A lot of people think I'm nuts, but I finished a year of med school and have decided to switch to become an FNP or PMHNP. Partly because I had a brain lesion, took time off, and they want me to restart. And partly because it was miserable and two of my classmates died of suicide. :( But mainly because I realize it was always the better fit for my personality. Your videos have been like a nice big hug. I'm really hoping this all works out.
So sorry you had to deal with that, but it sounds like you are doing better and have overcome quite a bit. I'm sure that experience will make you a compassionate and empathetic provider soon. Kudos to you for following what you feel is the right path! It is SO sad how prevalent suicide is amongst healthcare workers, especially physicians. Hope you are doing well
Without Mrs Brenda I would still be in abject poverty struggling with my life, that’s the greatest testimony gotten so far after years of great loss here on UA-cam, I do thank her and I am grateful.
I had to figure this out as well and just figured out FNP is for me! I was a Ped nurse for 2 years. When I was a new grad, I was a med surg for adults floor and love working with all and both genders. FNP is for me! I am turning in my FNP applications this coming week!
I'm just starting my medical path with the medical assistant program and want to go on to nursing afterwards. I've been enjoying your videos and the energy you bring. You seem like a lovely person, Liz. Keep up the great videos. They're a big help.
Hey Liz, I’m Liz too! I was a veterinary oncology nurse for 8 years and worked in the ICU for 10 years. I went back to school to be a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. I have many struggles like three young kids and pets , but I’m juggling my career as well. I want eventually to be a PA or NP still not sure until I get there. But your videos are so informative!
Awesome video!! I had similar questions when I finally decided on being an FNP. The only specialty I considered more seriously was the WNP/CNM. In the end I decided to not go that route b/c 1) This would me I would be in patient and like you, I like my holidays and 2) I found myself wondering if I would get bored. In the end, after talking to different NPs, I decided on the FNP route b/c I can go into different fields and as a FNP, I can always do a post masters if I ever wanted to do WNP in the future (probably not though). Enjoying my clinicals thus far and seriously every day, you never know what you're going to get. :D
Hi Liz. I just started following you and have really enjoyed watching your videos! I'm an ER nurse, currently in an FNP program, taking advanced health assessment and preparing for my 1st clinical rotation in the Spring. I'm really nervous and excited altogether. It's refreshing to hear your perspective and I love your enthusiasm and energy!
Hey! Omg you instantly put me at ease.....you said to leave a comment about any time that we had to choose between two career paths, and, well.... When I first went to college at 18, I was an intended Pre-Med student. However, I failed/dropped out my very first semester, and I took the next semester off. The semester following my "break," I went back, did "okay," and then failed out again. I repeated this cycle for the next several years. In the process, I joined the military, switched to a Double Psych and French Major, Dropped the Psych major, got pregnant, had a baby, tried to go back to school AGAIN as a single mom (who was bartending/waitressing to pay rent)....and then finally graduated in May 2014 with......A FRENCH DEGREE......I got a job for an amazing software development company, where I currently work as a QA Analyst. While I"m "happy," I'm not inspired. So two years ago, I started on my Pre-Nursing courses. This semester, I've started clinicals in the Nursing program, and my final goal is to become an NP...of some sort. Right now my top choices are (in order of current levels of interest): Family, Midwifery Psych...........I feel like I'll encounter something in these next two years that will give me the "AHA" moment....or I'll just find myself signing grad school paperwork and picking the specialty that my pen (or mouse cursor) lands on. I made that as short as possible, and even left a lot out....suffice to say that I appreciate hearing from someone who didn't stress out too much about where life would take her....because eventually, we end up where we are going whether we know the destination or not. :-) And to anyone else who is out there and regretting their life choices: STOP REGRETTING...GO ACCOMPLISH. I'm 37 years old, I have a 13 year old son that I raised on my own until my husband and I got married a year ago. I feel sooooo silly in some of my current classes with my classmates not being old enough to get a drink at a bar, but I know that in the end this is all going to be so worth it, and I'll look back fondly....and so proudly. Thank you, Liz, just for being you! You're great!
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm an year younger than you and am interested in nurse midwifery and FNP and I'm in the stage zero of research and the likes.
From the moment I became an RN, I've always worked with older adults in nursing homes, rehabs, and hospitals. I did peds rotation in nursing school and it made me sad. and i dont want to work in a hospital anymore, I wanna be in a clinic or office seeing mainly healthy adults. I guess it's the AG-PCNP route for me!
The school i plan on going to offers a dual Adult-Gerontological Acute Care and FNP program, so that's what i plan on doing to get certified as a critical care/emergency nurse practitioner
Hey Liz! This video is extremely helpful especially for people like me (a Junior in high school) who are thinking of becoming a Nurse Practitioner. One question I have, despite it being early, is is there a way that I could be both a pediatric nurse practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner all in one? I feel like I would love to be able to treat and help the physical and mental wellbeing of children. I know I am extremely young and have a lot ahead of me I’m just extremely curious! :) thank you!
This is amazing! I'm glad I found your videos! I am looking to get into grad school soon but I just cant decide what I want. My background is ICU but honestly getting sick of the hospital and would like to try something different. FNP sounds like the perfect route. Thanks for the video!
I'm a high school student but I've been trying to decide what I want to do since if I want to be a nurse I'd need to know so i can apply to nursing school after highschool. I can't decide if I want to be a PMHNP, an FNP, or a L&D Nurse there's so many things I'm interested, even carers outside of nursing like occupational and or physical therapy. I wish there was some type of end all be all career test that would give me a straight answer. I just want to job where I can connect with people while seing and aiding in their improvement but also has a great work life balance. I wonder if I'm asking for too much lol Anyway, great video! I'm glad you found your niche :)
My fork in the road was actually choosing nursing haha. I was working as a doula and wanted to start doing birth work full time, and I had to choose between CNM and CPM. For me, CNM was infinitely more work but the payoff for me and my patients was a lot greater as well. Thank you again for this channel! Sometimes this path feels overwhelming and daunting, and your videos make it all feel totally doable. Love it!!
Thank you Liz , in my first year of the psych np program. Spent most of my career trying to figure out why I live psych so much. Who knows?! But do love it and your videos!
Gary Tucker , I am at Walden. They are very supportive and I’ve been successful so far. The complaint I here is having to arrange your own clinicals. However if you’ve been in psych you will have enough contacts that it should not be a problem. Good luck!
Lol I loved this vid. Honestly ACNP picked me. But I’m an ICU nurse and I don’t want to leave my critical patients and I love codes and intubation and placing central lines. So this is for me and if I’m tired of inpatient I can go to outpatient surgery lol. Thank god! So I will start school Jan 14th! So excited!!!! Acute Care NP for me!
I'm so so glad there are people like you who love acute care!! Its something I really like about healthcare in general is how vast it is that there is seriously a niche for everybody, and we need all types of people!
I am applying for the FNP program as we speak. I am an acute care nurse at bedside, that is what I love. I love adult and geriatric. God I hope I am making the rest choice.
Not even in nursing school yet, but I'm wondering what my goal should be as far as a job when I'm done. I originally wanted to do ICU, but it sounds so overwhelming and I get overwhelmed embarrassingly easily. I donno I'll end up somewhere and the great thing about nursing is you can switch specialties and it's encouraged to do so!
It is definitely a field with so many possibilities! You'll get a good feel for what you like as well during your clinical rotations. Best of luck on your journey!
Secondly you confirmed my desire to become a clinical RN who can’t do a lot of preventive teachings. I was sad at first I won’t be working in the hospital because of the night and weekend commitments when your a new grad, but not you sealed it about being able to do more and build more relationships with the clients in the clinic. I am going to be a maternity support nurse when I graduate RN school in December
I’m a Pre-Nursing student, and the end goal is to be an Orthopedic FNP but now I’m considering PA because from what I’ve read in Texas NPS cannot lead their own practice and do independent surgical procedures . but I’m quite a ways from coming down to the choosing process. Gotta get through nursing school first.
I have to say I love how you respond to comments! I know you’ve answered this but I’m not sure if it was really specific. How many years were you actually a nurse, working as an RN before you applied for FNP school?
