Taking a hiatus from working as a NP?

[blondenurse12, MSN, NP]

Let me preface by saying I know that I can't expect strangers to make my life decisions for me. Basically this thread is to ascertain whether or not anyone has taken a hiatus from being a NP and then returned later on.

The situation is this- I started my own small business to make extra money during my master's program. I scaled way back during my first year of working fulltime as a NP because my boyfriend at the time was calling me a workaholic. I assumed we were moving because he got into law school. He abruptly broke up with me prior to the move. I have since started full force with my small business. I do not like my NP job and doing both is exhausting.

I have put out some applications for other jobs that are more part time but I have not heard a peep back. At this point I really just want to quit my job or maybe stay per diem. Financially, it's no problem. My small business far out earns my salary as a NP. However, it is not guaranteed income like my salary and maybe a year or two from now, it'll be worthless. I don't know.

My fear is that if I quit my job, no future employer would consider hiring me since I would have a gap in my employment history. Has anyone else taken a hiatus? How did it go? Thanks in advance for any input.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Well if you stay prn there would be no gap.....

[labbio]

I think there is a minimum numbers of working hours as NP for license/certification renewal. You can work PRN or per diem but be aware of the minimum requirement. If minimum hours is not met, you have have to take the exam again. Check with your certification agency. You can also volunteer at a local free clinic, if there is one, to avoid gap and to keep up with the hours.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Agree - for ANCC you must 1000 practice hours in the preceding five years.

[aprnKate]

Perhaps you can take a locum tenens job say for 2-3 months then one month in between...or so.

[Nacki, MSN, NP]

Just curious...what is your business?

[PG2018]

I love that your side hustle is now a sustainable occupation. I'd love to have my own business, and I think you should nurture what you've developed. I think the national NP certification bodies require a minimum number of hours to maintain the cert. If I were in your shoes I'd moonlight as a NP until I knew where my future would be.

Don't be afraid of the "should" monster.

[blondenurse12, MSN, NP]

Thanks for the advice. I was aware of the minimum hours issue. I have practiced about 2000 hours in the last year so I'm good for awhile.

I may go the volunteer route and see if my job will let me stay per diem. They have a quota for per diems so I'm not sure if they are maximum staffed or not.

[Katya000]

I would just make sure to keep your hours up and your experience current to keep you competitive for a NP job in the future, if you find you need one FT. Based on what you are telling me I wouldn't work FT as an NP while working your business, I would do PT, per diem, locums, something just to keep your resume current in terms of clinical experience.

Depending on your state laws you could explore having your own private practice some day--you obviously already have business experience which is what a lot of us lack, sadly. And having your own practice doesn't need to be super complicated--telemedicine is starting to take off, which I think would be great for something like mental health (not so sure how I feel about primary care unless someone is calling in from another office and has already taken vitals, assessed the patient etc). In the future I plan on hanging out my own shingle and doing a very no frills community clinic with low overhead.

[anayo, DNP, APRN, NP]

Exactly. ANCC and AANP require 1000 hours. Part time may be more acceptable.