2 Questions from a prospective NP

verene, MSN · Aug 15, 2019

I would focus more on what your interest areas are - and the market where you currently live (or would like to live in the future) rather than simply "highest demand". There is high need for several specialties, but as people realize the need and start going to school the need will go down through simply supply-demand (e.g. starting to see this in family practice and psych), and lower demand (e.g. midwifery) doesn't mean that a dedicated student with interest can't find work - just that one would need to be open to moving or taking a less-than-dream-job in order to start.

I would recommend you ask yourself: what are you envisioning from your career? What population(s) do you have interest in working with? What kind of settings would you want to work in (or not work in)? Are you wiling/able to move to a different location or do you need to stay-put? Do you envision part-time or full-time work? Taking call and working nights/weekends/holidays or working 8-5 Monday-Friday only? What experience, skills, and interests do you bring forward with you that would be advantageous to a future role? Are you looking to build on what you already have or go in a completely different direction? These are questions that can help you start refining which speciality may be a good fit for you.

Experience demanded by programs is highly variable - some are open to direct-entry, even for non-nurses, who may have little to no nursing experience (but who may have experience in other areas of health care or other life experience that is useful), and some will require a few years of experience in a specific specialty area (e.g. CRNA, NNP, ACNP, ENP). I would take a look at the overall strength of the program - do they find preceptors or not? What does "finding mean" (giving a list to call, or having vetted clinical sites with experienced preceptors who are known to be strong mentors?) at that program? Is the program online, hybrid, or in-person? How competitive? Are their graduates ready to launch into work on graduation and where do they end up working? What is the program's reputation regionally? Is the program part-time or full-time? Cost? Financial aid? Ability to work during school? All of these are factors to consider.

Personally, I am a graduate of direct-entry (ABSN + MSN) PMHNP program at a well-regarded public university. The program is highly competitive (typically admitting 5 students per year via the direct-entry track), and while not everyone had psych-nursing experience going into the MSN portion (mix of direct-entry and practicing RNs), ALL of us had relevant professional experience to the specialty in non-nursing role, and most of us worked as psych RNs while in the program.

Program was in-person with vetted preceptors/clinical sites provided and graduates have a strong reputation locally and regionally for being well-prepared novice NPs, who are able to "hit the ground running" on graduation. I had 3 job offers with in 2 weeks of receiving my NP license - despite not actually applying to any jobs (all interviews ended up being through word of mouth referrals/professional contacts).

Aliens05, ASN · Aug 15, 2019

Wow, great reply and thank you so much for the information, that is a big help to get me started.

One additional question stemming from your reply is in regards to the questions I need to ask myself such as if I am willing to move, or if I want part-time or Monday-Friday. The question I have about that is how do I find out what different NP positions, specialties, areas of work will require or offer these different hours/opportunities? Say for example if I am looking at trying to stay M-F with no call, or even part-time and I cannot move or relocate, how would I find out what is the best position or specialty for this specifically, same for if I do want to take call, or can work weekends or relocate?

Thanks again.

verene, MSN · Aug 15, 2019

21 minutes ago, Aliens05 said:
Wow, great reply and thank you so much for the information, that is a big help to get me started.
One additional question stemming from your reply is in regards to the questions I need to ask myself such as if I am willing to move, or if I want part-time or Monday-Friday. The question I have about that is how do I find out what different NP positions, specialties, areas of work will require or offer these different hours/opportunities? Say for example if I am looking at trying to stay M-F with no call, or even part-time and I cannot move or relocate, how would I find out what is the best position or specialty for this specifically, same for if I do want to take call, or can work weekends or relocate?
Thanks again.

Look at job postings! I spent a lot of time reading job postings in various areas specialties and cities as part of researching what I wanted to do. It gave me a sense of what jobs were out there, pay ranges, hours/schedules, and experience/skills employers were looking for. I networked to find people who worked in areas I was interested in - many were surprisingly willing to take 30min-hr to have a phone or sit down informational interview about their job, how they go there, what the day-to-day realities of the work look like, and their recommendations for someone interested in the field. ?

If you know what local employers are looking for, and what it takes to get the part-time M-F job with no call, then you can make sure you end up in the specialty/program and build the skills that will get you those jobs on graduation.

Schools should say on their websites where they are located, if the are online, hybrid (mostly online with in-person requirements occasionally), or in-person, and if they are part-time or full-time. If you can't find information on a program website call or e-mail their admissions office - they are usually responsive to prospective student questions.