question about NP

Nursing Students General Students

Published

Specializes in LTC, cardiac, ortho rehab.

hi, i've been an lvn for about a year now and im about to get into the lvn-rn bridge program. my overall education goal is to become an acute care nurse practitioner or family nurse practitioner. i was just wondering if there are people out there that started off as lvns and are now currently NPs. how was the road to becoming an np like? what kind NP are you and what type of setting do you practice in? what made you choose to become an NP, and how do you like being an NP? any words of wisdom or stories will greatly be appreciated. -jon

Specializes in OB, NP, Nurse Educator.

I am a Family Nurse Practitioner - I was never an LPN, but I was an ADN, then BSN, now MSN (and I hope soon to be DSN).

I teach nursing school - and I went the NP route so that I would really understand disease process and treatments. My students think that it is cool that I can get a patients x-ray and interpret it for them - and help them to identify enlarged hearts, pneumonia, broken bones....

I can explain why some drugs are used vs other drugs for certain conditions.

It really adds to my teaching.

When I work as an NP it is in a Family Practice Clinic that sees about 120 patients per day. NP is okay - but I really persued it to enhance my teaching.

I say to go for it - and good luck!

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

I'll go ya even one better: I was a nursing asst before they were certified (gee I'm old - lol). I was an LPN from 92 to 94 when I got my ADN, then worked for 8 years, got my BSN in 2004, MSN in 2005 and post-MSN certificate as an adult health CNS in 2006. Would like to do a DNP program but have way too many student loans to make this happen.

Yes, it did add to my outlook now to have come up thru the ranks so to speak. However, if I had to do it again, I would certainly have done the LPN to BSN track from the beginning. However, with hubby in the AIr Force that wasn't possible.

Specializes in Pediatrics, High-Risk L&D, Antepartum, L.

My mom was an RN (diploma program...and and then RNC and got her red stripe on her cap).

She then went back.

Now how she did everything escapes me.

I believe she did her BSN and got her NP license at the same time and then went on to do her Master's and her midwifery at the same time and now has a Master's Degree in Midwifery.

It was all very confusing because the BSN/MSN/NP/CNM all happened in a short period of time even though the CNM wasn't planned originally. She told us she was stopping at NP...we all told her she would go on for the CNM. She told us we were wrong and swore she wouldn't do it. She did it.

She's in her 50's now and has been a CNM for a while now. She did her NP when I was pregnant with #1...delivered in 1996. So she's been an NP for about 10-11 years and a midwife for probably 6-7 years or more.

Cool thing...my mom was precepting with my midwife during pregnancy #1 for her NP and pregnancy #2 for her midwifery...she did a lot of my care and it was very cool.

Specializes in Med/Surg, ICU, ER, Peds ER-CPEN.

There may be direct entry RN to MSN programs in your area, there is a program and a school down here in FL that any ADN with 2 years min licensed experience can apply to, they have both CRNA & MSN-NP programs and an additional 4 educator courses to either program, I'm ticking off their pre-req's as I chug through my ADN program, only 9 months till graduation lol

+ Add a Comment