You don't need RN experience to get an NP job

[FullGlass]

I'm a new grad Adult and Geri Primary Care NP. I do not have RN experience. Since I started seriously pounding the pavement in my job search, I have had numerous phone and in person interviews. I've also received multiple job offers.

Has anyone asked me if I had RN experience? Yes. When I answer that I have none, here are the 2 responses I've received:

"Good for you!"

"You must be very smart."

This will probably upset some readers, but it's the truth.

There are some job postings for new grad NPs for outpatient specialty positions that do require RN experience - oncology is one.

Conclusion: if you want to be a Primary Care NP, you are fine going straight from BSN to MSN. There are plenty of employers that will be happy to have you, at least in the Western U.S.

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

Now, I'm going to decide which offer to accept. I'll be sure to let you know of my decision.

Something we have no doubt about.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Who needs experience when you have the two greatest assets: mental stability and being, like, really smart.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

Who needs experience when you have the two greatest assets: mental stability and being, like, really smart.

Thanks a lot, Boston. I just snorted tea all over my laptop.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

Oh my god. Just reading your posts are migraine-inducing. I feel sorry for whomever gets stuck working with you.

So essentially: You got a primary care job high up in the mountains, 30 miles from the nearest hospital, where no one else wants to work.

Did you ever think you got this job not because you were charming but b/c no one else wanted it???

My problem with your posts is that your experience as a new grad with oncology is not emblematic of the field. Well, maybe some, but certainly not people with your attitude or breadth of knowledge.

(And you do know that most outpt oncology centers are attached to hospitals and that the NPs do not need to be ACNPs, yes? God, I can't believe I'm arguing with such an idiot.)

I see you edited your post. Let me make this very clear: I am not interviewing for an oncology NP position and I never have. I never even applied for oncology positions. While oncology is a very important field, and I have great respect for those in it, it is not an area I wish to specialize in. In addition, I am not qualified to do so. So, I was agreeing with you all along, starting with the post that started this thread. So you needlessly got yourself all hot and bothered over - nothing.

You then go on to try and diminish my choice of work place. You really should be ashamed of yourself. What you are really saying is that anyone who chooses to go into rural health or chooses to work with underserved populations like inner cities or Native Americans is a subpar clinician. I think that says a lot about you, and what it says is not good.

I think it is safe to say that you know little about the challenges of rural healthcare.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

I've been following your posts throughout this thread, and as a fellow DE grad, I fully support your path and agree that you can be a successful primary care/clinic NP without RN experience. Some people have been somewhat disagreeable and condescending. That gets hard to listen to over and over. I understand your desire to defend yourself, the DE track, and the choices you've made. You have every reason to be proud of what you've accomplished.

I am dismayed to see this last post of yours, as you really do come across as arrogant, rude, and over confident, and that detracts from anything positive and true you might have previously written. As Boston FNP previously stated, you haven't even worked as a NP yet. No matter what your previous accomplishments were, you are now a rookie again. Keep that in mind as you see your first patients. They won't give a rat's orifice that you hit your sales numbers every quarter or mentored numerous underlings. You will be a brand new, NOVICE NP that they are putting their trust in. That's an awesome responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. An overconfident provider is a dangerous provider, IMHO.

This last post of yours came across to me as just as rude and condescending as some of your detractors. Why would you want to lower yourself and further support their doubts about you and DE grads in general? I'm not saying you should shut up or not support your beliefs. However, it is better to express yourself in a manner that is dignified, thoughtful, and courteous. DE grads are underdogs, for lack of a better word, and unfortunately, the burden of proof is on us to show that we are prepared, competent,and capable. Becoming overdefensive, snarky, and bragging about oneself does not help with that battle. I've said on several posts that those who have not worked as NPs really can't say for sure if RN experience was necessary. You have not worked as a NP either, so you are really not in a position to say for sure that you'll be successful. You've had job offers and have your choice of positions. That's the easy part. I think you likely will be successful, but please go into that first job with the intention of doing a lot more listening than talking, and keep in mind that despite your education and training, you know very little about working as a NP. None of us did as new grads, regardless of how smart we are and how much success we had in the past. You still have much to learn. Let your work speak for you.

You know, you all remind me of high school. No, not even that. It's more like middle school. Guess what? I do not live my life based on what other people think of me or what they think I should do. Never have, never will. It's incredibly liberating - you all should try it sometime. Especially since I see posts on this forum from many students, RNs, and NPs who agonize over what other people think, even making career choices based on what their peers say, as opposed to going with their heart, only to end up regretting their choice.

Now, since I have a lot of prior career success, let me share something with you. Women (and most of you are women) really handicap themselves by trying to be "good girls," "nice," "modest," and "get along with everyone." That attitude is why women often do not get paid equally to men or get promoted as quickly as men. At work, men do not try to be humble or obsess over what their peers think. They think not if they CAN do the job, but if they COULD do the job. Once I adopted that mindset I started getting paid as much or more than my male counterparts and my career path started on a steep upwards trajectory.

