I was orienting an agency nurse the other day and she mentioned that she was in grad school. I asked her what her major and she said it was nurse practitioner. Good for her, right? That doesn't bother me at all. What bothered me was when she said "definitely not stopping at RN, I'm too smart for that!" I was floored. I had never looked at it that way before? Not all nirses want to be practitioners. Some of them are smarter than the physicians but they still don't want to take on that role. They are happy at the bedside.
I guess I felt discouraged by the comment. Not only that, when I read articles online hat pertain to bedside nursing, there is always commentary from an NP in there. Don't get me wrong, I respect those that are practitioners and know what a tough job they have. It seems funny, though, that you would interview an NP in an article directly related to bedside care. Same goes for advisory boards. Take the National association of neonatal nurses for instance. Look at their governing board and you will see many NPs on there. It just seems that if we are going to speak about bedside nursing and if we are going to have advisory boards about bedside nursing, shouldn't the bedside nurses be the ones on the board?
It it just seems like more and more people go into nursing anymore just to be a practitioner. What happened to those interested in being "just and RN?"
Please, nobody take offense to my comment. Just wanted some thoughts.
ps: here's the like to the board members that I was mentioning. Most are NPs.
I started out in nursing because I felt I had missed my window of opportunity to go to medical school, and nursing was a far more realistic and attainable goal. When I started nursing school, I thought I'd become an NP or CRNA. I had no intention of stopping with a 2 year degree and staying an RN.
Things have changed. My priorities have changed. I don't want to spend the next several years of my life in school, going further into debt and taking on greater liability. I want to spend my free time enjoying my life, doing the things I love to do, before my life is over.
I've seen too much tragedy, human suffering, pain, heartbreak, and regrets for risks not taken, life not lived to its fullest before it is cut short, and I don't want that to happen to me.
I know I'm smart enough to be a doctor, but I'm satisfied with my role as a bedside RN. My decision to stay an RN has nothing to do with how intelligent I may or may not be, but rather, how I envision my life path.
And to be honest, "NP" doesn't automatically confer intelligence, IMO. In my relatively short time in health care, I've seen plenty of NPs that aren't exactly brilliant. One can manage to make it through an NP program and pass the boards and still not be the brightest bulb of the bunch.
So, I say let them think what they will. Someone with that attitude is just setting herself up for some really humbling experiences. Just smile and nod, knowing this.
To each his or her own. When I worked a couple days ago, I felt helpless as a RN. The doc was taking forever to see patients and put in orders. My poor patient had a work related accident and severe pain. I confronted the doc multiple times about going to see him so the pain meds could be ordered, yet it kept getting put off and he did not want to order anything until he assessed the patient. And as a nurse, there was only so many times I could provide "non pharmacological" interventions. I just felt disappointed that I could not do more.
Yes, this is one isolated incident. But it made me realize to a greater extent that I want to do advanced practice. I want more autonomy and to be able to call the shots. I also am young and feel that I can dedicate a couple years to more schooling. It is different for everyone and I would never downplay a bedside nurse's intelligence. But, I will want to move on to my next step in a few years and am planning accordingly because of that.
@rearviewmirror You should choose a different field of nursing to work in. Go work for an insurance company or case management. An assisted living. Peds. I respect that you are un happy because of the grit work but when I'm sick I wouldn't want my life in the hands of someone that feels the way you do. I work in the ER I completely get what your saying. People do not take care of their bodies or their health and we end up having to take care of them and even possibly saving their lives for them to turn around and not maintain life style changes. They abuse the ER and think it is a PCP. I get it but if you're this frustrated is it not better to move on?
I had a bitter chuckle because I did leave the bedside while back, it was right choice. Knowing my self, I would be okay if someone exactly like me was my ed nurse. I did not hold people's hands but boy I was quick with tasks and prioritizing. My main goal was keeping doctors happy, and I did seem to get things done, probably not the best if you want emotional support but I explained any questions about process, labs, meds, etc, just matter of fact, straight forward, admit or get out. I don't doubt my competency in the ED, and you would be okay with me as long as you came to get medical care.
Specializes in ER - trauma/cardiac/burns. IV start spec.
Times have changed. My Mom and her friends thought RN meant Real Nurse. I laughed so hard at her when I graduated and she told me that she was proud that I was a real nurse (RN). In my area there are not many NP's but there are a few PA's in the ER. The local ER tried NP's but they did not really work out too well. Just an RN was OK by me because when I got to work at night the Doc would pick up a stack of charts and hand them to me and ask me to sort out the stack and tell him what needed doing. (We were always backed up when night shift started.)
