1 yrWhat to do

[steffyh]

Hi all,

I'm currently a FNP with over 1 year of experience. I was working at a busy family practice and got burnt out with all of the work required, etc. I was practially working 7 days a week with all I had to do (early mornings, late nights, weekends...). So now I'm working with Minute Clinic and LOVE it! I have balance in my life again, I'm going to be starting a family, great benes, great pay, flexible schedule, etc. With this new freedom I've been thinking about my future and would like to work in a burn hospital. I started my career as a nurse's assistant in a burn hospital and it's where I want to end it. So with that I'm wondering if I should consider going back to school for the ACNP certification? I don't have any plans on leaving CVS, but I would love to do some teaching (I have done clinical instruction)... also thinking about maybe getting my DNP some day... I don't know.

Thoughts?

Thanks!

[anh06005, MSN, APRN, NP]

I'll comment just so I can follow what anybody else says. I've only been out a few months now but I have always wondered what I'd do after I graduated and started working.

I've considered acute care post-masters also. Or I love the thought of forensics :)

[waiaka]

DNP are still in its maturation stage for most programs. I feel like DNP is currently for people who want to be nurse executive/law-makers, and less on clinical side. If you really want to do inpatient burn unit, you should consider a post-masters in ACNP, i don't think it takes that long to obtain it.

[Alicia777, MSN, NP]

You're not the first person to say they love working at MC!! It will be hard to leave I bet.

Yes, I would say ACNP is the way to go.. Maybe cross-post this on the burn RN board and see if they can give any feedback..

[blondenurse12, MSN, NP]

I am in a similar situation as you, OP, with the exception that I started at Minute Clinic right after graduation. It may seem like a breath of fresh air compared to your old job but wait a few months. The scope of practice is painfully narrow and the monotony can be overwhelming. Add on paying $3000-8000 a year in insurance premiums not including deductibles if you choose to have coverage through CVS and virtually no ability to use the PTO you accrue because they have a very strict policy of how many shifts can be granted off each week across the districts in each state, suddenly it doesn't seem so great.

I am looking into getting an ACNP post master's certificate but I need to make up my mind quickly. Many places that I've looked into require ICU experience within the last 12 months to be considered for the program. I have been working per diem as an ICU nurse at my old job but I don't want to do it much longer because it's quite a drive.

[TammyG]

The minute clinic seems to be a great job for people with a ton of outpatient experience, who have seen everything, and who are not looking for a challenge. The few people that I knew who appreciated it fit into that category. Other people who were looking to learn or develop skills, and new grads, became bored in a matter of weeks and moved on.

I am wondering whether you really need an AC NP to get a position in a burn unit. There are so few ACNP grads out there now, because the programs themselves are very new and because many hospitals don't want to restrict the hiring pool. You may want to make some inquiries at local burn units, particularly because you have background experience in burn units, and see what advice you get.