Straight from BSN to NP and maturity

Nursing Students NP Students

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I am thinking about whether I want to apply for a psych NP program that starts directly after my BSN program ends (I'm a traditional college age student), or working for a year before applying. I'm not asking about whether I would have the knowledge necessary to be an NP without first being an RN, but rather if it's possible for me to be mature enough. At jobs I've had before I always felt like I made a lot of mistakes starting out and don't want to feel that way as an NP. Then again, I've never had a job that required 500 hours of practice before starting. Any thoughts/experiences would be appreciated.

Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.
One thing to keep in mind about that 500 hours of "practice" is that the other entries into similar fields require a LOT more. PAs typically see 2k or more, MDs/DOs in the neighborhood of 10k. 500 is pretty scary without some other clinical experience, particularly with the minimal orientation many positions new grad NPs end up taking have. 500 hours is what- 14 weeks of 12s? That is not even a very thorough orientation to a new RN in many specialties. Yet it's enough to fly solo as a provider. Not to discourage- plenty of people going direct or directish, but be fair to yourself and be really picky about that first job (goes for any new provider, really). Unfortunatley, many markets are getting to the point that picky might not be an option.

The 700 to 1k BSN or ADN clinical hours don't count?

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The 700 to 1k BSN or ADN clinical hours don't count?

No? You aren't spending clinical hours as a student provider/clinician. So why would they?

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.
No? You aren't spending clinical hours as a student provider/clinician. So why would they?

Because people are saying that RN experience is a must to become a provider. If that's the case, why doesn't the nursing experience I got from my BSN program count? I actually got a solid nursing experience from my BSN clinical hours especially during my final-semester preceptorship. You can't argue that RN experience is an absolute must while completely dismissing the RN part of the education.

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Specializes in Hospitalist Medicine.
Because people are saying that RN experience is a must to become a provider. If that's the case, why doesn't the nursing experience I got from my BSN program count? I actually got a solid nursing experience from my BSN clinical hours especially during my final-semester preceptorship. You can't argue that RN experience is an absolute must while completely dismissing the RN part of the education.

RN experience in the clinical portion of the program is nothing like managing an actual patient load in the real world. Just like clinicals for NPs aren't the same as independently managing your patients as a practitioner. That's why it "doesn't count". Any RN or NP will agree that your clinical experience is not a full-on, real-world experience. You're still being guided/supervised by your preceptor to prevent you from committing errors. You're getting a taste of what it's like.

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Specializes in ED, OR, Oncology.

Well for one, it's not RN experience- it is RN student experience. Now, a longer preceptorship on a unit is somewhat valuable, but the limitation is similar to the reason why I (and many others) dont think a year of work experience is adeqaute, either. When you are a novice, and even more so when you are a student, you are not getting into whatever you are doing with any real depth. RN school teaches you to pass the NCLEX, and little else. NP programs teach you to pass whatever board exam you'll be eligible for at the end. Both contain a large amount of fluff that adds little to one's ability to be a good clinician. If we continue to churn out NP's with minimal training, with no practically no barriers to entry, we're going to cheapen the credential both finaincially, and in terms of respect from the rest of the health care community. How many "I have no experience and a ****** GPA, how can I get into grad school?" posts are on this site at any given time? Those people will all find a school that will take them, if they're willing to pay for it. Does that not seem like a problem for the profession? Our accrediting bodies have no teeth, so the accreditation is meaningless.

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I agree we need to have stricter criteria from our accrediting bodies, however I don't necessarily believe the RN experience translates well to a better prepared NP, especially in primary care. We recently hired a brand new NP, no RN experience, attended one of the top programs in the country, and her clinical skills and knowledge are stellar. In my experience in precepting, RN experience transfers few skills to NP

I propose the following to further our profession.

1) Longer more stringent education, with a "residency-like"program. I think we should be considered "advanced education" nurses, not necessarily "advanced practice."

2) Programs should have strict academic requirements to be admitted. Candidates should be academically advanced.

3) Programs should be required to find appropriate clinical placements for NP students. No more finding placements on your own.

Overall, there are far too may programs that accept anyone and everyone. We need to have stricter academic requirements, and attract young, bright individuals into our profession.

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