The most important factor that made you become an NP?

JDCitizen · Jul 15, 2008

Just wondering what it was that made you jump from RN to NP.

Hmmmm....

Was it money

Not really but it is nice...

autonomy,

Nope I like the team aspect of health care..

difficult patients,

Still get those....

inadequate staffing,

One of the largest reasons....

irritating MDs?

Still have those but now all I have to do is hang up :chuckle

Or some other factor?

Unsafe patient levels...

Unsafe assignments....

Slack/brown nosing/non-supportive administrations...

Better hours....

Don't have to put my name on a holiday work schedule...

Don't get called and asked to come to work because they are short only to find the reason they are short is because they pulled staff (worse yet go into work when called and get pulled)...

Come on folks add to it; this could be a fun list of postings..

What I miss:

Group of nurses working together on that 2AM problem and getting it fixed.

The good over-house supervisors..

Two nurses working together can take care of twenty patients together a lot easier than 10 alone.

Monitor techs that don't let that weird squiggly line slide on by...

Nurse aids catching that redness before it became a bed sore...

The "hey doc are you really sure you want to give that patient this medication'....

Respiratory therapist (late night cardiac floor.. who do you call...)

The doctor who explained more than he/she ordered and took the time to listen...

The team work: Because we had to for our patients to survive, for us to survive.

Trauma Columnist · Jul 16, 2008

For me, it was the opportunities to have a more diversified job.

allnurses Guide · Jul 16, 2008

I am not quite sure what drove me to become an NP, I guess that ward work was never something that I really enjoyed which is why is spent lots of time in critical care.

I like the autonomy of being a NP, and I love the teaching and supportive role that it has here in the UK. I love working alongside the junior doctors and supporting them when they are brand new out of med school, it is fantastic watching them develop into great doctors over the months that I spend working alongside them.

It is definately not about money in the UK as we don't earn any more than a senior nurse on a ward.

I love the diversity of my role, one day I could spend my whole time dealing with elective surgical patients who are waiting for surgery or are post op, then the next I can spend it in the emergency unit dealing with surgical emergency admission, admitting and then working them up if they need surgery, or I may do a bit of both during the day. I see them pre-admission, during their hospital stay, post op and in followup clinic so I love the continuity as well.

I am lucky in that my supervising doctor is brilliant, he is supportive and encouraging and respects the nursing staff who work with him

I don't really miss anything about traditional nursing, I feel as if I am now in the right job. I have time to spend talking to my patients and feel as if I am able to build a better raport with them than I was ever able to working on the floor.

JDCitizen · Jul 16, 2008

I am not quite sure what drove me to become an NP, I guess that ward work was never something that I really enjoyed which is why is spent lots of time in critical care.
I like the autonomy of being a NP, and I love the teaching and supportive role that it has here in the UK. I love working alongside the junior doctors and supporting them when they are brand new out of med school, it is fantastic watching them develop into great doctors over the months that I spend working alongside them.
It is definately not about money in the UK as we don't earn any more than a senior nurse on a ward.
I love the diversity of my role, one day I could spend my whole time dealing with elective surgical patients who are waiting for surgery or are post op, then the next I can spend it in the emergency unit dealing with surgical emergency admission, admitting and then working them up if they need surgery, or I may do a bit of both during the day. I see them pre-admission, during their hospital stay, post op and in followup clinic so I love the continuity as well.
I am lucky in that my supervising doctor is brilliant, he is supportive and encouraging and respects the nursing staff who work with him
I don't really miss anything about traditional nursing, I feel as if I am now in the right job. I have time to spend talking to my patients and feel as if I am able to build a better raport with them than I was ever able to working on the floor.

WOW sounds like a great job! By the way are they hiring? :wink2:

Always been in the UK? Similarities/ differences with your US counterparts?

Joe NightingMale, MSN, RN · Jul 16, 2008

Interesting.

I've found that different people have widely varying preferences, in regards to both the good and the bad. Which is why the "NP or not" question is hard for me.

For example, I've heard quite a number of people say that they dislike patient care or get upset by demanding family members. But the latter doesn't really bother me, and I really like the former.

It's like NS, where I'll hear "Oh, did you hear that rude comment she made?" and I find myself thinking, "I didn't think it was that rude." I seem to have a different perception of things that irritate others.

VivaRN · Jul 16, 2008

Interesting.
I've found that different people have widely varying preferences, in regards to both the good and the bad. Which is why the "NP or not" question is hard for me.
For example, I've heard quite a number of people say that they dislike patient care or get upset by demanding family members. But the latter doesn't really bother me, and I really like the former.
It's like NS, where I'll hear "Oh, did you hear that rude comment she made?" and I find myself thinking, "I didn't think it was that rude." I seem to have a different perception of things that irritate others.

To be a good NP, just like to be a good RN requires people skills and the ability to set boundaries. That aspect of the job is the same. Disliking patient care or getting upset by demanding family members should NOT NOT NOT be a reason to choose NP. Why would these things be different in the NP environment? It may even be a little worse because you have the ability to write for what they are demanding. Being an empathic, understanding individual (as you are describing yourself) is more about being a NURSE than about RN/NP.

DanFNP · Jul 16, 2008

I became a NP for a better overall lifestyle. More autonomy/final word in planning and executing care. The financial offer was good *always negotiate*. I like having a more controlled schedule. But above all, the most important factor was the Benz I always wanted but couldn't afford. Priorities, people.

allnurses Guide · Jul 16, 2008

WOW sounds like a great job! By the way are they hiring? :wink2:
Always been in the UK? Similarities/ differences with your US counterparts?

This could be quite a discussion so I am going to start a thread about UK / US / other country advanced nurse practitioners to see if a discussion develops.

LovelyLucky · Jul 17, 2008

Though I am not a NP yet, I would like to give my input. I begin my Women's Health Nurse Practitioner coursework at University of Tennessee in the fall. The biggest factor that is making me become a NP is I want to be able to provide more individualized care for my patients and actually get to know them. I am by no means a seasoned nurse, but I can already tell you that hospital nursing is just not for me. I can't stand not having a continuous relationship with my patients, and I abseloutely loathe the patient workload-7 patients all at one time is just rediculous. I like the idea of having 20 patients at different times in one day much better. The next biggest factor is that I feel called to be a WHNP. Other factors are I enjoy responsibility, I love solving problems, and I want a more family-friendly schedule.