I love your videos! I thought about med school. Ended up going to business school?🤷🏻♀️ then I had my daughter and decided nursing was the right thing for me. I'm finishing business and then my BSN. Acute Care Pediatric NP is my end goal!
So I have been working in behavioral health and more recently case management. I am debating on going back for PMHNP. I love my behavioral health patients and am super interested in psychopharmacology. I have also become really interested in becoming an IBCLC. My daughter is 14 months and we had such a difficult feeding journey and I ended up having to find a lot of resources on my own. I did have an IBCLC but I've found a lot are just not super versed in exclusive pumping. I'd really like to be able to help new moms with this.
Thank you for this vedio. I am in NP school for Gerontology NP. I like to work with adult and hope to be Cardiology speciality. BUT, I worry about it's harder to find a job because there are more jobs for FNP . I hope I can find a job after graduation 🤗
I'm a relatively new nurse on my second year anniversary on January 8th. I started in a med Surg unit that was the only one at that hospital so the pt population was everything. All medsurg, all surgical post ops, then I started the covid unit with the first covid pt as a brand new RN. I came to this channel hoping to find information on the best route to become a nephrology nurse practitioner. I am in acute dialysis now and love it working closely with nephrologists and sometimes their NP. I don't know if the FNP track or adult acute is best. Some of the pt's are definitely in the ICU when requiring the nephrology consult and possibly dialysis. So I want to be able to see pt's at all locations not just the clinic or office but hospital and ICU. Can an FNP do that or where could I find that out? Thanks 😊 love your channel! Been watching a long time but have never posted a question.
Hey Liz! I am at a fork. I am currently a CVOR nurse. I am on track to do CNOR, RNFA, NP....so I can have OR time and patient contact....on the other hand, I am family oriented and the amount of hours the current NPs I work with is a total turn off. Clinic life is family friendly but I always find myself in the adrenaline rushing type care.
I’m FNP all the way, but a few friends are psych NP. I’m interested in WHNP, but I think I’d miss the rest of the family unit. I have 3 semesters left so hopefully will figure it out lol.
Im currently a new grad RN on a med/surg floor in a very small hospital. I love this hospital. Great coworkers, patient population, benefits, close to home... etc. However, I can't shake this feeling that med/surg just isnt for me. I'm very interested in being an RN in an outpatient setting. My goal is to it out on med/surg for at least a year... we will see!
Even tho im still working on my nursing degree. I will eventually go for my masters. I am just still torn between fnp and gerontology. Ig it will come down to which one is in higher demand. Thanks for the info
Hi Liz! How did you decide to go the ABSN->NP route instead of the PA route? Also, did you get an MSN or a DNP and how did you decide which to get? Thanks so much!! Really enjoying your videos :)
Hey! I didn’t have any intention of becoming an NP, and I wanted to be a nurse just changed my mind too late in college so absn made sense! Then after a few years I really fell in love with patient education and preventative medicine after seeing tons of people in the hospital who could have avoides their stay with better primary care. So I knew I wanted to do primary family care, which made more sense to go the NP route since I knew my specialty. I think PA can be a great option If you aren’t sure because you get to dabble in everything! But I knew my specialty and wanted ALL my training to be dedicated to it!
@@NurseLiz That makes sense! Thanks for the thorough reply. I am still a little bit confused if you did a DNP or a Master's program, because to my understanding you can be considered a NP with either degree depending on the program because you could also get a Master's in something like leadership or education. Is that right? I have heard that academia is trying to push all NP's to get DNP's, but that it hasn't really taken off yet and most programs are still Master's. I studied Biology as an undergrad with the intent of going to medical school and in the past couple of years decided that I much more see myself in a PA or NP role, but I am trying to figure out which is a better fit and how long school would take me for each option.
You can do either a Doctorate or Masters program to become an NP. I did a Masters. A Masters in nursing education or leadership wouldn't allow you to be an NP, only a MSN Nurse Practitioner program in a desired concentration would prepare you to be an NP
I don't necessarily think the degree you choose pigeon-holes your career opportunities. I currently work in an adult MICU and my degree is AGPC-NP. I know this is largely based on hospital preference / state legislation. But, as far as I know, there is no legislation (at least in NY) that dictates where a NP can be employed based on his / her degree.
I definitely agree you aren’t pigeon holed, especially since there are post masters certificates to broaden your scope if so deaired. As far as acute vs primary settings the hospitals and health systems I’ve worked at have been making the switch to only acute care for inpatient as that is what the education is geared toward. But like you said I think it still varies a lot by state and region!
I loved your video! A lot of the things you shared about your reasoning to become an fnp resonated with me also. I have just been accepted into a program and will start in the fall 🙌🏽 I don’t know if this is a realistic concern or not, but when I finish school in 3+ years time, I will have my primary RN experience in ldrp. I had before that about 2 years of med surg experience. Do you think I will have difficulties finding a job assuming my primary experience as an RN was in a specialty? (I didn’t want to do midwifery or whnp for a number of reasons). I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you so much!!
I think you will be fine! And congrats!! You still have tons of experience learning alarm signs, working with patients and learning how to communicate effectively which are HUGE
Hi Liz, may I know what school you attended and if they have preceptorship prepared for you or you need to look for your own preceptor?Thanks in advance.Happy New Year!
Hi Nurse Liz I am loving your videos and they are very informational yet digestible. So a little about myself and I know the likelihood of you responding is low but I needed some guidance. I am currently on a year break from life, I just got out of the military in a non medical job. But over the last 3 years I have been scratching at pre reqs and learning about the jobs and specialties within nursing. I already have a bachelors degree and am thinking of going into a direct entry NP course but as you probably would know finding a specialty is nerve racking especially when you have no nursing experience. Besides getting a BSN prior which is one of my options, how would you go by finding a specialty that speaks to you without that experience. Right now i am leaning toward CNM, FNP, AG-CNS. Any resources or help would do help me out.
I would avoid CNM because its very specific. Have you looked into PA school? Pa's are generalists so that could be an awesome option if you aren't sure what you want to do yet
I’m in my 3rd (out of 6)quarter of nursing school. Currently I work in a maternal fetal medicine clinic and love it. I have always wanted to be in OB or in the fertility specialty, but now I’m seeing different options through clinical. I know that if I stay at my current place of work, I’ll have weekends/holidays off, which is ideal. But my dilemma is that I have this fear that the clinic isn’t going to make it and I’ll have to work in the hospital... but I’ve lost my skills and won’t know what I’m doing.
Thank you so much for sharing this video! Currently an incoming university student, I am struggling in my decision of pursuing an MD vs NP vs PA. Originally, I planned to major in Psychology, and do that with a Pre Medicine track. However, my University only offers Pre Medicine Biology, and I do not want to major in Biology; my heart is not there. I'm torn between wanting a broad range of options with an MD, or pursuing a NP career. What would you suggest?
I think a lot of it has to do with how OK you are not the absolute expert if that makes sense. A physician receives more training, therefore will be the authority in their specialty. I feel that as an NP I can provide excellent care, and 5-10% of the time something is beyond my level so I ask for help. I'm totally fine with that. IF you arent the type that woudl be OK with that I'd go the physician route!
Thanks Liz! So helpful! :) I'm a RN in stepdown/progressive care. Got my CCRN. Thought maybe AGACNP is for me (or something actue.. in the hospital). But oh gosh I am so sad every time I have to work holidays haha. And just in general, being in the hospital, we kinda kick patients from place to place, and that makes me really sad. Forgot to mention I had a BA in public health too, so I always liked primary, just not sure why I got a CCRN lol If they asked me that in interview (as to why I'm acute care all the way, and want to change to primary now) I think I have my answers. Thanks :)
I’m stuck with picking which specialty to go for. I would love the OR, but lately my interest in forensic nursing has been growing. The inside of the body fascinates me as well as crimes.
Yesterday, I accepted my 1st nursing position in ortho/trauma at our level 1 trauma center, which is also the trauma and burn referral center for 3 other states. I recently had to make the decision to accept or keep waiting for a position in L&D to open up. In nursing school I had come to the conclusion that I wanted to get my WHNP or be a neonatal NP, I felt that L&D would give the experience with both but it is hard to get a job. So I decided to accept this one, and do it the traditional way (med-surge before specializing) especially since I think it will be a great foundation. Who knows maybe I'll get the need to try out ICU/PACU for a bit.
