RN Experience helpful to aspiring APRN

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I am about halfway through my FNP program. I have been a nurse for about 20 years and most of my experience is in pediatrics, particularly medically fragile and technology dependent children. Although I have always kept a prn job working with adults I am starting to wonder if I have limited myself for opportunities when I graduate. I am considering going to work on a med-surg floor during the last year of school to refresh my adult skills. Do you think it will make a difference when I am ready to look for an APRN job? I don't especially want to leave my current job but I want to prepare myself for the future. Any advice?

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Having only ever worked with adults myself, I feel that pediatric nurses are special and generally smarter than me. Your specialization is very important and I'm sure you have amazing technical (and interpersonal) skills. That being said, if you plan to take care of adults at some point, you may appreciate adjusting to that population in the RN role that you are already comfortable with. However, if your goal is PNP--keep on with what you're doing (in my opinion).

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Oh wait, read your post again. You have experience working with the spectrum. That sounds totally reasonable as far as the experience you may need to get a job down the line.

However, if you are training for FNP and see yourself taking a role in a more specifically adult population, it couldn't hurt to change your current venue.

It sounds like you have a lot of experience. I think the decision is more about what experience YOU want to have before embarking on your new role.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I'm assuming that your program, like mine will require you to have a substantial number of hours working with adult patients in your clinical practicum. I would anticipate that you will get sufficient time then to regain comfort working with adults, and that additional time on a med-surg floor would have minimal impact as once you get into your practicum experience that experience will quickly build upon and outweigh your RN experience.

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Specializes in Internal Medicine.

I'm in the opposite boat as you, where I had no peds experience, but had lots of adult experience when starting my rotations. My program requires 720 total hours, with 33% of that coming from peds. When I started my peds rotation I was a deer in the headlights, and dumber than even the CNA's and techs that screen the kids. 200 hours later I feel much more confident working with kids as a provider. I'm sure it will be how you will feel after getting your feet wet with adults. You actually have an upper hand in that you kept a PRN job with adults. Most people in my program have one type of experience, or another. Not both.

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Blue, empty your inbox so I can PM you :up:

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