Reconsidering FNP school - should I quit?

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Hello fellow RNs and NPs,

I have been reading on this topic on this website but haven't found anything posted recently about NP school and is it really worth it? The previous posts were almost 10 years old and so many things have changed in healthcare in the last 10 years.

So, my story in a few words is this - I got my BSN and worked in OB for 5 years. At that time, I got my MSN in Administration. I left bedside and did informatics, quality, and now, I'm a Nurse Analyst. So, I'm a M-F 9-5 desk job "nurse." It's a super comfy, low-stress job and I'm in a "specialty" because not a lot of nurses can do the data management that I can (I know a lot of Excel and Access and can manage databases). However, it gets routine and I don't feel like a nurse.

I just started FNP school for a post-master's certificate but I feel super out of touch because I have been away from bedside for almost 4-5 years. I don't feel I will be ready as an FNP, plus with the DNP requirements, pressure of patient satisfaction scores, meeting quality metrics, etc., I wonder if being an FNP is as great as it once was. Schools are accepting students as long as they can pay, I feel standards for NP are lowered, you have to find your own clinical sites, and jobs are more limited compared to RN jobs. Plus, I don't want to get an MSN-FNP and end up going back for DNP.

My question to the FNPs and FNP students out there - with the changes in healthcare (good and bad), what is your take on being a new FNP in today's time? Is it worth it?

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

The DNP requirement has not become a standard and will not become one for at least a few years so I would not factor that into your decision, you should spend time with FNPs if possible and look at their day to day to evaluate whether that is a path you would want to embark on.

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I have an idea of what NP does but I am going to shadow some in different areas to get a better feel. You make a good point about DNP. Thanks for your feedback.

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Specializes in Home Health, Primary Care.

Also, even once DNP becomes a requirement, those who are already NPs when that happens will be grandfathered in :)

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Specializes in Critical Care and ED.

I'm an analyst too, and I'm in my final year of the AGACNP program. I've been doing clinicals in the ICU and have a year to go of my program. To me I feel it's worth it even though it's tough to juggle the job and school. I enjoy the current hours and the cushy job but I'm bored. I crave acute patients in the ICU. I feel like I'm cementing my future. This is the business world...not nursing really. Things can change. Nursing will stay nursing. It's hard to say at this point which direction things will go in but I foresee that once all the hospitals are up and running with the EMR, and everything is standardized, that there will be less opportunities in informatics. Right now they're plowing money into it as it's growing at a rapid rate. That growth will reach a ceiling at some point. We'll never run out of sick people however. Follow your instinct.

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Specializes in Nursing.
On 10/13/2017 at 5:55 AM, AnalystRN said:

Hello fellow RNs and NPs,

I have been reading on this topic on this website but haven't found anything posted recently about NP school and is it really worth it? The previous posts were almost 10 years old and so many things have changed in healthcare in the last 10 years.

So, my story in a few words is this - I got my BSN and worked in OB for 5 years. At that time, I got my MSN in Administration. I left bedside and did informatics, quality, and now, I'm a Nurse Analyst. So, I'm a M-F 9-5 desk job "nurse." It's a super comfy, low-stress job and I'm in a "specialty" because not a lot of nurses can do the data management that I can (I know a lot of Excel and Access and can manage databases). However, it gets routine and I don't feel like a nurse.

My question to the FNPs and FNP students out there - with the changes in healthcare (good and bad), what is your take on being a new FNP in today's time? Is it worth it?

Hello Analyst RN --- honestly ... I would rather have your CUSHY job than see patients. So ... what did you decide to do? I get that it may seem like you "don't feel like a nurse" ... but I am SO READY to get my MSN Administration and be a "desk job" nurse.

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