question about pediatric NP?

[violet.spark]

Hello everybody, I'm Violet and I have a few questions about PNPs because I've been interested in this medical career:)

So i've been researching about NP specialties for a couple of hours and i think i'd work well in the pediatric care. a question i have in mind is, when i get into nursing school, will i have to literally study all night long?

also, let's say i get the job, what would be a typical day for me be like? am i constantly moving and doing a lot of movements or am i standing up and doing something for 5 min then go back to sitting down? because, i don't like sitting and resting and just doing nothing. I'm more of a person who prefers walking around and doing some kind of task:)

also, i heard that the pay is pretty good: somewhere 80k or up depending on how much experience i have; is that a lot? like i know that it's a lot but would it be enough to cover a house bills and stuff like that? and I'm talking about just a normal regular house, nothing fancy of the sort.

sorry if that was a lot to read, but i always think too much when i set my mind on something:) thanks everybody

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

In nursing school, you will be studying to be an RN. You need to do this before you can become an NP. Whether you will be up all night studying depends on how you study. I never once pulled an all-nighter studying for nursing. If you want to be a PNP, you need to apply for a Masters program after you get your RN. There are also some accelerated Masters programs which you could enter into directly if you have a Bachelor's degree in another field but you don't say what your educational background is.

PNPs work in a diverse range of settings. What a typical day for a PNP is like depends on that. Perhaps try to find a PNP and ask to shadow him/her for a day to get an idea of what the profession is like.

[JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP]

Hi Violet. Are you still in HS?

As KelRN said, you'll first have to become an RN and then apply to master's programs to become an NP. Some programs will take you with no RN experience, but most will require at least 1 year in the specialty you're interested in. While you're studying to be an RN you will spend time in all the different specialties, not just peds, so that will give you time to figure out which area is a good fit for you. As far as how much time you'll need to study, that depends on your study habits. There is a great deal of information that you need to master, in terms of physiology, pharmacology, etc., but if you study a little each day and keep up with your readings and assignments you should not have to study all night long. In fact, research has shown that cramming for exams is not a very effective way to learn and you'll forget most of what you studied. Steady repetition and review is the way we retain information.

If you like to be on the go, you might find ER is the best setting for you. Whereever you practice, though, you will need to spend time writing your notes so there's a certain amount of sitting built in to any nursing job. Nursing is not one of those professions known for having a lot of down time, so I don't think you need to worry about being bored or sitting around doing nothing.

As far as how well you can live on a nurse/NP salary, a lot depends on what area of the country you live in, your family size, and what your priorities/expectations are. Where I live now (NYC) I could not afford to buy a house on an NP salary but we are looking to move to an area with a lower cost of living.