My original post started very clearly that I am nothing special. Go and reread it. As people began criticizing me, I defended myself. Somehow, that just made some of you even more upset. Why? Because I did not kowtow to you?

I AM a very accomplished person. In order to get a job, one must interview well and sell oneself and one's accomplishments. I don't go into an interview trying to downplay myself. If I did, I would not have received any job offers.

What seems to bother you all is that I am self-aware. I know my strengths and also know my weaknesses. I am comfortable with who I am and proud of my achievements. I am not going to downplay that in order to make members of the collective hive mind here feel better about themselves.

Now, I am going to get another cup of coffee and go work on my deck overlooking the beautiful Pacific Ocean in Southern California.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

Who needs experience when you have the two greatest assets: mental stability and being, like, really smart.

Trump is still President. What are you?

[Dodongo, APRN, NP]

Can we drag this thread out back and put it out of its misery yet?

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

I've been following your posts throughout this thread, and as a fellow DE grad, I fully support your path and agree that you can be a successful primary care/clinic NP without RN experience. Some people have been somewhat disagreeable and condescending. That gets hard to listen to over and over. I understand your desire to defend yourself, the DE track, and the choices you've made. You have every reason to be proud of what you've accomplished.

I am dismayed to see this last post of yours, as you really do come across as arrogant, rude, and over confident, and that detracts from anything positive and true you might have previously written. As Boston FNP previously stated, you haven't even worked as a NP yet. No matter what your previous accomplishments were, you are now a rookie again. Keep that in mind as you see your first patients. They won't give a rat's orifice that you hit your sales numbers every quarter or mentored numerous underlings. You will be a brand new, NOVICE NP that they are putting their trust in. That's an awesome responsibility and one that should not be taken lightly. An overconfident provider is a dangerous provider, IMHO.

This last post of yours came across to me as just as rude and condescending as some of your detractors. Why would you want to lower yourself and further support their doubts about you and DE grads in general? I'm not saying you should shut up or not support your beliefs. However, it is better to express yourself in a manner that is dignified, thoughtful, and courteous. DE grads are underdogs, for lack of a better word, and unfortunately, the burden of proof is on us to show that we are prepared, competent,and capable. Becoming overdefensive, snarky, and bragging about oneself does not help with that battle. I've said on several posts that those who have not worked as NPs really can't say for sure if RN experience was necessary. You have not worked as a NP either, so you are really not in a position to say for sure that you'll be successful. You've had job offers and have your choice of positions. That's the easy part. I think you likely will be successful, but please go into that first job with the intention of doing a lot more listening than talking, and keep in mind that despite your education and training, you know very little about working as a NP. None of us did as new grads, regardless of how smart we are and how much success we had in the past. You still have much to learn. Let your work speak for you.

Just stop with lecturing me. Who do you think you are? You don't know me. Have I ever once said anything to the effect of I have superior clinical skills and know everything there is to know about being an NP? No, I have not. I even wrote I post stating I am very humble with regard to being a new NP. I started this whole thread by saying I am nothing special (in the clinical sense). I am very well aware I am a novice NP, thank you. Good clinicians must also display outward self confidence. My accomplishments are fact. If you choose to interpret that as bragging, that is on you.

When I was in school, I was super nerd and I'm also a minority. That's usually the favorite target of bullies (at least in the 1960s and 70s). However, no one ever tried to bully me more than once because I fought back, both physically and verbally. When someone attacks me, I don't give a damn about being dignified - my goal is to stop the attack, not worry about hurting the attacker's feelings or appearing too "uppity." Sorry, but I'm not a good little girl who will just take a beating for your sick pleasure.

You must be thinking: "Wow, she is really obnoxious." Maybe. But throughout my life, I was also the one that others ran to: "FullGlass, you talk to the teacher (or boss) about this." "FullGlass, you have to help us." "FullGlass, you organize us so we can tackle this issue." You know what that's called? Leadership.

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

Can we drag this thread out back and put it out of its misery yet?

Then why are you still reading and commenting?

[Dodongo, APRN, NP]

Then why are you still reading and commenting?

Look, I enjoy watching you crash and burn as much as the next anonymous internet troll, but I keep getting email after email alerting me to this nonsense and it's become a little too cringe-worthy.

Is there some way I can turn off email notifications for this thread!!??

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Trump is still President. What are you?

An experienced, practicing NP. You?

Seriously though, not to "lecture you" anymore, but a thicker skin will serve you well.

[BCgradnurse, MSN, RN, NP]

Well, I tried to be supportive and give you the benefit of the doubt, Fullglass. You're way past the point of being confident. Your're obnoxious and self aggrandizing. I don't care if you're male or female, black, white, green, or purple. I don't for the life of me see how you can get along with others. You cannot take any criticism at all, which is a sign of great immaturity. You're on your own now. Good luck to you-you are going to need it.