NEMurse95

How did you have job offers in all these states as a new grad? Did you seek a recruiter? Or just apply to all these locations?

From an outsider looking in, it seems to me like this could have a bit to do with having a crumby boss. If (s)he's constantly pushing you to see more patients, he clearly doesn't have quality of care in mind and is being unethical.

Hey, OP. Did you end up starting your FNP program? Curious as to see how it went for you. I'm about to graduate with my RN and will be working two years prior to starting my FNP. I do not like the inpatient hospital setting, and I'm looking for alternative RN experience.

Thanks for the response. Refreshing to hear. In what setting do you work as an NP?

To all the NP's here, I'm curious as to how you would rate your level of stress of your prior RN career to that of your current NP career. Please provide some background (i.e., current position, previous RN position).

This seems too good to be true. The tuition is $199 per credit hour. Has anyone done the online RN to BSN program through them? They're accredited by the CCNE.

Nice! Out of curiosity, why did you decide on the DNP route instead of an FNP-MSN? What experience did you have as an RN in those two years working towards your BSN?

Hello. I'm currently trying to sort out some preliminary plans in my head for what direction I want to take in my schooling. In my head, my heart is set on family practice. I like the idea of outpatient far more than inpatient. I also love pharmacology, so I think family practice is a good fit for me. That being said, I'm curious as to what the salaries are for family practice FNP's.

Thanks for the thorough reply. I didn't mean to say anything negative whatsoever about the RN role other than that I think I could better utilize my skills and interests in an NP role. Since starting nursing school, I have NEVER doubted the importance of RN's. The things they (soon, we) are responsible for recognizing, assessing, and reporting are often the difference between life and death for a patient. I have a deep respect for the profession and I intend to make the most of my time in the role and do good by my patients. This post was mostly just to get some reassurance that it's rational to still look forward to the NP role if I'm not in love with the RN role. Different strokes for different folks.

Interesting. I've noticed a lot of my classmates have CRNA aspirations. I've floated the idea in my head, but I don't think I would truly enjoy it. The idea of primary care is much more enticing to me. I've also thought about starting in psych (because there are multiple openings at a local psych center), but I'm afraid not having that acute care experience will hurt my chances of getting into NP school. Do you mind telling me a bit more about your role as a psych NP?

Fair enough. I will probably at least start in Med-Surg to gain some experience and deepen my familiarity with the RN role. My thought for going for FNP is it's versatile. I want to work in a primary care or other non-acute care setting. As deep as I want to go into acute care as an NP would be urgent care. What's your NP gig?

I work in a retail pharmacy as a pharmacy tech. Having pharmacists who are there for me to ask questions/pick their brains about medications has been absolutely invaluable. My strongest area of schooling/practice thus far has been pharmacology. That being said, I feel the people with CNA experience are more prepared to enter the hospital setting and provide patient care. Ideally, I would've started out doing two shifts/week in the pharmacy and one 12 hour/week as a CNA. But hindsight is 20/20. My recommendation would be go for CNA/care partner gig.

Thanks for the reply. Much appreciated. Why didn't you like being an RN? Also, what makes you say the ICU is more tolerable than other settings? I'm doing an associate's program, but I'm starting my BSN bridge in the fall. So, I'll have a two year overlap before I start my FNP program. Debating what type of RN gig I want to get prior to that.

Hello all. I'm currently in my last semester as an RN student. I went into nursing with the idea that I want to be an NP in a primary care office or maybe urgent care. I LOVE learning about diseases and LOVE learning about medications. I work in a pharmacy now and am obsessed with learning new meds and knowing the pharmacological action of them. My concern is, I truly truly do NOT like my exposure to the RN role right now. I've been mostly on med surg, but I do not like doing these assigned tasks like trach care, wound dressings, etc. I feel like there are too many tasks and too many patients to really focus on one and get to understand their individual situation. I'm very discouraged right now, so I'm wondering if there's anyone out there who did not like their experience as an RN but love their job as an NP. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and respond.

I just thought of something as I was reading my text. It talks about how a manifestation of pulmonary edema is "auscultation of crackles in the lung bases." This made me wonder...and it may be a dumb question...can you auscultate crackles in the TOP lobes and have clear bottom lobes? That is, does fluid HAVE to accumulate in the bottom lobes before it can be present in the top lobes, due to gravity? THANKS SO MUCH.