Congratulations on your job!!! That is such a huge accomplishment! I also went into med surge first because I couldnt find a job in peds, and I learned so much from my med surg job. Hope you have the same experience!
First of all, I love all your videos ! But I had a quick question...if I decide to go into fnp would I need to get certifications to work in peds or ob/gyn?
I love your videos! ◡̈ I am about to graduate with my kinesiology degree and have decided last minute I want to get my BSN once I graduate! Thinking I want to stay in the sports medicine route, I was wondering how to become an NP in orthopedics? Every MSN program I find only offers the specialities you mentioned in the video. Do I choose the family route then try to get a job at an orthopedic clinic? I know I have a long way to go, just some late night thinking lol!
FNP or AGNP and then get a job in ortho would likely be the best way. There may also be post grad fellowships that have some specialty teaching in those areas. ANy job you could get as a nurse in ortho would be helpful for sure!
I did a little bit of research earlier this year on CRNAs and this was what I gathered. Basically CRNA are in the top tier as far as nursing professions are concerned and their pay reflects that (e.g some of them are easily making $300+/yr). Pay aside, the training is intense and rightfully so. Most CRNA programs are now at the DNP level which basically takes 3 years full-time to complete which means you will not be able to work so hopefully you have a pretty nest egg or a supportive partner that will carry the financial load while you study. Some things that discouraged me from the CRNA route was the shift work--many CRNAs work night shifts, weekends, long hours which at this point of my career I am trying to avoid. Also, it can be physically gruelling....standing for +++ hours, incubating difficult airways which can break more than a sweat, pushing stretchers around etc. And so in my case, I just wanted a nice little office job with Monday-Friday schedule and little to no physical strain on my poor back from working the floors for 10+ years hence why I chose the FNP route. Anyway, these are just my thoughts, good luck on your decision.
Nima thank you for explaining this so well! She pretty much covered it all :) For me, I had no interest in CRNA because I also didn't want shift work like she said, and the thought of keeping someone alive while they are unconscious and in surgery is seriously my worst nightmare
thank you for sharing Nurse Liz! I need some advice. I have few experience as an RN working with infant to geriatric population. I have to say that I love working with pediatric better than other population. I am aware of relatively lower salary compared to other specialty, but I wouldn't mind as long as I do something that I am passionate about. However, my concern is lack of job options. I knew plenty of FNPs who work with pediatricians, so it makes me wonder where could PNP work then? I am aiming to work as a PNP in a school-based health center (probably because I am a school nurse and I love what I'm doing), but unfortunately the opportunity is pretty rare in my city. I once peeked their job advertisement and they didn't specifically mention that they want PNP. They just wanted an NP with pediatric experience. It made me think that employers do not care with the specialty as long as they could legally diagnose and prescribe certain population. Should I just do FNP in that case.. please advise, thank you :)
I’m looking into the pnp career, but I really like the whole 12 hour shift part of nursing. Most of the research I’ve been doing says that pnp’s work a 9-5 job normally, but I was wondering if you’d heard of anyone working the 12-hour shift style as a np or PNP. Also your video is so sweet thank you for your explainations! :)
The only pnp/outpatient jobs I’ve heard of being 12 hour shifts are at urgent care. Some jobs do offer 4 10’s though. The 12 hours shifts are definitely something I miss
Hi Liz, loved the video! I am currently an ER nurse, but have a deep love for women's health nursing so I am having a hard time deciding between the two NP tracks. Can a FNP work in a women wellness setting or would I need to have a double specialty? Can't seem to find a solid answer online. Any feedback is appreciated :)
FNP's can work in womens health, but most of the education isn't geared toward it. I usually say that if you know you want womens health I'd go for a degree in that! But I know lots of FNP's who work in womens health! I have a video that talks about this if you search "fnp in womens health"
The program I chose is a master's in FNP and I am torn between psych and the AGNP, my whole career has been in geriatrics and I may stay there. So after the program, I will be looking at certifications what do you think of those.
Hi Nurse Liz, Great video! I think the FNP route is the best one for me. I'm a single mother and I feel it to be the best fit for the work/life balance I need. I don't want to miss a thing with my kiddos you know? But I am also an adrenaline junkie lol, I thrive under pressure and think I would really enjoy the instant gratification of acute care. Is it possible to have the best of both worlds? How do you maintain your knowledge on procedures working as an FNP? From all my research ACNPs seems to be restricted to the hospital and FNPs are restricted to a clinic. Any advice will help, thank you!
Hi! I think it’s the JOB that will lead to work life balance and that can be found with ANY type of NP. If you like inpatient do that! There are some dual certification programs if you want a bit of both, but I haven’t seen many jobs that utilize someone on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, not to say they don’t exist though!
Love this video!! I have a few questions though😊 .. can fnps work in a hospital setting as well? And if they can, what do they do? Okay and last one, as an fnp do you need to pick a specialty or are you just able to see kids + adults?
Some hospitals will hire FNP’s, but the training is not geared toward acute care. It’s the NPs job to know their scope of practice and what they were trained for, not the hospitals. So even though the jobs are there, it’s not always the best fit role wise. I’m personally a believer that FNP’s trained in primary care should work in primary care, but there are definitely those who disagree. So can they work in a hospital? Yes. Should they? I don’t think so, unless they received specialty acute care training in a provider role. Family is your specialty, so you see them both!
I’m currently researching and I have an old classmate that is a FNP. She told me years ago to not do Adult NP because if you ever wanted to work in the ER and now likely urgent care center that you would need FNP so you can treat kids that come in these settings. I don’t have much desire to treat kids but do you know if now I’d be able to possibly work in ER or Urgent care with only being adult NP? I’m considering FNP because I don’t want to be limited in jobs without PEDS background in case it’s needed. I honestly prefer ortho, dermatology over family practice. Is FNP the route to do specialties such as ortho or dermatology or other specific specialties?
I know this video is old, but I graduated from nursing school in May and got my BSN. I've always had in the back of my mind that I'd maybe want to be an NP but my first priority was always being a mom and being around for my kids as much as possible. So I put my "dreams" (not sure if its ACTUALLY my dream) of being an NP aside. I'm currently in that waiting period of beginning my first job & not going back to school and it feels really really weird. so the idea of going back to school has popped up in my brain. The issue is, I'm uncertain if I want to be an NP or if I want to eventually do nursing education and be a clinical instructor of some sort. I was hoping maybe you could give me some insight and helpful advice? Also, pediatrics is my field of interest, so if I became an NP I'd want to be a PNP but wouldn't want to be full time so I could be with my kids/family a good bit of time as well. (any advice on this question as well? lol) THANK YOU LIZ YOU'RE GREAT!!!
Hey! So I wish I could give you an answer, but it's honestly something that totally depends on what you really really want to do. If you have a chance to shadow both options I think that would be really helpful. It took me a few years working as a nurse to kinda figure out what I wanted to do, so it may be the same for you! In terms of having a good work life balance, it totally depends on what job you get and what you are willing to negotiate/let go. Sorry that probably wasn't super helpful
Hey! I am applying for NP school and have a question! I love women's health and would like to work in an OBGYN office, but I'm afraid of getting my women's health NP instead of FNP because it's more specialized. Would an OBGYN office hire a FNP?
I’ve seen one FNP in an obgyn office, but mostly whnp! Or cnm. I’d say if you already know what you want to do then go for the specialty training with whnp. It’s covered, but very briefly in fnp
I very much relate to what you said about knowing I want to go into Primary care and not particularly enjoying/functioning well in gory high stress situations, and if I wanted to become an FNP I’d have to become a nurse first and probably have to work in that environment in the Hospital for a year or so before NP school. So if you (were in your junior year of college)had to decide between NP and PA would you not go the NP route just because of that? Also do you think there’s any benefit to having more autonomy a PA like in terms of pay or anything else assuming I don’t plan on opening my own practice anyway ?
Can FNPs work inpatient? Because I really would love to work with every generation but I also love the hospital setting but not necessarily in critical care. Need help pleaseee 😊
FNP programs are only focused on primary care at this point, so while some hospitals do hire FNP’s for inpatient jobs, the education doesn’t prepare you for that role.