I would go through the rooms and make notes, tell him Rm x needs films, Rm y needs phenergan, morphine, IV and labs due to Kidney stone, this patient needs to be bumped to acute hall, and he would initial the charts and tell me "Make it so." 11PM to 3 AM and we would clear 36+ patients through our ER. You do not have to be an NP to be considered a important part of the medical team and being a NP does not make you smarter or sharper than an RN. It is up to you and what you want out of your choice. I was encouraged to "move up" by family and friends and I chose to stay where I was because I enjoyed my work, the staff, and yes even the patients (most of the time).
I have biased opinion becasuse I hate being a nurse. Not only apart from the public view on the dirty, demeaning bedside work, I got sick of way we were treated even though we had the title "professional", it was merely a self-praise for blue-collared workers. You can disagree with me and that is totally fine, but working in the ED gave me a thought that human life is not really that much worth of saving when most people don't give a damn about their own lives anyways and have a stroke or stemi and expect miracles and hotel service at the hospital, while being under our tax money for expenses. These include the types that come to hospital for nothing, and still don't expect to pay a cent. Really? When I think of staff nurses (myself included), I think of a work ant in the hierarchy of ant colony; take orders, wipe butts, take complaints, whine, etc. Providers on the other hand, are held with respect by the public. Nurses don't in general and it's simple as that.
Wow...this is how I feel internally. I don't wat to continue nursing as an N.P. or otherwise.
I have biased opinion becasuse I hate being a nurse. Not only apart from the public view on the dirty, demeaning bedside work, I got sick of way we were treated even though we had the title "professional", it was merely a self-praise for blue-collared workers. You can disagree with me and that is totally fine, but working in the ED gave me a thought that human life is not really that much worth of saving when most people don't give a damn about their own lives anyways and have a stroke or stemi and expect miracles and hotel service at the hospital, while being under our tax money for expenses. These include the types that come to hospital for nothing, and still don't expect to pay a cent. Really? When I think of staff nurses (myself included), I think of a work ant in the hierarchy of ant colony; take orders, wipe butts, take complaints, whine, etc. Providers on the other hand, are held with respect by the public. Nurses don't in general and it's simple as that.
I also don't have any desire to become a NP, and this comes from a person who got accepted into one of best NP program in the state, and I decided to not follow through. Even within the NP community, they agree on the fact that there is no consistency with the NP education. I have my mind set on PA for couple reasons: resembles medical model, resembles training and education similar to MD and DO, better clinical training, cadaver dissection, science-heavy. Plus I want to have authority to order, diagnose, think, and prescribe, as nurse we cannot do that. I will take extra classes to go into PA school instead of having free march into NP school, and say goodbye to nursing.
I know this post sounds harsh, but it's just my opinion about my own life, no disrespect to other nurses.
Just say you hate nursing, find a new job, and let your license expire and never ever renew it again. You are allowed to hate it but I hope you leave healthcare all together. PAs still have to see the same patients that “don’t give a damn about their own lives”
Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN
1 Article; 2,816 Posts
I started out in nursing because I felt I had missed my window of opportunity to go to medical school, and nursing was a far more realistic and attainable goal. When I started nursing school, I thought I'd become an NP or CRNA. I had no intention of stopping with a 2 year degree and staying an RN.
Things have changed. My priorities have changed. I don't want to spend the next several years of my life in school, going further into debt and taking on greater liability. I want to spend my free time enjoying my life, doing the things I love to do, before my life is over.
I've seen too much tragedy, human suffering, pain, heartbreak, and regrets for risks not taken, life not lived to its fullest before it is cut short, and I don't want that to happen to me.
I know I'm smart enough to be a doctor, but I'm satisfied with my role as a bedside RN. My decision to stay an RN has nothing to do with how intelligent I may or may not be, but rather, how I envision my life path.
And to be honest, "NP" doesn't automatically confer intelligence, IMO. In my relatively short time in health care, I've seen plenty of NPs that aren't exactly brilliant. One can manage to make it through an NP program and pass the boards and still not be the brightest bulb of the bunch.
So, I say let them think what they will. Someone with that attitude is just setting herself up for some really humbling experiences. Just smile and nod, knowing this.