RN looking to go to NP

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 10, 2015

Welcome to allnurses.com

Thread moved to Student NP forum.

Good luck with your plans.

littlepeopleRNICU · Aug 10, 2015

What about the actual job, other than potentially making more and maybe having no weekend work, compels you to go back to school?

applesxoranges, BSN, RN · Aug 11, 2015

In my area, a lot of the NPs take their share of rounding and on call. So you may find yourself rounding on patients during the weekend and being woken up at 3 am. Although your state's rules may differ and prevent that.

Bumex, DNP, NP · Aug 11, 2015

If you are looking into OB/GYN, please look into Women's Health NP/Certified Nurse Midwife (WHNP/CNM) programs. I have friends that have completed them and love it! They do say don't do one or the other, just do both because it makes you vary marketable. I know that FNP's do have OB hour requirements for clinical, but it's not at all to the extent a WHNP and/or CNM has.

If you are unsure, the FNP programs are usually farmed for new retail clinic NP's. Most of my friends (I have many friends that are NP, PA and a few MD/DO) who are NP's work in retail. They don't make much more money than they did when they were floor RNs, but the job satisfaction is through the roof!

I personally am an AGNP student, and I know for sure I won't make a large amount more than I do now in my RN specialty, but for me its all about job satisfaction. Honestly, I would be fine with getting paid LESS as long as I got to have the job I want in a doctors office or in hospice care.

Acute Care NP's have the highest pay of the NP's, from what I have found.

I hope you find some of this helpful! Good luck on your journey.

-Dan, RN, MSN

Jules A, MSN · Aug 11, 2015

If you are looking into OB/GYN, please look into Women's Health NP/Certified Nurse Midwife (WHNP/CNM) programs. I have friends that have completed them and love it! They do say don't do one or the other, just do both because it makes you vary marketable. I know that FNP's do have OB hour requirements for clinical, but it's not at all to the extent a WHNP and/or CNM has.
If you are unsure, the FNP programs are usually farmed for new retail clinic NP's. Most of my friends (I have many friends that are NP, PA and a few MD/DO) who are NP's work in retail. They don't make much more money than they did when they were floor RNs, but the job satisfaction is through the roof!
I personally am an AGNP student, and I know for sure I won't make a large amount more than I do now in my RN specialty, but for me its all about job satisfaction. Honestly, I would be fine with getting paid LESS as long as I got to have the job I want in a doctors office or in hospice care.
Acute Care NP's have the highest pay of the NP's, from what I have found.
I hope you find some of this helpful! Good luck on your journey.
-Dan, RN, MSN

Great advice about the specialty track if that is the area someone wants to work.

But I have to say your other comments about being willing to accept not making much more money than a RN when in fact you now have paid for the extra education and are saddled with the responsibility of prescribing medications distresses me.

I absolutely love what I do but if I didn't make significantly more money than I made as a RN there is no way I would be working as a NP. I wish NPs would do the math, know their billing potential and insist on better wages. It doesn't make any sense to me and I usually blame it on nursing largely being a female field although it would seem as if you aren't a female which makes me even sadder. FWIW if I were to only do a M-F gig with no OT or holidays I make over double what I last made as a BSN.