don't think it hurts to get certified w/ IBHRE eventually just to add more credibility to your on the job experience. Although that is a bit more in the future for me. Looking forward to hearing back from you :)

Hey EP NP! Sorry I hadn't even realized that there were more posts on this thread and then I got curious and checked today - was pleasantly surprised! I've been working there for almost three months now and its been going really well! I feel as though I've learned SO MUCH in just this much time but I've barely scraped the surface of EP. I have to constantly remind myself of how much I've learned when I'm frustrated with what I don't know -which occurs every day. For me, the devices and distinguishing between certain rhythms is the toughest. Devices are difficult to grasp for me so I spend a lot of my free time reading, I feel like it is a new language. I also did get some gen card training but not much because they transitioned me into the EP role quickly, but there are a few other NPs in the practice doing general cardiology so they are always a great resource for me if I have any questions and in some ways I've already become their EP resource so just goes to show what I've learned thus far. I'm mostly in the clinic now which is stressful on its own but the goal would be also to help with inpatient consults as well eventually, now that might be sooner rather than later. But the docs I work with are pretty friendly and easy to approach so I just keep asking all the questions I need too.

EP NP, I got your message but I am unable to message you back due to me not meeting the quota of having posted 15 topics, ...ahh. If you respond with an email address, I can definitely email you back in answer to your questions. Or if there is any other way we can communicate, I'm not sure if I can post my email on here. I definitely appreciate the advice and insight you gave on the resources, I had read up a little bit on Heart Rhythm Society. I will look into the books you suggested as well.

I'm an introvert and yes you can do this job well and still have social anxiety (hopefully you are managing it in healthy ways).

Hmm. Didn't work. I tried to respond back to you and had this long message ready but it basically took me to a different screen and said I couldn't send any. So I guess I'll post here as vaguely as I can. I accepted an EP NP job and they said they are going to train me, I have 5 years tele experience inpatient and 0 experience as an NP. But I know the group through my RN job, thus was able to get interviewed and hired. The expectations of the EP docs I was told was very low, they realize that I have no formal training in EP. My nervousness lies with learning the field of EP, and of course couple that with being a new NP, new job, new stress. I went to a school that I believe prepared me well, I am an FNP. I was wondering if you can share any insight with me on your position, day to day, any advice on what to start out with as a new NP (specific resources, references, subscriptions) that you may suggest? Any good readings out there? Any hurdles you had to face within your role..etc. The role I will have is a new one, so no one's shoes to fill. I will mostly be seeing patients in clinic, and who knows this may adapt based on a variety of factors, I may start seeing patients inpatient here and there once I get accustomed, eventually run a pacemaker clinic, etc. Any insight would be thoroughly appreciated as I start this new journey!

Hey EP NP, I don't think I am able to PM you since I do not have enough posts I believe (I've been a long time lurker, 10+ years) but have never posted myself. Maybe you are able to PM me and then I can reply? Otherwise I can try to somehow share my contact information with you or vice versa, just don't want to break any rules! I appreciate you being available to me!