Writing a paper about NPs ... anyone want to help?!

anpvk7 · Feb 15, 2011

BUMP, BUMP, BUMP! I know SOMEONE wants to help!

Trauma Columnist · Feb 16, 2011

I think you will get better responses if you post the questions. That way, if someone could answer a couple of them, they will but won't feel overwhelmed if you have 20 questions.

Thanks.

anpvk7 · Feb 16, 2011

Thanks ... I will go ahead and post my questions below. I can't believe 64 people have looked at this thread and I have no PMs or replies yet

anpvk7 · Feb 16, 2011

1) What city do you work in?

2) What type of facility do you work in?

3) What is your area of practice or specialty? Why did you choose this particular specialty?

4) Describe a typical day on the job:

a) What kinds of patients do you see?

b) What chief complaints do you mainly see/treat?

c) What kinds of charting, recording or reporting do you do on a daily basis? How

does this differ from the charting you did as an RN?

d) Describe your work hours and conditions

e) Who do you report to? Do you work under the supervision of an MD/OD or

does your state board allow you to practice independently?

1) If you work under a physician describe your working relationship with your

superior. Are you closely supervised or allowed to work independently?

5) Describe the schooling you have had as a nurse. Did you go directly from a BSN to your MSN without any hospital/clinical experience? How would you describe the

rigor of your master's program?

6) How would you describe employment opportunities for NPs in your area and in the country at large? Is the outlook good (in your own opinion) or is the job "well running dry"?

7) How satisfied are you with your current position? Would you recommend the

nursing field in general? Would you encourage RNs to pursue a career as a nurse

practitioner? Do you find your compensation and benefits to be adequate

given the amount of work you do?

8) What do you like most about your job? Any memorable moments?

9) What do you like least about your job? Do you ever doubt your career choice or

think of quitting the medical field altogether?

10) What are your hopes for the future as it pertains to your career?

11) What "words of wisdom" would you give to students or current RNs interested

in becoming a nurse practitioner?

I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors I made writing my questions. It's been a LONG day :)

Trauma Columnist · Feb 17, 2011

okay - i'll take a stab at some of them:

1) what city do you work in? various - all over central il - i work in multiple clinics

2) what type of facility do you work in?

outpt hemodialysis clinics

3) what is your area of practice or specialty? why did you choose this particular specialty?

nephrology. enjoy the complexity of care.

4) describe a typical day on the job:

usually visit 2-3 clinics with anywhere from 8 to 32 pts at a time in the clinic.

a) what kinds of patients do you see?pts with end stage renal disease

b) what chief complaints do you mainly see/treat?htn, dm, pneumonia, bronchitis, constipation, failure to thrive and all these pts have esrd

c) what kinds of charting, recording or reporting do you do on a daily basis? how

does this differ from the charting you did as an rn?we use computerized charting and i chart on a laptop/desktop depending on where i'm at. charting differs because we are the ones ordering labs/tests, interpreting them and ordering changes in care. i am also much more proactive when i chart about noncompliant pts.

d) describe your work hours and conditionsclinic environment, usually kept cool due to machines, more exposure to blood than the er though - lol

e) who do you report to? do you work under the supervision of an md/od or

does your state board allow you to practice independently?i work under a collaborative agreement with the 14 physicians in the practice. i do not work directly under a physician but rather by myself with the doctor available by phone.

1) if you work under a physician describe your working relationship with your

superior. are you closely supervised or allowed to work independently?i am as closely supervised as i want to be. i am not required to call a physician when i make care decisions. however, i do update the physicians as they see the pts once a month while i see them 3 times/month as required by medicare.

5) describe the schooling you have had as a nurse. did you go directly from a bsn to your msn without any hospital/clinical experience? how would you describe the

rigor of your master's program?oooh sore subject with me. i was an rn for 14 years before i became an apn - i had 10 years experience as an rn in a level one trauma center, 2 years in an adult icu, 1 year med-surg and 1 year ltc. i did my education rather piecemeal: i was an lpn, adn, bsn, then msn then two post-msn certificates. rigors of my msn program: lots and lots of writing. okay with me because i was a journalist in the usn prior to becoming a nurse.

6) how would you describe employment opportunities for nps in your area and in the country at large? is the outlook good (in your own opinion) or is the job "well running dry"?healthcare is changing and there are few jobs for new grad apns in my area. for experienced apns its a little better but not much.

7) how satisfied are you with your current position? would you recommend the

nursing field in general? would you encourage rns to pursue a career as a nurse

practitioner? do you find your compensation and benefits to be adequate

given the amount of work you do?i am very satisfied at the present time. i do miss the adrenaline rush of the er though. yes, i would encourage rns to pursue an msn but only if they have a desire to - should not be mandatory or forced. my compensation and benefits are some of the best in my area.

8) what do you like most about your job? any memorable moments?i like the chance to interact with the pts and effect change. no real memorable moments.

9) what do you like least about your job? do you ever doubt your career choice or

think of quitting the medical field altogether?the huge liability factor is a big disappointment. yes, i do think of leaving healthcare but unsure what i would do.

10) what are your hopes for the future as it pertains to your career?to retire before i'm 75!

