1. Overabundance of programs- schools are opening up left and right handing out these degrees. Why? Many of the online schools charge 40-60k + dollars for these programs. Outrageous, but with the hopes of landing a 6 figure job. People are cramming themselves through the doors for them paying up front with government money.
2. Lowered standards- Many of these for profit programs lower their standards to acquire more students.Sort of like lowering the price to acquire a greater share of the market. A good business opens up to a greater amount of customers. Of course lowering the price is not an option when people are paying upwards of 100k for an NP degree. Why not make it easy? No GRE, 2.5 undergrad GPA, no experience, failed the LolCLEX 4 times, no time, No problem! Pay us the money and we will make it as easy as possible.
3. the current promise of close to 100k a year. This is what they try to project, our national average salary, which has been rising for several years. Do I think this will continue? No. Why? Supply and demand baby.
4. Its cool. Wow you have a masters, you must be HIGHLY EDUCATED. People will always want power and to flaunt themselves in front of others. A simple stepping stone to a masters without any difficult entry barriers??? FNP!
5. Weak A$$ accrediting- Everybody who pays for the FNP exam is putting more money into the ANCC and AANP people's pockets. WHY CHANGE IT?? More money for 'prep' materials too. I bet Margaret Fitzgerald is wetting herself with joy over the number of fnp applicants.
6. Not so difficult board exam- yeah it was harder than the NCLEX, but still not difficult enough for our line of work.
7. TONS OF RNS- Schools are also pumping out tons of RNs, who are quickly learning that being a nurse is not as glorifying as they had hoped. Easiest way to combat this problem. GET A MASTERS in the same field.
8. It will all soon end. Soon this degree will be like the MBA.. highly dependent on personal ability and which college one graduated from. Law has also recently fallen into this situation. We are close to follow. What will you do to stay afloat? I hope you plan on going the extra mile, otherwise you may be disappointed holding a masters and still working as an RN since you did not heed the warning.
I fully understand any nurse who would want to leave the bedside... And be an NP. Making $25.00 to clean vomit, help patients toilet, give sponge baths, work in an an extremely stressful environment, be on their feet, and do rotating weekend and/or night shifts, can get old really fast.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that with Obamacare (the affordable care act) rolling in, there will be tremendous need for midlevel practitioners.
I fully understand any nurse who would want to leave the bedside... And be an NP. Making $25.00 to clean vomit, help patients toilet, give sponge baths, work in an an extremely stressful environment, be on their feet, and do rotating weekend and/or night shifts, can get old really fast.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that with Obamacare (the affordable care act) rolling in, there will be tremendous need for midlevel practitioners.
Just a thought. The term "Midlevel" to describe NP is very demeaning to Nurse Practitioners and is a term used some insecure Doctors to berate NP and make themselves feel superior which sadly is supported by the AMA but not the ANA. The term came from Dr. to describe their Physicians Assistant's.
YOUR REPLY WILL BE TREATED AS A TERM PAPER, BECAUSE IT REALLY NEEDS TO BE GRADED. I'M USING ALL CAPS TO COMMENT ON YOUR PAPER TO SEPARATE. IT'S MY DESIRE FOR YOU TO LEARN FOR THE WAY I SEE IT THIS PAPER, IT WOULD BE REJECTED AND NOT EVEN GRADED.
Yeah, maybe everyone should have plans to better themselves in some way. But, since becoming an NP requires an advanced degree, and comes with an elevated level of responsibility, those who seek to obtain the degree should be expected to have intellectual capabilities higher than that of the average RN. (STARTS OF WELL, ABSOLUTELY)
NP school should not be something that every single RN can accomplish, it should be for the smartest, and hardest working. (YES, VERY GOOD! )
Putting their years in, wanting to make more money, and wanting to get away from the bedside should not make someone an automatic candidate to be an NP.
(WHY ARE YOU IMPLYING NURSES WANTING TO BE NP's ARE DOING IT BECAUSE OF MONEY?* THAT IS A FALSE ASSUMPTION AND IT IMPLIES NURSES ARE GREEDY SELF SERVING INDIVIDUALS.)
