Time gap between school and starting work??

RNJill · Dec 3, 2014

I think it's very typical to keep working as an RN for at least a few to several months following graduation. The soonest I've heard of anyone taking boards is about 1.5 months post graduation. I took mine just shy of 2 months after and felt quite preparee going into them-and then reallllly good once I was taking them. Admittedly I'm adult-feel primary and not family, but feel that If you had solid clinicals and a solid program you should feel the same. I studied for max about 2.5 hrs a few days a week (was/am still working at my RN job for 3 12s a week) and took the Fitzgerald review. Would recommend the review although it is $$$-organized, the lecturer was engaging and the provided book was solid.

My area is saturated with NPs-especially new grads-and it seems frequent that people may not have an NP job for a year or more. So no one bats an eye if you keep your RN job for a while. Actually, thank God I have mine because my particular experience has opened the door to some promising interviews. Interviewers also don't seem to see that as a detriment at all (still working within the RN role)-if that makes you feel better.

Good luck job hunting!

Cardiac-RN · Dec 3, 2014

I also worked as an RN after graduating while waiting to take boards and right up until the day before I started my NP position.

It was about 6 weeks from the time I graduated until I sat for my boards, another 3-4 weeks for my state license to go through. I had a great offer within the next 2.5 months, and before I accepted that I had turned a few down that either were not strong offers or didn't feel like a very healthy work environment after a shadowing experience.

I would recommend applying to jobs you are interested before graduation. There were many in my class who had jobs waiting for them the moment they passed their boards/ received their license, and they started looking actively 4-5 months prior to graduation.

Good luck to you!

Cardiac

Riburn3, BSN, MSN, APRN, NP · Dec 3, 2014

If you're taking the AANP it's possible to sit for boards even before you graduate. A coworker last December took his AANP exam 5 days after completing his FNP program and waited about 1.5 months for licensure and his new employer to legally get him into their practice. His first day of work was less than 2 months after he graduated.

I plan of following a similar path. I took a live Fitzgerald review and have been studying since the Spring. I just got my ATT from the AANP and am just waiting to get my testing pin-code in the mail and I will sit for my boards ASAP. I am only this on top of it because I have a job waiting for me and want to start as soon as I can. I think if I hadn't lined anything up yet, I would have been more lax in my preperation and taken the exam sometime in January. I plan to work my RN job up until I start my FNP job.

honeykrown, MSN, NP · Dec 3, 2014

Yes you can continue working and if you take the AANP you can take the boards sooner after graduation. I took my boards 10days after graduation and passed. I sent in AANP application 2 weeks before graduation (but you can apply 6months prior) and the ATT 60days after the date. My school did have a comprehensive exam you have to take before graduating (I passed and felt comfortable).

I did not start work till 3months after graduation though because I wanted to stay home for a while. It did take almost 90days for my application to be approved by the BON in AZ.

Goodluck

TammyG · Dec 4, 2014

I am graduating this month and pretty much the whole class will continue working as an RN until they get an NP job. I have gotten a lot of advice not to rush things – – I plan on taking an entire month off of studying just to recover. I plan on taking the boards in February, and if I have an NP job in March or April I will be thrilled. Everyone has said that starting a new NP job is very intense. So I want to make sure that I am well rested before I start.