What can I do with my MSN-FNP that doesn't require much patient contact

Specialties NP Nursing Q/A

I know what you might think, why did I start FNP if I don't like contact with patients. The thing is, I didn't feel this way before I started the program. I've been an RN for 3 years, I started FNP because I wanted to get out of bedside.

Demanding and understaffed work environment was getting the best of my mental and physical health. I thought it would be different in outpatient setting, since I'd be getting more respect and independence.

I did a thorough research about what I'd be doing as an FNP before starting the program, and it seemed really nice, way better than bedside. However, I didn't really know what primary care really was before I started my clinicals. And now I have 4 months before graduating, and I'm realizing that's not really what I want to do.

I just can't deal with people. I can't stand when they think that there's a magic pill to fix everything when they don't bother changing their eating habits or adding exercise regimen. Or when they come into the office not knowing what medical conditions they have or what medications they take.

It may not be a big deal to many healthcare professionals, but I just cant imagine dealing with this for the rest of my life. Maybe I'm just burned out. I don't know.

What can I do with my MSN FNP degree that doesn't require much patient contact?

Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
7 minutes ago, JordieRNCCRN said:

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you have no business being an FNP if you don’t like taking care of patients.

Heh... it really depends. What patients, what care, what business, actually FNP or just having those letters after last name, other some 100500 questions.

As the possibilities for FNPs are currently so wide and varied, it is kind of normal to feel after a long or short while that some of them and your existence do not belong to the same universe. The key is to recognize this feeling quickly and not to try to overcome or rationalize it. This dress just doesn't look good on you, period, put it back to hanger, try that another one.

I did exactly one 8 h shift in urgent to realize that it is absolutely not "mine". I deal daily with patients of way higher complexity, drama, polypharmacy, etc. and feel myself comfortable and happy.

Specializes in Hem/Onc.
On 3/1/2020 at 6:35 AM, JordieRNCCRN said:

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you have no business being an FNP if you don’t like taking care of patients.

That's a really unnecessarily harsh judgment in my opinion and nursing is the only profession where I see this harsh criticism of people who don't LOVE what they do. It's actually really really common for people in all professions to not love what they do - doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, financial executives, etc. In this day and age when its easy to get $200K in student loan debt going to all public schools (as in my scenario), many people are doing things they don't love to do because they have to put food on the table. But we have this bias in nursing that people "don't belong" once they decide it isn't their favorite thing. As a result, there is a systemic over - glorification of nursing that further leads young people to believe that its a perfect profession. Perhaps if more people were realistic about what nursing is REALLY like, there would be fewer people ending up in this profession and being unhappy. Perhaps we should be as empathetic with each other as we are with our patients.

Specializes in FNP.
1 hour ago, CaliGrlOncNP said:

That's a really unnecessarily harsh judgment in my opinion and nursing is the only profession where I see this harsh criticism of people who don't LOVE what they do. It's actually really really common for people in all professions to not love what they do - doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, financial executives, etc. In this day and age when its easy to get $200K in student loan debt going to all public schools (as in my scenario), many people are doing things they don't love to do because they have to put food on the table. But we have this bias in nursing that people "don't belong" once they decide it isn't their favorite thing. As a result, there is a systemic over - glorification of nursing that further leads young people to believe that its a perfect profession. Perhaps if more people were realistic about what nursing is REALLY like, there would be fewer people ending up in this profession and being unhappy. Perhaps we should be as empathetic with each other as we are with our patients.

I agree, the last thing that we need is tearing down.

I've been in the nursing field for almost 30 years. In that time, I've done several different jobs, many don't involve direct patient care. All have been fulfilling in one way or another. Yes, sometimes nurses can get caught up in a bad situation. In that case make a change, don't tear-up the whole profession based on a bad experience.

There's always going be those who want to rain on everyone's parade.

Of all the professions out there, the nursing field should be the ones lifting each other up. The unnecessary negativism on this forum is one thing that brings us down as a profession.

Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
1 hour ago, CaliGrlOncNP said:

That's a really unnecessarily harsh judgment in my opinion and nursing is the only profession where I see this harsh criticism of people who don't LOVE what they do.

You did not meet enough people working in High Science, arts and medicine/physician level. The phenomenon of shaming peers for "not loving" even some part of their profession and not being dedicated enough is pervasive there.

Specializes in Hem/Onc.
38 minutes ago, KatieMI said:

You did not meet enough people working in High Science, arts and medicine/physician level. The phenomenon of shaming peers for "not loving" even some part of their profession and not being dedicated enough is pervasive there.

Perhaps I didn't, although I have met a number of those people through my undergrad/graduate education. The attendings I work with now are fairly honest about the fact that the job is sometimes unsatisfying and don't shame each other for saying that.

But I agree that there needs to be less shaming across the board, given how many people change careers several times in their lives before they find something they like.