As it seems now, anyone who is willing to take out the loans can get the degree.
(NOT TRUE FOR MANY REASONS, 1ST. ONE MUST QUALIFY TO BE IN A NP PROGRAM AND HAVE A BSN, YOUR DIPLOMA NURSE AND ADRN's DON'T QUALIFY. 2ND. MONEY DOESN'T GET YOU THE TITLE "NP." IT TAKES HARD WORK, DEDICATION, LEARNING, STUDYING AND APPLYING. 3RD. IN A NURSING SCHOOL PROGRAM ATTAING a "C" MEANS "CONTINUE."* BUT IN A MASTERS NP PROGRAM a "C" MEANS "CUT" FROM THE PROGRAM, YOU MUST MAINTAIN A 3.0 AND HIGHER MEANING NO C's. ANOTHER WORDS IT HARD WORK.)
In my opinion, the poor working conditions that cause so many nurses to be so desperate to leave bedside care are,
(VERY DEMEANING TO THE WORKING NURSES BECAUSE IT IMPLY NURSES WORKING IN POOR CONDITIONS ARE DESPERATE TO LEAVE.* NOT TRUE FOR ALL NURSES IN ALL ASPECTS OF CARE. AT TIMES ALL NURSES WORK IN POOR WORKING CONDITIONS AND THEIR WOULD BE NO NURSES WORKING IN HOSPITALS IF THE STATEMENT WAS TRUE. THOSE THAT DO LEAVE ARE YOUR BARBIE DOLLS, A TERM USED TO DESCRIBE A CERTAIN TYPE OF NURSE THAT SOME FIND THE TERM OFFENSIVE.)
in large part, the result of an abundance of nursing schools, producing more nurses than this country needs.
(NOT TRUE AND RESEARCH DOES NOT SUPPORT NOR DOES THE ANA.)*
Nurses are too easily replaceable, (ACCORDING TO WHAT RESEARCH?)
there is no incentive to offer higher wages, give raises, or improving the work environment.
(TRUE, BUT NURSES UNFORTUNATELY DO THIS TO THEMSELVES. HOW? LACK OF UNITY, HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT BY OTHER NURSES, OLDER NURSES EATING THEIR YOUNG,* BACKSTABBING,* GOSSIP, IT GOES ON; AND THIS PLAYS PERFECTLY FOR THE HOSPITAL AND EMPOWERS THEM.)
NPs are being set up for a similar situation.
(NOT TRUE FOR THE POWER OF THE HOSPITALS ARE TAKEN OUT OF THE EQUATION AND NP's ARE NOT RELYING ON HOSPITALS FOR THEIR EMPLOYMENT.)*
The more in demand NPs are, the more they can demand from their employer.
(YES, NOW YOUR STARTING TO UNDERSTAND THE WISDOM OF ATTAINING A NP LICENSE.)
There probably aren't many unemployed NPs, but there are many who are forced to remain employed as RNs because they can't find jobs. (NOT TRUE! RESEARCH DOES NOT SUPPORT. ACCORDING TO AN AANP REPORT THEIR WOULD BE 100% EMPLOYMENT FOR NP's IF THEY ARE WILLING TO RELOCATE.)
Also, why would your wife have higher pay as an RN for being a tele tech and a CNA? That's not even close to RN experience,
(NOW YOU'RE MAKING IT PERSONAL.)
that's almost like saying an accountant should get a higher starting wage for being a bank teller, or an architect should get paid more for having worked in construction.
(STAYING PROFESSIONAL, EVERY NURSING SCHOOL IN THE COUNTRY TELLS THEIR STUDENTS IT WOULD BE A "GREAT" IDEA TO WORK AS AN CNA WHILE GOING TO NURSING SCHOOL, WHY? BECAUSE THE EXPERIENCE MAKES THE STUDENT MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND VALUABLE TO THE COMPANIES THAT HIRE THEM. IT SEPARATES THEM FROM THEIR FELLOW STUDENTS WHEN LOOKING FOR WORK AND THEY ARE THE FIRST TO BE HIRED IN GENERAL. SO TO COMPARE A CNA TO A BANK TELLER AND THE ACCOUNTANT TO A RN. YOU DISHONOR EVERY CNA IN THE COUNTRY AND PUT NO VALUE TO THEIR ACQUIRED SKILLS WHILE GOING THROUGH NURSING SCHOOL.