Very helpful! I do have a question: what if I want to do both acute and primary care? I want to work with a surgeon, consult with their patients in the clinic, then see them post op in the hospital as acute patients, then see them again post op in the clinic. Would this be appropriate for the FNP? Or a different NP route? I love the idea of the FNP caring for all ages, not just 13+. Plus, I work in the OR currently and absolutely love pediatric patients. Thank you!
SO a lot of hospitals are starting to not let FNP's work in the hospital (not all, but thats the way things are moving) so I would probably recommend doing AGACNP that way you can work in the hospital. If you wanted kids you could always add a post masters cert in peds or fnp later.
Hey Liz, great videos! I'm 30 years old and looking to pursue nursing at my local community college's ASN program. I am a former PA student but I had to leave my program due to health and family issues and if I'm being honest I genuinely hated the program I was in. I'm currently working in an unrelated field and will pursue classes part time, hopefully all the way through my PMHPN training. I know it's a long route but one of the many great things about nursing education seems to be that the schools have part-time options and after being out of work when I left PA school without graduating, I absolutely need take the next few years to rebuild financially. I've watched a lot of your videos and it seems like while a huge amount of work, this should all be feasible. Can you weigh in? Also while it is impossible to tell the future, do you think that school's will eventually try to make the DNP fully replace the MSN? l've been lucky to shadow plenty of great NP's, PA's, and Physicians but there are also bad apples in every field. How, as an NP, do you work to advance your knowledge base and skillset? In PA school I saw massive differences in every program, some require a cadaveric anatomy lab and others do not. My former school's NP program had totally different academic requirements than the one down the block. One of the most disturbing messages they kept telling us in PA school was that "we [(PA's) learn all the medicine in half the time" which I know is not true. Have you come across a lot of this sentiment in your experience? I was an Army medic and I know there's no comparison in the training between advance practice providers and physicians but that said I'm just looking to be part of the team because I know we all serve a role. Thanks so much for all of your awesome videos!
Hi! So sorry you haven’t had the best experience 😖. I would say I also see a HUGE variability in education between schools. Which is incredibly frustrating, some NP’s definitely have that idea that they can do everything a physician can, but I’m with you, there’s no comparison to their expert knowledge which is helpful when needed. I definitely think part time while working would be feasible! That’s what I did!
Jeremy I know this is kinda irrelevant to your question but I’m actually a junior in college deciding on NP vs PA school right now. Any thoughts ? Sounds like you’ve been around the block
@@dovgewirtz1633 Hey bud I'm happy to answer anything! If you'd like to shoot me an email feel free to respond with your email address so I can answer you directly rather than get it mixed up in the UA-cam comments section lol. I only say that since these have a tendency to get people excited and off point. But that said I'm happy to talk!
Hi, Liz, I recently discovered your channel because I'm doing my research before I go back to school, and I'm making my way through your channel, but I have a question, I have always like adults and specially the elderly population, but people still recommend me to go for my FNP rather than adult and gerontology NP, what do you think?
If you know you never want to work with kids, you likely won’t want a job that requires your fnp since that would usually mean working with peds. A job that only works with adults would be fine with agnp!
I’m currently in school for FNP but i have very limited pediatric experience as an RN. I’ve been debating whether i should switch to adult gero because of my lack of peds experience. I do love kids but I’m not sure if FNP is the way to go based on my RN experience. What are your thoughts?
Naomi- I was in the same position as you -- couldn't decide between FNP and Adult / Gero. I don't really have much interest in obstetrics and prefer adults over peds and I really love elderly patients, so I'm now in my last semester of an adult / gero program and have really enjoyed it. Initially I was concerned that not being a FNP would limit job opportunities for me, but I've found that there are many, many positions out there for adult NPs. Best of luck to you in your decision!!
I'm thinking about going into the mental health side of healthcare. I'm not sure if I want to pursue nursing to np or what else might be out there., I'm not finding a lot on in. Well nothing that is current at least. Do you have any suggestions?
I want to become a nurse practitioner but I’m afraid I might miss my duties as an RN. Have you heard of people doing both ? I know you couldn’t do both full time but part time maybe?
What do you think about FNPs who live in an overstaurated market and cannot find jobs or finding only part-time of PRN options leaving them to continue working their RN jobs to make the money?
I think it totally stinks but whatever you need to do to make life work! There are definitely areas of the country that are less saturated if moving is an option at all. But it definitely is no fun for the over saturated areas. Sorry if that is you my friend
A lot of people think I'm nuts, but I finished a year of med school and have decided to switch to become an FNP or PMHNP. Partly because I had a brain lesion, took time off, and they want me to restart. And partly because it was miserable and two of my classmates died of suicide. :( But mainly because I realize it was always the better fit for my personality. Your videos have been like a nice big hug. I'm really hoping this all works out.
So sorry you had to deal with that, but it sounds like you are doing better and have overcome quite a bit. I'm sure that experience will make you a compassionate and empathetic provider soon. Kudos to you for following what you feel is the right path! It is SO sad how prevalent suicide is amongst healthcare workers, especially physicians. Hope you are doing well
Whatever works for you
Mateo W That takes so much bravery to make such a big decision! Glad to hear you’ve decided for yourself, and your life will go up from here.
I hope you are doing good and it's all working out for you.
Wow. Good for you. And congrats on having your endurance and determination pay off.
All the best. 💜
I’m actually a med student. I just don’t want to be clueless about NP training. Great videos!
I'm going into the neonatal nurse practitioner route, graduating spring 2020. Great content!
Such a cool specialty! Best of luck with the rest of your program!
You made it!! Congratulations, even though I'm late haha
congratulations! by the time you read about this you already made it!
Nice video 🥰🥰🥳your video is so cool, honestly FNP is such a difficult test man , really don’t know what to do but I’m never losing hope.🎉
Please does anyone know who this Mrs Brenda is ? I really need to speak with her I’m frustrated..
sometimes hard work doesn’t pay you have to back it up with smartness, I think your cousin understood that perfectly.
@Billyfrad-xt3srHi Billy !! how does this work please ?
@JohnSmith-wg6lr wow she’s a genius
Without Mrs Brenda I would still be in abject poverty struggling with my life, that’s the greatest testimony gotten so far after years of great loss here on UA-cam, I do thank her and I am grateful.
I am choosing FNP because I love primary care/prevention
Yess! Right there with you!
I had to figure this out as well and just figured out FNP is for me! I was a Ped nurse for 2 years. When I was a new grad, I was a med surg for adults floor and love working with all and both genders. FNP is for me! I am turning in my FNP applications this coming week!
I'm just starting my medical path with the medical assistant program and want to go on to nursing afterwards. I've been enjoying your videos and the energy you bring. You seem like a lovely person, Liz. Keep up the great videos. They're a big help.
aww thank you! Good luck with everything!! You will learn SO MUCH as an MA! The MA's I work with are half of my brain and keep me afloat!
I’m about to start my clinicals for FNP school, and I’m freaking out. Thanks for the video 😍
Awesome lol I'm still new! I just got accepted for my BSN program :) literally today hahaha. Going to go to NP school after
Hey Liz, I’m Liz too! I was a veterinary oncology nurse for 8 years and worked in the ICU for 10 years. I went back to school to be a Pediatric Oncology Nurse. I have many struggles like three young kids and pets , but I’m juggling my career as well. I want eventually to be a PA or NP still not sure until I get there. But your videos are so informative!
I'm so glad they've been helpful! and omg! what a cool background!
The whole driving in the car after night shift when deciding about going to NP school was so me😂😂😂
haha glad I'm not alone!
This happened to me this morning and here I am researching which NP route to go.
Awesome video!! I had similar questions when I finally decided on being an FNP. The only specialty I considered more seriously was the WNP/CNM. In the end I decided to not go that route b/c 1) This would me I would be in patient and like you, I like my holidays and 2) I found myself wondering if I would get bored. In the end, after talking to different NPs, I decided on the FNP route b/c I can go into different fields and as a FNP, I can always do a post masters if I ever wanted to do WNP in the future (probably not though). Enjoying my clinicals thus far and seriously every day, you never know what you're going to get. :D
Thanks for sharing! It is absolutely wildly different every day! I’m ready to be bored for just one day haha
Im an RN working on my BSN now and FNP really calls my name
Hi Liz. I just started following you and have really enjoyed watching your videos! I'm an ER nurse, currently in an FNP program, taking advanced health assessment and preparing for my 1st clinical rotation in the Spring. I'm really nervous and excited altogether. It's refreshing to hear your perspective and I love your enthusiasm and energy!