11) what "words of wisdom" would you give to students or current rns interested

in becoming a nurse practitioner?carefully consider your options and where you see yourself working. i think this can only be accomplished by working as an rn first.

zenman · Feb 17, 2011

Thanks ... I will go ahead and post my questions below. I can't believe 64 people have looked at this thread and I have no PMs or replies yet

Maybe because most of us are all too busy, but I have a little time now since I'm off.

zenman · Feb 17, 2011

1) what city do you work in? las cruces, nm

2) what type of facility do you work in? detention center

3) what is your area of practice or specialty? why did you choose this particular specialty? psych. because i can sit down till an advanced age and talk with people till i fall over dead. i chose this speciality because we don't know much about mental illness, we don't know much about the drugs we use, and it's just plain fun.

4) describe a typical day on the job: i usually place myself in one or two medical units and see inmates. i especially like working out of the dentist office when they aren't there.

a) what kinds of patients do you see? inmates who have done everything from dwi to killing people.

b) what chief complaints do you mainly see/treat? depression, schizophrenia, substance abuse, anxiety, psychosis

c) what kinds of charting, recording or reporting do you do on a daily basis? how

does this differ from the charting you did as an rn? i use a combo of paper documentation and electronic charting. most charting i did as an rn was paper charting.

d) describe your work hours and conditions. i'm in the big house, the slammer, behind bars, surrounded by correctional officers, gray cinder block walls and metal bars and doors. i work 0800 - 1630

e) who do you report to? do you work under the supervision of an md/od or

does your state board allow you to practice independently? i work locums and i report to the detention director of the company that provides health services. np's are totally independent in nm

1) if you work under a physician describe your working relationship with your

superior. are you closely supervised or allowed to work independently?i work independently

5) describe the schooling you have had as a nurse. did you go directly from a bsn to your msn without any hospital/clinical experience? how would you describe the rigor of your master's program?rn in early 70's, bsn in 82. masters in 83, post-masters np in 2010. it was rigorous enough for me.

6) how would you describe employment opportunities for nps in your area and in the country at large? is the outlook good (in your own opinion) or is the job "well running dry"?i'm getting job offers all the time and there is a big demand for pmhnps. this company searched for 6 months for a pmhnp to help out. i have a car allowance, corporate apt., and make over $10 k a month. not a bad gig.

7) how satisfied are you with your current position? would you recommend the

nursing field in general? would you encourage rns to pursue a career as a nurse

practitioner? do you find your compensation and benefits to be adequate

given the amount of work you do? it's interesting working with this population. yes, i would recommend nursing and especially being an np, since "regular nursing" is not as fun as it used to be. wish i had become an np sooner.

8) what do you like most about your job? any memorable moments? i like the mind games inmates play. plus it's kinda fun having a "captive" patient population as you can easily observe your interventions. and i can always have them bought back to see how they are doing. they really appreciate any help you can provide them.

9) what do you like least about your job? do you ever doubt your career choice or

think of quitting the medical field altogether? never doubt my career choice. the part i like least is always being locked up in a drab environment. however, it is very secure and no one is going to come bursting through your door intent on harming you!

10) what are your hopes for the future as it pertains to your career?i am creating a niche market (learned that in business school!) and creating my own practice where i will bill $2,500 a day plus expenses. no, i will not tell you what it is...yet.

11) what "words of wisdom" would you give to students or current rns interested

in becoming a nurse practitioner? get some experience, choose a good school and just go for it.

anpvk7 · Feb 17, 2011

Good morning everyone!

Thanks! I am SO appreciative for the help! I know you all are busy people but I really am thankful that you all took the time to help out a lowly student. I will PM the both of you for contact information to list in my sources.

I would be grateful for other replies as well :)

anpvk7 · Feb 17, 2011

5) describe the schooling you have had as a nurse. did you go directly from a bsn to your msn without any hospital/clinical experience? how would you describe the

rigor of your master's program?oooh sore subject with me. i was an rn for 14 years before i became an apn - i had 10 years experience as an rn in a level one trauma center, 2 years in an adult icu, 1 year med-surg and 1 year ltc. i did my education rather piecemeal: i was an lpn, adn, bsn, then msn then two post-msn certificates. rigors of my msn program: lots and lots of writing. okay with me because i was a journalist in the usn prior to becoming a nurse.

wow ... traumarus, my first bachelor's was in journalism! i graduated from j-school in 2008, but didn't even pursue a job because i was so disillusioned with the field in general and the lack of decently paid opportunities for new graduates. about 60% of the people who graduated with me have already transitioned into other careers. lol.

how did you make the transition from journalism to the medical field? why? i'm glad i have all the writing experience under my belt because i know it will help with my msn as far as the writing and research intensive courses go.

mom2cka · Feb 18, 2011

I sent you an email...

Trauma Columnist · Feb 18, 2011

I've got to backtrack further. I graduated from high school in 1977, went straight into nursing school. Decided after a couple of years that I didn't want to become a nurse so I quit going to classes, went to the recruiters office, chose the Navy because I liked the uniforms. (even embarrassed to admit this). Joined the Navy and left the area the next day.

So since I just quit going to classes I ended up with a