On 3/2/2020 at 1:17 PM, CaliGrlOncNP said:

That's a really unnecessarily harsh judgment in my opinion and nursing is the only profession where I see this harsh criticism of people who don't LOVE what they do. It's actually really really common for people in all professions to not love what they do - doctors, lawyers, veterinarians, financial executives, etc. In this day and age when its easy to get $200K in student loan debt going to all public schools (as in my scenario), many people are doing things they don't love to do because they have to put food on the table. But we have this bias in nursing that people "don't belong" once they decide it isn't their favorite thing. As a result, there is a systemic over - glorification of nursing that further leads young people to believe that its a perfect profession. Perhaps if more people were realistic about what nursing is REALLY like, there would be fewer people ending up in this profession and being unhappy. Perhaps we should be as empathetic with each other as we are with our patients.

There are better ways of wording anything, but to be fair it isless about shaming and more about being forthright and honest about what you do. You are family nurse practitioner. Your training and qualifications are toward treating patients in a health environment. So to come in new and outright state you can’t stand that thought, the range of emotions those statements trigger are appropriate. imo getting the fnp certification would be a waste of time if they know now they don’t want much time with patients. They certainly won’t meet the requirements to maintain such a certification. There are many other avenues in science and medicine to take that don’t require an fnp. It’s just unfortunate the waste of money and direction only to realize 4 months out you can’t stand the things you’ve trained for.

Specializes in ICU, LTACH, Internal Medicine.
40 minutes ago, djmatte said:

There are better ways of wording anything, but to be fair it isless about shaming and more about being forthright and honest about what you do. You are family nurse practitioner. Your training and qualifications are toward treating patients in a health environment. So to come in new and outright state you can’t stand that thought, the range of emotions those statements trigger are appropriate. imo getting the fnp certification would be a waste of time if they know now they don’t want much time with patients. They certainly won’t meet the requirements to maintain such a certification. There are many other avenues in science and medicine to take that don’t require an fnp. It’s just unfortunate the waste of money and direction only to realize 4 months out you can’t stand the things you’ve trained for.

There can be a significant difference between what one wants and loves to do and what the occupation and work functions really are, and many schools do pretty poor job teaching students about it.

Speaking about NP role, many FNPs think they would enjoy hospice and/or urgent care. Providing relief of suffering, tenderly holding hands, making difference, cosy office, solving small simple problems on your own, one patient at a time, plenty of jobs, all that. So, they easily find one of tons of just such jobs flooding market, and even get those $10000 signing bonus offers. In a few months, they realize that "plenty of jobs" - level NP hospice means driving distances in unsafe areas, going into houses so filthy that it is a challenge to breathe there, calls at 3 AM, families trying to involve you in their inheritance wars or stealing drugs from dying patient, writing scripts for controls non-stop under watchful eyes of DEA. And urgent care means aggressive drug seekers, rat's run for "productivity", mountains of paperwork, avalanches of phone calls, stupid pharm techs questioning every dot and comma and constant exposure to the humans who are literally too stupid to stay alive and whom you must pamper into "highly satisfied customer" in a whole 15 min. And in either case you might be sitting on 2 or 3 years contract bound by your own signature.

Not surprisingly, these unfortunate FNPs burn out to crispy skins within short months. It is not new, and not unique to nursing.

Please take a good three weeks to a month vacation when you graduate. It will be easier to approach your future decisions with a rested mind, spirit, and body.

On 3/1/2020 at 6:35 AM, JordieRNCCRN said:

Please don’t take this the wrong way, but you have no business being an FNP if you don’t like taking care of patients.

I completely agree and see absolutely nothing wrong with this statement.

Or at minimum, if one speciality doesnt work out, consider a diff specialty. But to state you don't want to do any patient care - I mean, what were you expecting? Do your homework before shelling out $$$$ on a career you'll likely hate.

Specializes in Psychiatric and Mental Health NP (PMHNP).

I just a job posting for an NP to be a Clinical Editor. The job was to report directly to the CMO and develop and write clinical guidelines, policies, etc. However, it did require at least 5 years experience in a managed care environment.

Specializes in Hem/Onc.
14 hours ago, ToFNPandBeyond said:

I completely agree and see absolutely nothing wrong with this statement.

Or at minimum, if one speciality doesnt work out, consider a diff specialty. But to state you don't want to do any patient care - I mean, what were you expecting? Do your homework before shelling out $$$$ on a career you'll likely hate.

She already was working as a nurse and did like patient care before becoming an NP. The problem is there's no way to really know if you like the job you are going for until you actually do it. Shadowing is not the same. If it were easy, there wouldn't be such high rates of burnout and dropout. Its a systemic issue, not an individual issue.

PLUS, we need nurses that are good at things other than patient care - I.e. management, administration, research. So I do not think all nurses need to love patient care, just like all MDs do not love patient care and all professors do not love teaching.

13 minutes ago, CaliGrlOncNP said:

She already was working as a nurse and did like patient care before becoming an NP. The problem is there's no way to really know if you like the job you are going for until you actually do it. Shadowing is not the same. If it were easy, there wouldn't be such high rates of burnout and dropout. Its a systemic issue, not an individual issue.

PLUS, we need nurses that are good at things other than patient care - I.e. management, administration, research. So I do not think all nurses need to love patient care, just like all MDs do not love patient care and all professors do not love teaching.

We need nurses able to do those things. We don’t need to waste the time and resources of nurse practitioner certification to do any of those. Most nurses can do those things with an RN, MSN, or PhD without having to bother with certification.

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