Clinical is when it gets fun! Best of luck on your journey!
Hey! Omg you instantly put me at ease.....you said to leave a comment about any time that we had to choose between two career paths, and, well....
When I first went to college at 18, I was an intended Pre-Med student. However, I failed/dropped out my very first semester, and I took the next semester off. The semester following my "break," I went back, did "okay," and then failed out again. I repeated this cycle for the next several years. In the process, I joined the military, switched to a Double Psych and French Major, Dropped the Psych major, got pregnant, had a baby, tried to go back to school AGAIN as a single mom (who was bartending/waitressing to pay rent)....and then finally graduated in May 2014 with......A FRENCH DEGREE......I got a job for an amazing software development company, where I currently work as a QA Analyst. While I"m "happy," I'm not inspired. So two years ago, I started on my Pre-Nursing courses. This semester, I've started clinicals in the Nursing program, and my final goal is to become an NP...of some sort. Right now my top choices are (in order of current levels of interest): Family, Midwifery Psych...........I feel like I'll encounter something in these next two years that will give me the "AHA" moment....or I'll just find myself signing grad school paperwork and picking the specialty that my pen (or mouse cursor) lands on.
I made that as short as possible, and even left a lot out....suffice to say that I appreciate hearing from someone who didn't stress out too much about where life would take her....because eventually, we end up where we are going whether we know the destination or not. :-) And to anyone else who is out there and regretting their life choices: STOP REGRETTING...GO ACCOMPLISH. I'm 37 years old, I have a 13 year old son that I raised on my own until my husband and I got married a year ago. I feel sooooo silly in some of my current classes with my classmates not being old enough to get a drink at a bar, but I know that in the end this is all going to be so worth it, and I'll look back fondly....and so proudly. Thank you, Liz, just for being you! You're great!
what an amazing journey!! Thank you for sharing! All that experience in life will make you such an awesome resource
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm an year younger than you and am interested in nurse midwifery and FNP and I'm in the stage zero of research and the likes.
From the moment I became an RN, I've always worked with older adults in nursing homes, rehabs, and hospitals. I did peds rotation in nursing school and it made me sad. and i dont want to work in a hospital anymore, I wanna be in a clinic or office seeing mainly healthy adults. I guess it's the AG-PCNP route for me!
awesome! So helpful to be able to narrow things down!
The school i plan on going to offers a dual Adult-Gerontological Acute Care and FNP program, so that's what i plan on doing to get certified as a critical care/emergency nurse practitioner
I’m so grateful I found this video. Thank you for wonderfully explaining this!
i'm so glad it was clear!
Hey Liz! This video is extremely helpful especially for people like me (a Junior in high school) who are thinking of becoming a Nurse Practitioner. One question I have, despite it being early, is is there a way that I could be both a pediatric nurse practitioner and psychiatric nurse practitioner all in one? I feel like I would love to be able to treat and help the physical and mental wellbeing of children. I know I am extremely young and have a lot ahead of me I’m just extremely curious! :) thank you!
Hey! So you definitely can! You would get a post masters certificate in one of them after your original, likely pnp with post masters is pysch.
Nurse Liz thank you so much!!!
Great question. And Liz is SO awesome at replying and answering our questions. 💜🌞
This is amazing! I'm glad I found your videos! I am looking to get into grad school soon but I just cant decide what I want. My background is ICU but honestly getting sick of the hospital and would like to try something different. FNP sounds like the perfect route. Thanks for the video!
Thank YOU for stopping by! I'm glad you found it helpful!
I'm a high school student but I've been trying to decide what I want to do since if I want to be a nurse I'd need to know so i can apply to nursing school after highschool. I can't decide if I want to be a PMHNP, an FNP, or a L&D Nurse there's so many things I'm interested, even carers outside of nursing like occupational and or physical therapy. I wish there was some type of end all be all career test that would give me a straight answer. I just want to job where I can connect with people while seing and aiding in their improvement but also has a great work life balance. I wonder if I'm asking for too much lol
Anyway, great video! I'm glad you found your niche :)
That would be awesome if there was some career generator that matched you with your perfect one!
My fork in the road was actually choosing nursing haha. I was working as a doula and wanted to start doing birth work full time, and I had to choose between CNM and CPM. For me, CNM was infinitely more work but the payoff for me and my patients was a lot greater as well. Thank you again for this channel! Sometimes this path feels overwhelming and daunting, and your videos make it all feel totally doable. Love it!!
So so agree that the payoff of cnm will be amazing!! What an awesome career and background going into it. I LOVED my cnm with my first!
Thanks@@NurseLiz ! That's awesome that you got to work with one for your first birth! Hope you have such a great experience for your second!
Thank you Liz , in my first year of the psych np program. Spent most of my career trying to figure out why I live psych so much. Who knows?! But do love it and your videos!
How's your program? I start in January
We need people who love psych so badly! So i'm so happy its your jam :)
Gary Tucker , I am at Walden. They are very supportive and I’ve been successful so far. The complaint I here is having to arrange your own clinicals. However if you’ve been in psych you will have enough contacts that it should not be a problem. Good luck!
Hi Liz, I am waiting on acceptance into a MSN-FNP program, online, part-time! I am choosing it for the "womb to tomb" well-rounded option!
Fingers crossed for you Shayla!
Which program were you waiting on acceptance?
This helped a lot, thanks for sharing! Love your energy!!!
So glad it was helpful!
U r awesome I am LPN an it has always been my dream to be a FNP I'm just finishing my last class for my RN this semester hopefully I can start soon.
Lol I loved this vid. Honestly ACNP picked me. But I’m an ICU nurse and I don’t want to leave my critical patients and I love codes and intubation and placing central lines. So this is for me and if I’m tired of inpatient I can go to outpatient surgery lol. Thank god! So I will start school Jan 14th! So excited!!!! Acute Care NP for me!
I'm so so glad there are people like you who love acute care!! Its something I really like about healthcare in general is how vast it is that there is seriously a niche for everybody, and we need all types of people!
I am applying for the FNP program as we speak. I am an acute care nurse at bedside, that is what I love. I love adult and geriatric. God I hope I am making the rest choice.
Not even in nursing school yet, but I'm wondering what my goal should be as far as a job when I'm done. I originally wanted to do ICU, but it sounds so overwhelming and I get overwhelmed embarrassingly easily. I donno I'll end up somewhere and the great thing about nursing is you can switch specialties and it's encouraged to do so!
It is definitely a field with so many possibilities! You'll get a good feel for what you like as well during your clinical rotations. Best of luck on your journey!
Secondly you confirmed my desire to become a clinical RN who can’t do a lot of preventive teachings. I was sad at first I won’t be working in the hospital because of the night and weekend commitments when your a new grad, but not you sealed it about being able to do more and build more relationships with the clients in the clinic. I am going to be a maternity support nurse when I graduate RN school in December
I’m a Pre-Nursing student, and the end goal is to be an Orthopedic FNP but now I’m considering PA because from what I’ve read in Texas NPS cannot lead their own practice and do independent surgical procedures . but I’m quite a ways from coming down to the choosing process. Gotta get through nursing school first.
It may look totally different when you are done! I feel like things are changing super fast. Best of luck with your journey!
Deciding between fnp, whnp, and PMHNP after 22 years of labor and delivery
I have to say I love how you respond to comments! I know you’ve answered this but I’m not sure if it was really specific. How many years were you actually a nurse, working as an RN before you applied for FNP school?
Thanks! I like talking with everybody 🙂. I was a nurse for 2 years before applying
Just starting my endeavor in nursing your clips are very informative.
So glad they've been helpful!
I love your videos! I thought about med school. Ended up going to business school?🤷🏻♀️ then I had my daughter and decided nursing was the right thing for me. I'm finishing business and then my BSN. Acute Care Pediatric NP is my end goal!
