What next....?

[brighidh]

I love the OR. I've gotten into a specialty I love, too, but I'm feeling a bit restless, as though I should be planning the next step.

What I notice among different specialties is that they utilize either PAs or NPs as first assists and sometimes tap the hospitals surgical assist pool (staffed almost entirely by PAs). I feel as though I should be looking at one of these in order to advance my career. I talked to a surgeon I trust who laid out their expectations of NPs vs PAs. I talked to some folks from both career lines and really, I'm not any closer to knowing if one of these is the right path. The NPs say do FNP, the PAs say stick with NP since I'm already a nurse... though some also say go to PA school to have better pay and acuity of cases (interest generating).

I just want to be in the OR the majority of the time, at the field, and not in an office seeing patients or chasing high acuity cases across the hospital. I've envisioned that I'd like to spend about 70% of my time at the field, but a 50/50 or 60/40 split is obviously not horrible. What I don't want (and what I do see) are NPs who come into the OR maybe once every few weeks to do one case with their surgeon and the rest of the time is clinic hours.

When I suggested RNFA, I was told the one RNFA who was on staff was a pity case they took on because they knew her previous hospital was going to eliminate their program and they had a long history with her, so they 'took her in'. That was incredibly disappointing and the description was ... even more disappointing, but yay for her for at least securing a spot, right?

I like where I am (hospital and specialty) and my specialty primarily uses NPs when they use them and I'd consider going that route, but I would want more surgical time. What would be an option here?

Suggestions and help much appreciated!