MY WIFE WAS HIRED AS A NEW BSN REGISTERED NURSE IN A ICU DEPT THAT'S APPROVED FOR OPEN HEART TO WORK NIGHTS BECAUSE QUOTE FROM THE NURSE MANAGER TO THE ICU: "YOU HAVE OVER 14 YEAR EXPERIENCE AND 8 OF THOSE YEARS AS A CARDIAC TELEMETRY MONITOR TECH AND I NEED SOMEONE GOOD WHO REALLY KNOWS HOW TO READ THE STRIPS AT NIGHT." SO IF YOU PUT NO VALUE TO THAT YOUR JUST LIKE HUMAN RESOURCE TO THE HOSPITAL WHEN SHE NEGOTIATES HER SALARY. MAYBE YOU SHOULD WORK FOR THE HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATION IN HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT FOR YOU THINK JUST LIKE THEM BUT YOUR NOT THINKING LIKE THE NURSE MANAGER TO THE UNIT. AND WHEN IT COMES TO AN ARCHITECT BEING COMPARED TO A CONSTRUCTION WORKER. I ONLY HIRED ARCHITECT'S THAT HAD CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE. WHY? IT SAVED ME A LOT OF MONEY AND TIME. YOU SEE THE ARCHITECT WITH NO CONSTRUCTION EXPERIENCE WERE THE CRAZY ONES, THE DREAMERS THAT WERE AT TIMES CLUELESS. YES THEY CAN DRAW A PRETTY HOME BUT GO BUILD IT. I'll TAKE THE ARCHITECT THAT HAD EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE.)
NPs also don't have a higher starting salary based on their RN experience. (THEIR ARE 1,000 's of NP's THAT BEG TO DIFFER ABOUT SALARY.
They're different jobs.
(ABSOLUTELY WE ARE IN UNITY ON THIS THOUGHT. FOR NURSES ARE TASKS PERFORMERS, DIRECT CARE AND PART OF THE HOSPITAL ROOM CHARGES TO PTS. AND NURSE PRACTITIONERS ARE CARE PROVIDERS THAT ARE ABLE TO RISE ABOVE.)
Just a thought. The term "Midlevel" to describe NP is very demeaning to Nurse Practitioners and is a term used some insecure Doctors to berate NP and make themselves feel superior which sadly is supported by the AMA but not the ANA. The term came from Dr. to describe their Physicians Assistant's.
Not sure why it's demeaning
As an aspiring NP I doubt that would bother me in the least
We are not doctors, and never will be... We didn't do 4 years of med school, residency or fellowships...
As an aspiring NP I doubt that would bother me in the least
We are not doctors, and never will be... We didn't do 4 years of med school, residency or fellowships...
We are midlevel practitioners as far as I know...
Your sort of correct. I'm going to bring in my wife's education for a comparison. True a NP is not a Doctor. But a DNP earned their Doctorate thus can be addressed as such. Why do you find it so amazing that a Doctor has done 4 years of Med school, then does a residency? Did you know residency is a paid Job? They receive money for their residency, a stipends from Federal and State tax dollars which was for the 2011-2012 year 1st yr: $52,155, in the 2nd yr: $54,082, in the 3 yr $56,091 a year for their so-called residency. In comparison a FNP has done a minimum of 6 years of University studies to attain a Masters of Science and become a Nurse Practitioner. During the BSN-RN degree my wife did 1200 hours of clinicals "Not Paid" to be a nurse. Then worked as a ICU RN "paid" for a few years to gain in knowledge in the field 3,000+ hours, like a Dr. Then in the FNP Masters program another 800 hours clinicals "not paid" in additional learning. Besides having first 5 additional years of University studies and attain her duel Bachelors of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology to better understand different Civilizations, National groups and people in the world. This was not a requirement. So what part of that is "Mid Level"? That's rhetorical.