That’s awesome!
So I have been working in behavioral health and more recently case management. I am debating on going back for PMHNP. I love my behavioral health patients and am super interested in psychopharmacology. I have also become really interested in becoming an IBCLC. My daughter is 14 months and we had such a difficult feeding journey and I ended up having to find a lot of resources on my own. I did have an IBCLC but I've found a lot are just not super versed in exclusive pumping. I'd really like to be able to help new moms with this.
Yes I’m in the stage of chose career path if I’m not too old or late.
If its what you want to do I say go for it!
Very insightful input!!! Helped me!!!
Thank you for this vedio. I am in NP school for Gerontology NP. I like to work with adult and hope to be Cardiology speciality. BUT, I worry about it's harder to find a job because there are more jobs for FNP . I hope I can find a job after graduation 🤗
I think as long as you want to work with adults you should be totally fine! Best of luck as you finish your program!
Hey friend, are you still in NP school?
I'm a relatively new nurse on my second year anniversary on January 8th. I started in a med Surg unit that was the only one at that hospital so the pt population was everything. All medsurg, all surgical post ops, then I started the covid unit with the first covid pt as a brand new RN. I came to this channel hoping to find information on the best route to become a nephrology nurse practitioner. I am in acute dialysis now and love it working closely with nephrologists and sometimes their NP. I don't know if the FNP track or adult acute is best. Some of the pt's are definitely in the ICU when requiring the nephrology consult and possibly dialysis. So I want to be able to see pt's at all locations not just the clinic or office but hospital and ICU. Can an FNP do that or where could I find that out? Thanks 😊 love your channel! Been watching a long time but have never posted a question.
Hey Liz! I am at a fork. I am currently a CVOR nurse. I am on track to do CNOR, RNFA, NP....so I can have OR time and patient contact....on the other hand, I am family oriented and the amount of hours the current NPs I work with is a total turn off. Clinic life is family friendly but I always find myself in the adrenaline rushing type care.
I’m FNP all the way, but a few friends are psych NP. I’m interested in WHNP, but I think I’d miss the rest of the family unit. I have 3 semesters left so hopefully will figure it out lol.
Many of the same reasons that you stated are why I want to become a FNP
So cool :)
Im currently a new grad RN on a med/surg floor in a very small hospital. I love this hospital. Great coworkers, patient population, benefits, close to home... etc. However, I can't shake this feeling that med/surg just isnt for me. I'm very interested in being an RN in an outpatient setting. My goal is to it out on med/surg for at least a year... we will see!
I think thats a super reasonable time frame to figure out if thats for you or not, always so hard to tell in the beginning. best of luck!
Even tho im still working on my nursing degree. I will eventually go for my masters. I am just still torn between fnp and gerontology. Ig it will come down to which one is in higher demand. Thanks for the info
Hi Liz! How did you decide to go the ABSN->NP route instead of the PA route? Also, did you get an MSN or a DNP and how did you decide which to get? Thanks so much!! Really enjoying your videos :)
Hey! I didn’t have any intention of becoming an NP, and I wanted to be a nurse just changed my mind too late in college so absn made sense! Then after a few years I really fell in love with patient education and preventative medicine after seeing tons of people in the hospital who could have avoides their stay with better primary care. So I knew I wanted to do primary family care, which made more sense to go the NP route since I knew my specialty. I think PA can be a great option If you aren’t sure because you get to dabble in everything! But I knew my specialty and wanted ALL my training to be dedicated to it!
@@NurseLiz That makes sense! Thanks for the thorough reply. I am still a little bit confused if you did a DNP or a Master's program, because to my understanding you can be considered a NP with either degree depending on the program because you could also get a Master's in something like leadership or education. Is that right? I have heard that academia is trying to push all NP's to get DNP's, but that it hasn't really taken off yet and most programs are still Master's. I studied Biology as an undergrad with the intent of going to medical school and in the past couple of years decided that I much more see myself in a PA or NP role, but I am trying to figure out which is a better fit and how long school would take me for each option.
You can do either a Doctorate or Masters program to become an NP. I did a Masters. A Masters in nursing education or leadership wouldn't allow you to be an NP, only a MSN Nurse Practitioner program in a desired concentration would prepare you to be an NP
You are funny!! Thank you for being genuine :)
Love your videos ! You should do a video on what kind of jobs you can get with your msn
Thank you!
Starting my PMHNP in January!! So excited!
Yess!! We need out so badly!
I don't necessarily think the degree you choose pigeon-holes your career opportunities. I currently work in an adult MICU and my degree is AGPC-NP. I know this is largely based on hospital preference / state legislation. But, as far as I know, there is no legislation (at least in NY) that dictates where a NP can be employed based on his / her degree.
I definitely agree you aren’t pigeon holed, especially since there are post masters certificates to broaden your scope if so deaired. As far as acute vs primary settings the hospitals and health systems I’ve worked at have been making the switch to only acute care for inpatient as that is what the education is geared toward. But like you said I think it still varies a lot by state and region!
@@NurseLiz Can you make a video about post master certification? I'd really like some more information about it :)
Can you talk about what a job as inpatient ped NP is like? Thank you love your content! 💗
I loved your video! A lot of the things you shared about your reasoning to become an fnp resonated with me also. I have just been accepted into a program and will start in the fall 🙌🏽 I don’t know if this is a realistic concern or not, but when I finish school in 3+ years time, I will have my primary RN experience in ldrp. I had before that about 2 years of med surg experience. Do you think I will have difficulties finding a job assuming my primary experience as an RN was in a specialty? (I didn’t want to do midwifery or whnp for a number of reasons). I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Thank you so much!!
I think you will be fine! And congrats!! You still have tons of experience learning alarm signs, working with patients and learning how to communicate effectively which are HUGE
Hi Liz, may I know what school you attended and if they have preceptorship prepared for you or you need to look for your own preceptor?Thanks in advance.Happy New Year!
Hi Nurse Liz I am loving your videos and they are very informational yet digestible. So a little about myself and I know the likelihood of you responding is low but I needed some guidance. I am currently on a year break from life, I just got out of the military in a non medical job. But over the last 3 years I have been scratching at pre reqs and learning about the jobs and specialties within nursing. I already have a bachelors degree and am thinking of going into a direct entry NP course but as you probably would know finding a specialty is nerve racking especially when you have no nursing experience. Besides getting a BSN prior which is one of my options, how would you go by finding a specialty that speaks to you without that experience. Right now i am leaning toward CNM, FNP, AG-CNS. Any resources or help would do help me out.
I would avoid CNM because its very specific. Have you looked into PA school? Pa's are generalists so that could be an awesome option if you aren't sure what you want to do yet
I’m in my 3rd (out of 6)quarter of nursing school. Currently I work in a maternal fetal medicine clinic and love it. I have always wanted to be in OB or in the fertility specialty, but now I’m seeing different options through clinical. I know that if I stay at my current place of work, I’ll have weekends/holidays off, which is ideal. But my dilemma is that I have this fear that the clinic isn’t going to make it and I’ll have to work in the hospital... but I’ve lost my skills and won’t know what I’m doing.
I totally get that. Skills can always be re-learned if need be :)
Thank you so much for sharing this video! Currently an incoming university student, I am struggling in my decision of pursuing an MD vs NP vs PA. Originally, I planned to major in Psychology, and do that with a Pre Medicine track. However, my University only offers Pre Medicine Biology, and I do not want to major in Biology; my heart is not there. I'm torn between wanting a broad range of options with an MD, or pursuing a NP career. What would you suggest?
I think a lot of it has to do with how OK you are not the absolute expert if that makes sense. A physician receives more training, therefore will be the authority in their specialty. I feel that as an NP I can provide excellent care, and 5-10% of the time something is beyond my level so I ask for help. I'm totally fine with that. IF you arent the type that woudl be OK with that I'd go the physician route!
