Quick tips on Combating the Commoditization of the nurse practitioner degree

[chillnurse, BSN, RN, NP]

First off, there are many very experienced and very well educated NPs on this forum (much more than I) so feel free to add to this list. Second of all, please don't mind my tone. Don't be offended, I am actually a somewhat pleasant person in real life, but making sure the point gets through takes precedence over niceness in life. I am only putting a couple, since if any of you all are like me, your self diagnosed ADD keeps you from focusing on anything for more than 5 minutes (probably why we aren't CRNAs).

All of these recent posts regarding the "oh em gee 600 million online for profit FNP programs are going to destroy out credibility WHAT DO WE DO?????? BATTLSTATIONZ PEOPLE!!!!!!! Instead of whining and complaining (which I also have fallen into) lets do something about it. Throw rotten eggs at Western Governors Kaplan University of the Feenix's Chamberlan College of Health sciences????

No.(this is not an attack on individual schools for you touchy people BTW). Lobby in front of the AANP and ANCC and whoever else does the credentialing??? No. Argue with PAs and doctors over who thinks their medical-knowledge phallic is longer??? No.

What can we do then?????????

1. STOP SUCKING

Just like most degrees, the FNP and other NP degrees will be commoditized. That means that basically every other nurse that squeezed through RN school will typically be able to get an RX pad and start passing scripts without much difficulty.

Remember when business degrees used to mean something? No? Me either, but my parents told me about those days when they did, so yeah, they used to mean something. Now from most schools, its just a bland track that athletes seem to major in. Why? Because its ridiculously simple at many colleges. The general business degree is the reason Bo Jackson and Tyson G-funk have bachelors degrees on their walls. But they also work at McDonalds, flipping burgers (no hate to restaurant workers, I did it for a time being, puts hair on the chest).

How does this relate? Well, there are business majors that get jobs. How? Well besides connections of course (which making connections is a skill that really does help in life), they 1. SUCK LESS than their competitors and other graduates and 2. stand out.

"How do I suck less, I have a 4.0 so far in my masters program?" Congrats. That equates to drawing a straight line nowadays in many NP programs.

First of all, DON'T SUCK in clincials. Even if it is your first rotation, don't flop around like the pasty blond chick next door playing with your phone and acting like your the Queen B word of the universe now that you wear a white coat (this is very common). Also, don't sit there and take pictures of yourself in your white coat and put it on facebook. How obnoxious. "Hi look I'm important, educated, and obviously freaking awesome at life." No not really, your just wearing a white coat, scrub.

If you want to stand out in clinicals, it will take some extra reading at home. Contrary to popular belief, most NP programs do not teach you everything you need to know. I am sure this comment will be attacked by a bunch of first semester NP students- "My patho class is bigger than your patho class" etc etc. "I worked as an RN for 20 years, that makes me doctor right?" No, it means you have passing medicine, titrating drips, and giving IM injections down to a science. Good job. That's all totally useful as an NP. Not.

Practice exams on your friends, watch youtube and other great online explanations of illnesses, and SELF EDUCATE. Don't be the wet turd who floats through the easiest for profit NP program in the country and expected to be treated like the Dean of Emergency Medicine residency program at Harvard. Lol, not going to happen.

2. PICK A SCHOOL WITH A GOOD REP!

I won't go into detail on this since it is beat to death on this forum, but pick your school wisely. I won't go into the for profit vs non-profit argument, since I know I am already biased toward the for-profits. People do look at what school you attend, and if they google your school and a big flasher pops up "EARN YOUR CNA TO DNP WITH NO GRE, NO EXPERIENCE REQUIRED, MANY OPEN SEATS AVAILABLE, 2 YEARS PART TIME" you probably won't get hired over the guy who went to a reputable school. That header just screams "Hi, I couldn't get in anywhere else, I am too lazy to take the GRE, and I just want my NP degree so I can pass perks and make six figures with no effort, k thnx."

Don't expect to get hired.

3. Extra Certs- ACLS, PALS, ATLS, attend seminars, courses, etc. Just show that you work harder than others. Simple. Make sure these are useful though. For some reason, it seems nursing has more retarded alphabet soup syndrome problems that most other health-related fields. I saw somebody with the credentials DNP, MSN, CCP, BSN, CCRN, ASN, LPN once. Wow, i mean obviously you had a bachelors prior to your DNP right? it is this type of behavior that makes other health professionals laugh at nursing. Quit it. Stick to the basics that mean something. Nobody is going to hire a nursing theorist to sit there and have Freudgasms all day at their clinic.

4. Remember that you do not know everything. I see a lot of this on the forum. First off there are a lot of great practitioners on here with HUGE amounts of wisdom and knowledge that far exceed my average amount of knowledge. I am very grateful for you all. But I also see people who are just starting or who have not even started their programs act like they know everything. "Oh I'll get a job I iz smarter than average np, i bet i no moar than yoo and i just started kay thanks."........ I am sure you do, act like that to your preceptor and your recommendation will go down the drain.

Just be open to learning. Simple as that.

5. Don't take the easiest job right out of school. Take a job that will teach you a lot. I don't even need to explain this. Many nurses simply go back to school wanting more pay. You PROBABLY will get more pay. But they also want to work less. Let me tell you, I work MUCH harder as an np than as I did as an RN. So do many others. If your sole pursuit of a masters is for a cushier job. You have already taken a step backward. With more money comes more liability and more thinking. Sorry .

Feel free to add to this, and forgive any typos, my english GPA was a 2.0.

And incase I left a toe unstepped on, the aanp and aanc exams are not comprehensive enough to cover what we need to know, so don't think you are awesome by passing them. If you pass them, then, congrats, you are now average.

[PauperRN]

I read the whole of it! U have a funny way of preaching humility

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

You and I don't agree on everything but we do agree about selfies while at work/clinical.

That at commoditized word is a new one on me.

course I'm just your average (and apparently today due to my never having heard that word before, below average APN..

[allennp]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cocommoditized

i looked it up!!!!!

:-)

good points I like it

clean it up and should could be inserted into a syllabus for many a NP program.

A

[HornsRN]

Good post for a soon to be NP student such as I. I also think you should change your screen name, unless it is ironic. haha, I kid I kid. I wanted to pick your brain privately but apparently I need to post 15x first. As I am one who is slow to speak and prefer to read others opinions on forums (but dont like posting 15 dumb comments) it might be awhile before I earn the right to ask private questions.

[chillnurse, BSN, RN, NP]

I agree trauma but what fun would the world be if we all agreed with everything. Probably like the world in the lego movie. My avatar explains it better. l;)

Feel free to ask questions. It might be better to do it publicly. There are much more accurate opinions out there than mine I am sure. I don't want to lead anybody astray.

[PureLifeRN]

This was a funny post to read! Finally, someone with a sense of humor!!

[jessica.lanelle]

This is the best thing I have ever read. Thank you so much.

[olvr00]

"First of all, DON'T SUCK in clincials. Even if it is your first rotation, don't flop around like the pasty blond chick next door playing with your phone and acting like your the Queen B word of the universe now that you wear a white coat (this is very common). Also, don't sit there and take pictures of yourself in your white coat and put it on facebook. How obnoxious. "Hi look I'm important, educated, and obviously freaking awesome at life." No not really, your just wearing a white coat, scrub."

Lol, a fellow NP student from another school had his photo taken sitting on the doctor's desk on his first day of clinicals really proud wearing his labcoat lol, and is very cocky according to the MAs. lol

Great post chillnurse