is your schedule full?

[singleye]

Just wondering how many patients you see average a week in large academic centers? The APPs in my hospital sees about 20+ a week. They have been here 4-5 years and their schedule is never full.

I have worked in my workplace just over one year and is struggling to find my niche and source of patients. Some Dr. thinks that APPs are only there to see pts when the Dr has no openings. Some pts love their drs that they have seen for years and do not want to see me. I can see new pts too but I'm still nervous about seeing all types o new pts and I need an attending to staff for new pts. Different attendings have different preferred specialty and they don't want to staff everything. 

So after one year, I still has only about 20 pts a week on my schedule, less or more pending on the week. I guess I shouldn't complain but I'm so worried about not seeing enough patients. Any thoughts?

[MentalKlarity, BSN, NP]

Sounds great! Much better than seeing 20+ a day and feeling burnt out. I actually think you can learn more seeing fewer - spend the extra time really getting to know the patient and their history. After every patient write up a good, detailed note and look up everything new - the pharmacology of medications they're on, the interactions. Look up their diagnoses in depth and potential treatments, etc. You can really learn a lot in that downtime! 

[verene, MSN]

I work inpatient (with a hospital that is affiliated with large academic center)  and we are generally full. My coattending (also PMHNP) and I have had a full unit for months! With both of us typically having 12-13 patients each, and potentially being responsible for full unit (25 beds) if other is out for the day. 

This may not sound like a lot to outpatient folks, but when dealing with the combo of legal issues, acute and chronic medical, and acute and chronic psych issues on a high acuity forensic unit - it stays very busy. We get twitchy if it's quiet and we have down time for more than a day or two.