Thanks Liz! So helpful! :) I'm a RN in stepdown/progressive care. Got my CCRN. Thought maybe AGACNP is for me (or something actue.. in the hospital). But oh gosh I am so sad every time I have to work holidays haha. And just in general, being in the hospital, we kinda kick patients from place to place, and that makes me really sad. Forgot to mention I had a BA in public health too, so I always liked primary, just not sure why I got a CCRN lol
If they asked me that in interview (as to why I'm acute care all the way, and want to change to primary now) I think I have my answers. Thanks :)
I want to be an ob/gyn np! :)
Thank you !
I’m stuck with picking which specialty to go for. I would love the OR, but lately my interest in forensic nursing has been growing. The inside of the body fascinates me as well as crimes.
you can always change your mind!
Yesterday, I accepted my 1st nursing position in ortho/trauma at our level 1 trauma center, which is also the trauma and burn referral center for 3 other states. I recently had to make the decision to accept or keep waiting for a position in L&D to open up. In nursing school I had come to the conclusion that I wanted to get my WHNP or be a neonatal NP, I felt that L&D would give the experience with both but it is hard to get a job. So I decided to accept this one, and do it the traditional way (med-surge before specializing) especially since I think it will be a great foundation. Who knows maybe I'll get the need to try out ICU/PACU for a bit.
Congratulations on your job!!! That is such a huge accomplishment! I also went into med surge first because I couldnt find a job in peds, and I learned so much from my med surg job. Hope you have the same experience!
Hi Nurse Liz, would you consider PMHNP route to be equal to the FNP route in job security and income ?
I would say so. PMHNP in my area get paid more than FNP and there are CONSTANTLY job postings. so that's a good sign!
First of all, I love all your videos ! But I had a quick question...if I decide to go into fnp would I need to get certifications to work in peds or ob/gyn?
I love your videos! ◡̈ I am about to graduate with my kinesiology degree and have decided last minute I want to get my BSN once I graduate! Thinking I want to stay in the sports medicine route, I was wondering how to become an NP in orthopedics? Every MSN program I find only offers the specialities you mentioned in the video. Do I choose the family route then try to get a job at an orthopedic clinic? I know I have a long way to go, just some late night thinking lol!
FNP or AGNP and then get a job in ortho would likely be the best way. There may also be post grad fellowships that have some specialty teaching in those areas. ANy job you could get as a nurse in ortho would be helpful for sure!
Great video! What are your thoughts on CRNA?
I did a little bit of research earlier this year on CRNAs and this was what I gathered. Basically CRNA are in the top tier as far as nursing professions are concerned and their pay reflects that (e.g some of them are easily making $300+/yr). Pay aside, the training is intense and rightfully so. Most CRNA programs are now at the DNP level which basically takes 3 years full-time to complete which means you will not be able to work so hopefully you have a pretty nest egg or a supportive partner that will carry the financial load while you study. Some things that discouraged me from the CRNA route was the shift work--many CRNAs work night shifts, weekends, long hours which at this point of my career I am trying to avoid. Also, it can be physically gruelling....standing for +++ hours, incubating difficult airways which can break more than a sweat, pushing stretchers around etc. And so in my case, I just wanted a nice little office job with Monday-Friday schedule and little to no physical strain on my poor back from working the floors for 10+ years hence why I chose the FNP route. Anyway, these are just my thoughts, good luck on your decision.
Nima Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
Stuti no worries
Nima thank you for explaining this so well! She pretty much covered it all :) For me, I had no interest in CRNA because I also didn't want shift work like she said, and the thought of keeping someone alive while they are unconscious and in surgery is seriously my worst nightmare
Nurse Liz Thank you for replying, and yes, it sounds like an intense specialty for sure
thank you for sharing Nurse Liz! I need some advice. I have few experience as an RN working with infant to geriatric population. I have to say that I love working with pediatric better than other population. I am aware of relatively lower salary compared to other specialty, but I wouldn't mind as long as I do something that I am passionate about. However, my concern is lack of job options. I knew plenty of FNPs who work with pediatricians, so it makes me wonder where could PNP work then? I am aiming to work as a PNP in a school-based health center (probably because I am a school nurse and I love what I'm doing), but unfortunately the opportunity is pretty rare in my city. I once peeked their job advertisement and they didn't specifically mention that they want PNP. They just wanted an NP with pediatric experience. It made me think that employers do not care with the specialty as long as they could legally diagnose and prescribe certain population. Should I just do FNP in that case.. please advise, thank you :)
I have a whole video on this! If you check my NP playlist :) I recommend PNP if you know you want to work in pediatrics.
girl I am at the point where I am getting tired of working at bedside. :(
I feel you. I’ve been there. Hope things improve for ya!
I can't decide between FNP and PMHNP
Literally where I am right now
New subscriber here. Also a family nurse practitioner!
Welcome to the channel!
Do you believe FNP is over saturated? I’m considering which pathway to take. NP or CRNA Two total different pathways !
I’m looking into the pnp career, but I really like the whole 12 hour shift part of nursing. Most of the research I’ve been doing says that pnp’s work a 9-5 job normally, but I was wondering if you’d heard of anyone working the 12-hour shift style as a np or PNP. Also your video is so sweet thank you for your explainations! :)
The only pnp/outpatient jobs I’ve heard of being 12 hour shifts are at urgent care. Some jobs do offer 4 10’s though. The 12 hours shifts are definitely something I miss
Thank you for the reply. :) Urgent care is something I’m interested in as well, so maybe I could find something like that eventually.
Hi Liz, loved the video! I am currently an ER nurse, but have a deep love for women's health nursing so I am having a hard time deciding between the two NP tracks. Can a FNP work in a women wellness setting or would I need to have a double specialty? Can't seem to find a solid answer online. Any feedback is appreciated :)
FNP's can work in womens health, but most of the education isn't geared toward it. I usually say that if you know you want womens health I'd go for a degree in that! But I know lots of FNP's who work in womens health! I have a video that talks about this if you search "fnp in womens health"
The program I chose is a master's in FNP and I am torn between psych and the AGNP, my whole career has been in geriatrics and I may stay there. So after the program, I will be looking at certifications what do you think of those.
Hi Liz . Quick question did you become a RN then took the master? Or went directly to Msn NP?
I took off 3 years in between my BSN and going back for NP school
Hi Nurse Liz,
Great video! I think the FNP route is the best one for me. I'm a single mother and I feel it to be the best fit for the work/life balance I need. I don't want to miss a thing with my kiddos you know? But I am also an adrenaline junkie lol, I thrive under pressure and think I would really enjoy the instant gratification of acute care. Is it possible to have the best of both worlds? How do you maintain your knowledge on procedures working as an FNP? From all my research ACNPs seems to be restricted to the hospital and FNPs are restricted to a clinic. Any advice will help, thank you!
Hi! I think it’s the JOB that will lead to work life balance and that can be found with ANY type of NP. If you like inpatient do that! There are some dual certification programs if you want a bit of both, but I haven’t seen many jobs that utilize someone on both an inpatient and outpatient basis, not to say they don’t exist though!
Great video this helped a lot!!
I’m so glad! Thanks for watching 🙂
thanks for this video!!
Thanks for watching!
Love this video!! I have a few questions though😊 .. can fnps work in a hospital setting as well? And if they can, what do they do? Okay and last one, as an fnp do you need to pick a specialty or are you just able to see kids + adults?
Some hospitals will hire FNP’s, but the training is not geared toward acute care. It’s the NPs job to know their scope of practice and what they were trained for, not the hospitals. So even though the jobs are there, it’s not always the best fit role wise. I’m personally a believer that FNP’s trained in primary care should work in primary care, but there are definitely those who disagree. So can they work in a hospital? Yes. Should they? I don’t think so, unless they received specialty acute care training in a provider role. Family is your specialty, so you see them both!
Nurse Liz wow okay thank you so much!!
I’m currently researching and I have an old classmate that is a FNP. She told me years ago to not do Adult NP because if you ever wanted to work in the ER and now likely urgent care center that you would need FNP so you can treat kids that come in these settings. I don’t have much desire to treat kids but do you know if now I’d be able to possibly work in ER or Urgent care with only being adult NP? I’m considering FNP because I don’t want to be limited in jobs without PEDS background in case it’s needed. I honestly prefer ortho, dermatology over family practice. Is FNP the route to do specialties such as ortho or dermatology or other specific specialties?
