- Joined
- Nov 21, 1998
- Messages
- 12,566
- Reaction score
- 6,963
"Exactly as the title says, I am enrolled at a top 10 brick and mortar nursing school to become an Adult/Gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. I have been a registered nurse in the CTICU and ED for 7 years prior to pursuing my NP. I purposefully applied to a top-10 brick and mortar program since I didn't want to go to a diploma mill online program that everyone I know is doing (The barrier to entry for NP these days is non-existent. There are hundreds of online NP programs across the country that just require your e-mail and an application fee.) and wanted the best possible education I could get. After a year and a half in the program, I feel completely and utterly unprepared. NP education and clinical time is not adequate to generate competent clinicians. While we do have lectures from leaders in various fields, there is a huge focus on writing research papers, alternative treatments, and nursing theory. I was originally going to apply to PA school, but my NP program is heavily discounted since I work at the academic hospital linked to my university.
Even more frustrating are my classmates and others I interact with who are pushing for complete autonomy for nurse practitioners, and the cringeworthy "heart of a nurse, brain of a doctor" BS. The facts are clear, if you want to independently practice as a physician, go to medical school and become a physician. I came to NP school to gain a broader understanding of the pathophysiology underlying the disease and be able to adequately treat patients, but I am not there or even close. Furthermore, clinical hour requirements are less than PA's who are educated in the medical model, and oftentimes, I am embarrassed by my lack of knowledge when compared with the residents that I round with. I want to be competent, and not endanger my patients.In my free time, I try to study outside of my schoolwork as much as possible. I look up everything I don't know and have been using additional resources such as Onlinemeded, Uptodate, and step up 2 medicine for IM. My eventual end-goal is to become a specialty ACNP and apply for a year-long hospital residency/fellowship if I can find one but I am looking for any additional resources or advice on how I can improve as a clinician."
Even more frustrating are my classmates and others I interact with who are pushing for complete autonomy for nurse practitioners, and the cringeworthy "heart of a nurse, brain of a doctor" BS. The facts are clear, if you want to independently practice as a physician, go to medical school and become a physician. I came to NP school to gain a broader understanding of the pathophysiology underlying the disease and be able to adequately treat patients, but I am not there or even close. Furthermore, clinical hour requirements are less than PA's who are educated in the medical model, and oftentimes, I am embarrassed by my lack of knowledge when compared with the residents that I round with. I want to be competent, and not endanger my patients.In my free time, I try to study outside of my schoolwork as much as possible. I look up everything I don't know and have been using additional resources such as Onlinemeded, Uptodate, and step up 2 medicine for IM. My eventual end-goal is to become a specialty ACNP and apply for a year-long hospital residency/fellowship if I can find one but I am looking for any additional resources or advice on how I can improve as a clinician."
