Typical Day in the Life of an NP...

nravey · May 22, 2005

What is a typical day at your job like? I am a future NP student (fall 05) and am curious to hear feedback from other NPs regarding a typical day in their practice.

Everyday for me begins with wondering if I'll have enough patient's (I own the practice in LA), will we collect enough money to pay the bills, will people pay on their accounts? In addition, I am in the middle of a small town where the doctors are trying to blackball me out of business and NP's in surrounding are are ostracizing me - one told me to give them my patients and close my office! I owe huge sums of money for buying this place and equipment that I thought I'd be able to do procedures on patients to pay for - only to find that our hands are tied at every corner. The medical association has more money than we do and so fight us on every bill to get more privileges and exploit us so much by charging us huge fees for being our collaborative doc. I had no business course in nursing course and accounting should have been a priority. I have been cheated, had money stolen from me, and one big reason is private insurances still don't recognize us to pay us directly - not all but most.

On the other hand, the patients are great and I love treating them and helping them - i have 65% medicaid with most being adults and not doctor in town will take new medicaid adults - so why should they fight me. Because how dare me, a woman, buy a doctor's practice and work here alone with a collaborator from another town coming the required number of times a month, right here in the middle of them

It's frustrating at best.

Good luck - you'll need it!

nravey

zenman · May 23, 2005

Hang in there and don't be afraid to tell your happy patients to refer their friends to you. Give them what the competition doesn't. Wish you the best.

nev · May 24, 2005

Thats sad...all that education and then doctors try to take over your business. Are PAs treated the same there? But like Zenman said.....hang on there!

karenG · May 26, 2005

my typical day...

walk to work... and start my list! I'm employed in general practice, I'm very much a generalist though I do have an interest in respiratory care (I'm starting my masters in respiratory care this month) Patients are offerred appts to see either me or the doctor and I am always fully booked. I average 42 patients a day, varying from the run of the mill coughs and colds to acute pancreatitis. Basically anything that walks in the door.

having said that, care here is totally different to care in the states. but I love my job!

Karen

HillNPStudent · May 30, 2005

I'm not exactly focused on owning my own practice just yet- just want to get through school & start practicing, see my patients. I figure at least I'll always have my RN license to fall back on if I have trouble finding NP employment. So we'll see.....

iijrzpnoyii · Jun 1, 2005

how much do NPs start with? salary