Just a little correction on this. An MD completes a 4 year undergrad degree and then 4 years of medical school. They then do a 3 year residency, and perhaps even a multi-year internship should they specialize within their specialty (ie - cardiac peds, maxilofacial plastics, etc).
I think you going to PA school is GREAT, expecially you not wanting "in any form" to be a Nurse. You hating your occupation as a nurse it's the best thing you could do.
Some people love working under the feet of Doctors and the AMA and that is what being Physicians Assistant is all about, hope you find what you are looking for. :)
You ever hear about the great stories of antiquity regarding pretenders to the throne of Rome or Ptolemaic kingdoms and their vying's for power against those with the true claim? Even those with little pedigree or even political/military muscle would repeatably attempt to usurp the thrones for selfish claims at glory or to push their own agenda.
I rather be a "simple" centurion in a mass of cogs vying for the true claim to the throne than support a pretender.
Your sort of correct. I'm going to bring in my wife's education for a comparison. True a NP is not a Doctor. But a DNP earned their Doctorate thus can be addressed as such. Why do you find it so amazing that a Doctor has done 4 years of Med school, then does a residency? Did you know residency is a paid Job? They receive money for their residency, a stipends from Federal and State tax dollars which was for the 2011-2012 year 1st yr: $52,155, in the 2nd yr: $54,082, in the 3 yr $56,091 a year for their so-called residency. In comparison a FNP has done a minimum of 6 years of University studies to attain a Masters of Science and become a Nurse Practitioner. During the BSN-RN degree my wife did 1200 hours of clinicals "Not Paid" to be a nurse. Then worked as a ICU RN "paid" for a few years to gain in knowledge in the field 3,000+ hours, like a Dr. Then in the FNP Masters program another 800 hours clinicals "not paid" in additional learning. Besides having first 5 additional years of University studies and attain her duel Bachelors of Arts in Sociology/Anthropology to better understand different Civilizations, National groups and people in the world. This was not a requirement. So what part of that is "Mid Level"? That's rhetorical.
I hear your point, however residency cannot be compared with working as a nurse... When a dr does his/her residency he/she is actually spending their days immersed in learning their field. The dr is training to do all the procedures/prescribing the medicines/diagnosing maladies that he would be doing when residency is finished. A nurse does NOT TRAIN Train as a NP (diagnosing/prescribing/performing procedures etc.) while working as an RN.
So while I do hear your point you can't compare te two working as an RN.
Oh yes truly jealous, my email inbox hurts from all of the online schools begging me to attend after I took my GRE. How did they get my email anyway?
Same thing happened with me when I took it, except I got emails from psych programs since I put that down as my major and interest. ETS is such a joke. They charge you $200 to take the test and then sell your information to schools.
I hear your point, however residency cannot be compared with working as a nurse... When a dr does his/her residency he/she is actually spending their days immersed in learning their field. The dr is training to do all the procedures/prescribing the medicines/diagnosing maladies that he would be doing when residency is finished. A nurse does NOT TRAIN Train as a NP (diagnosing/prescribing/performing procedures etc.) while working as an RN.
So while I do hear your point you can't compare te two working as an RN.
I didn't compare what they did, only that they both spend 1000's of hours learning. Yes a doctor carries with him a prescription pad and a pen all day as he goes from room to room trying different meds to treat and spends on average 3 to 5 minutes with a pts . I like the NP approach better and their experience. That's we have both.
CantDecideUsername
101 Posts
I fully understand any nurse who would want to leave the bedside... And be an NP. Making $25.00 to clean vomit, help patients toilet, give sponge baths, work in an an extremely stressful environment, be on their feet, and do rotating weekend and/or night shifts, can get old really fast.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems that with Obamacare (the affordable care act) rolling in, there will be tremendous need for midlevel practitioners.