Between working as a bedside, hospital-based RN, and working as a nurse practitioner, which would you say offers you better work-life balance? And why?
If you chose NP, I would love to know more about your particular specialty. I tend to hear that primary care is tough for this.
At the end of the day, I KNOW that working as an RN or an NP should be about which job you want to do. However, there are a variety of things that factor into that equation.
I can vouch for the work-life balance as an NP being greater than that of an RN. I'm a new grad NP working for a FQHC in the southeast. I'm mainly practicing in women's health, but am seeing about a day a week of primary care as well. I chose a 32 hour contract instead of 40 to achieve greater work-life balance. Granted, I get paid less, but the time home with my kids is worth more than money. Still, the pay is twice my RN salary. I work 3 full days and 2 half days a week. I am off every weekend, holiday. I have 4.5 weeks of vacation, CEU time, and the autonomy I was craving. On a standard full day, my last patient is scheduled at 3:30, which means I have admin time is from 4-5. I routinely leave at 4:30 as I am usually able to complete all of my admin tasks, read labs, refills, etc. during lunch. I think If I were seeing more primary care patients, I would have to stay until 5 to stay caught up with all of the labs, referrals, diagnostics, etc. I just don't order a ton for my OB and GYN patients.
Yeah, my travel nursing life is better it seems. I can work for 3-months with similar pay as an NP working as a travel nurse and I can take as much time off as I want in between.
So I am in a very similar situation, I'll try to keep it short ?
Worked as full time RN, decided to go to NP school, graduated and went to work, yay! Did it for about two years and get totally burnt out. Decided to go back to nursing and did travel nursing. Made the same money (sometimes better), and loved it most of the time. Had experiences I never would have. Then I guilted myself back into NP, and am currently working as an NP in urgent care. I am already wondering why ? While I think it's awesome to go back to school, I don't suggest doing for the reasons I did (I never remember having a super strong drive to be an NP, but was wanting to advance my nursing career and it seemed like the most logical option at the time).
I am in my second year as a NP. I work in a busy internal medicine practice. The MD is a hospitalist so he is only in office two days a week. I am definitely struggling as the patients are all complex. I see about 14-16 a day. My MA is super slow which puts me behind. I would love to go to a family practice office but there currently isn't anything available around me.
I have considered switching to Urgent Care as I have three children and feel like I am always working or worrying about a patient.
I feel so negative now. I was a nurse for 16 years before becoming a NP and I've always worked in fast paced settings.
I used to be quite physically active and can't even remember the last time I worked out. I am struggling for the work life balance too.
Power2020
66 Posts
db2xs, what speciality do you work and what hours?