I know this video is old, but I graduated from nursing school in May and got my BSN. I've always had in the back of my mind that I'd maybe want to be an NP but my first priority was always being a mom and being around for my kids as much as possible. So I put my "dreams" (not sure if its ACTUALLY my dream) of being an NP aside. I'm currently in that waiting period of beginning my first job & not going back to school and it feels really really weird. so the idea of going back to school has popped up in my brain. The issue is, I'm uncertain if I want to be an NP or if I want to eventually do nursing education and be a clinical instructor of some sort. I was hoping maybe you could give me some insight and helpful advice? Also, pediatrics is my field of interest, so if I became an NP I'd want to be a PNP but wouldn't want to be full time so I could be with my kids/family a good bit of time as well. (any advice on this question as well? lol) THANK YOU LIZ YOU'RE GREAT!!!
Hey! So I wish I could give you an answer, but it's honestly something that totally depends on what you really really want to do. If you have a chance to shadow both options I think that would be really helpful. It took me a few years working as a nurse to kinda figure out what I wanted to do, so it may be the same for you! In terms of having a good work life balance, it totally depends on what job you get and what you are willing to negotiate/let go. Sorry that probably wasn't super helpful
Hey! I am applying for NP school and have a question! I love women's health and would like to work in an OBGYN office, but I'm afraid of getting my women's health NP instead of FNP because it's more specialized. Would an OBGYN office hire a FNP?
I’ve seen one FNP in an obgyn office, but mostly whnp! Or cnm. I’d say if you already know what you want to do then go for the specialty training with whnp. It’s covered, but very briefly in fnp
Nice vid!. Just out of curiosity, why didn't you speak about Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practioners?
No interest in being one!
I very much relate to what you said about knowing I want to go into Primary care and not particularly enjoying/functioning well in gory high stress situations, and if I wanted to become an FNP I’d have to become a nurse first and probably have to work in that environment in the Hospital for a year or so before NP school. So if you (were in your junior year of college)had to decide between NP and PA would you not go the NP route just because of that? Also do you think there’s any benefit to having more autonomy a PA like in terms of pay or anything else assuming I don’t plan on opening my own practice anyway ?
I have a few videos on NP vs PA that may be helpful! If you have any questions after those feel free to ask!! I address these in those :)
Ok, thank you !
Can FNPs work inpatient? Because I really would love to work with every generation but I also love the hospital setting but not necessarily in critical care. Need help pleaseee 😊
FNP programs are only focused on primary care at this point, so while some hospitals do hire FNP’s for inpatient jobs, the education doesn’t prepare you for that role.
THANK YOU!!
Hope it was helpful for ya!
Yes!! It was thanks :)
Very helpful! I do have a question: what if I want to do both acute and primary care? I want to work with a surgeon, consult with their patients in the clinic, then see them post op in the hospital as acute patients, then see them again post op in the clinic. Would this be appropriate for the FNP? Or a different NP route? I love the idea of the FNP caring for all ages, not just 13+. Plus, I work in the OR currently and absolutely love pediatric patients. Thank you!
SO a lot of hospitals are starting to not let FNP's work in the hospital (not all, but thats the way things are moving) so I would probably recommend doing AGACNP that way you can work in the hospital. If you wanted kids you could always add a post masters cert in peds or fnp later.
I'm considering advance practice., Have you ever thought CRNA?
CRNA never interested me, it’s a cool career though!
I’m not even in nursing school yet and I had that drive home after shift realization that I was going to become an NP lol
What is your thoughts on online FNP school. I’m going to do it because it’s the best route for me in time and financially
Hey Liz, great videos! I'm 30 years old and looking to pursue nursing at my local community college's ASN program. I am a former PA student but I had to leave my program due to health and family issues and if I'm being honest I genuinely hated the program I was in. I'm currently working in an unrelated field and will pursue classes part time, hopefully all the way through my PMHPN training. I know it's a long route but one of the many great things about nursing education seems to be that the schools have part-time options and after being out of work when I left PA school without graduating, I absolutely need take the next few years to rebuild financially. I've watched a lot of your videos and it seems like while a huge amount of work, this should all be feasible. Can you weigh in? Also while it is impossible to tell the future, do you think that school's will eventually try to make the DNP fully replace the MSN? l've been lucky to shadow plenty of great NP's, PA's, and Physicians but there are also bad apples in every field. How, as an NP, do you work to advance your knowledge base and skillset? In PA school I saw massive differences in every program, some require a cadaveric anatomy lab and others do not. My former school's NP program had totally different academic requirements than the one down the block. One of the most disturbing messages they kept telling us in PA school was that "we [(PA's) learn all the medicine in half the time" which I know is not true. Have you come across a lot of this sentiment in your experience? I was an Army medic and I know there's no comparison in the training between advance practice providers and physicians but that said I'm just looking to be part of the team because I know we all serve a role. Thanks so much for all of your awesome videos!
Hi! So sorry you haven’t had the best experience 😖. I would say I also see a HUGE variability in education between schools. Which is incredibly frustrating, some NP’s definitely have that idea that they can do everything a physician can, but I’m with you, there’s no comparison to their expert knowledge which is helpful when needed. I definitely think part time while working would be feasible! That’s what I did!
Jeremy I know this is kinda irrelevant to your question but I’m actually a junior in college deciding on NP vs PA school right now. Any thoughts ? Sounds like you’ve been around the block
@@dovgewirtz1633 Hey bud I'm happy to answer anything! If you'd like to shoot me an email feel free to respond with your email address so I can answer you directly rather than get it mixed up in the UA-cam comments section lol. I only say that since these have a tendency to get people excited and off point. But that said I'm happy to talk!
Hi, Liz, I recently discovered your channel because I'm doing my research before I go back to school, and I'm making my way through your channel, but I have a question, I have always like adults and specially the elderly population, but people still recommend me to go for my FNP rather than adult and gerontology NP, what do you think?
If you know you never want to work with kids, you likely won’t want a job that requires your fnp since that would usually mean working with peds. A job that only works with adults would be fine with agnp!
AWESOME INFO
Glad it was helpful!
Can you talk about choosing your path in bsn?
Hey! Are you talking about how I chose nursing? Or what kind of nursing program I did. Let me know!
Nurse Liz How you chose what kind of nursing to go into after nursing/if med surg nursing is the best option for new grads
I’m currently in school for FNP but i have very limited pediatric experience as an RN. I’ve been debating whether i should switch to adult gero because of my lack of peds experience. I do love kids but I’m not sure if FNP is the way to go based on my RN experience. What are your thoughts?
If you want to take care of kids you can absolutely learn that skillset! Go with what you want
IM between FNP and Gerontology NP, I like that FNP gives me the flexibility to work with all ages.
That’s a definite plus!
Naomi- I was in the same position as you -- couldn't decide between FNP and Adult / Gero. I don't really have much interest in obstetrics and prefer adults over peds and I really love elderly patients, so I'm now in my last semester of an adult / gero program and have really enjoyed it. Initially I was concerned that not being a FNP would limit job opportunities for me, but I've found that there are many, many positions out there for adult NPs. Best of luck to you in your decision!!
@@lockedloaded4942 Can you share which school you've selected? I'm currently trying to finalize my msn school of choice
I'm thinking about going into the mental health side of healthcare. I'm not sure if I want to pursue nursing to np or what else might be out there., I'm not finding a lot on in. Well nothing that is current at least. Do you have any suggestions?
psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner would be the NP route if you wanted to be a provider!
I want to become a nurse practitioner but I’m afraid I might miss my duties as an RN. Have you heard of people doing both ? I know you couldn’t do both full time but part time maybe?
I have known several people stay prn at the bedside but they all stopped within a year of working as an np
What about psych np!! U missed that one?
That never appealed to me 😬
I am an RN working in oncology. I would like to work in both hospital as well as outpatient oncology. Would you recommend FNP or ACNP route?
look at the job postings and see what they are looking for!
What do you think about FNPs who live in an overstaurated market and cannot find jobs or finding only part-time of PRN options leaving them to continue working their RN jobs to make the money?
I think it totally stinks but whatever you need to do to make life work! There are definitely areas of the country that are less saturated if moving is an option at all. But it definitely is no fun for the over saturated areas. Sorry if that is you my friend