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.

[WestCoastSunRN, MSN, CNS]

Oh golly. I think your coffee overlooking the Pacific is getting cold.

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

Did she seriously just respond twice to the same post with a consecutively more inflammatory response? Trump is clearly still President and must have just got his Nurse Practitioner certification.

[Oldmahubbard]

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

How about some roxanol for the thread? I hear a death rattle

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

The whole Trump thing? I'm lost

[djmatte, ADN, MSN, RN, NP]

The whole Trump thing? I'm lost

Note the similarities in speech and self-aggrandizement.

[SpankedInPittsburgh, DNP, RN]

OK I guess I see. I try not to listen to president Donald all that much though

[ixchel]

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.

You'll find a lot of those "go with your heart" and never follow advice or feedback folks over in the student and first year after licensing forums. Spoiler: it's not pretty.

[ixchel]

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.

Also, if you genuinely don't care what people think, why do you keep responding?

[myelin]

Wow, this thread really took a turn... before it gets locked, I'd just like to say that I am a direct entry psych NP and have been quite successful. Being direct entry has not been a problem at all. Before I became a psych NP I worked in clinical psychology and research, so I knew what I was getting into to some extent. I did begin working per diem as an RN in a psych ER during my last year of school. While I found the RN experience helpful, it wasn't necessary. The most important experience is NP experience - both in school and after graduation. I am hopeful that more and more NPs will complete residencies which will help w/competency. I do not think RN experience cuts it. Truly, my first few years of NP practice were like a 'mini' residency in that I provided care autonomously but was supervised weekly by a variety of wonderful psychiatrists, read journal articles with them, etc. The amount that I learned during that time was exponential and far more (unfortunately) than what I learned in NP school or working as an RN.

I don't think the solution to NP education is more RN experience. I mean, whose to say that the RN experience is even relevant? Several of my PMHNP classmates were ICU nurses who had never stepped foot in a psych unit. I'm hoping residencies become increasingly commonplace.

[Skippingtowork]

I'm not a DE APRN - had 12 years RN exp before I graduated. No one asked me about my clinical experiences. However, I got my first job because the doctors felt that with 10 years in a level one trauma center I could think on my feet.

I had my first APRN job for 11.5 years and just started my second. Unsure at this point if it will

be my last but I'm back in the hospital and thats a step in the right direction.

Your experience is great for that area of practice, but for primary care it's not necessary. Primarcy care is different from acute care. While it's a bonus to see what goes on in acute care, that experience should be in the provider trainee role.

[Jules A, MSN]

While it's a bonus to see what goes on in acute care, that experience should be in the provider trainee role.

What exactly is a "provider trainee role"? My jobs were paying me top dollar and expected me to be able to carry a full load from day one.

[37changes, ASN, RN]

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!!??

When I get an email notification for a thread, there is a blue clickable unsubscribe right next to the read topic option.

edited to say: also at the top of this page, there should be a blue button that says bookmark and has a minus sign on it. Try clicking on that.