Questions about RNs, CRNAs, NPs

[Steve3824]

I am a 28 y/o male with a Bachelors of Science degree in physiology. Below are my questions about RNs, CRNAs, NPs:

1. Are there any time expirations on prerequisite courses to get into Accelerated BSN or direct-entry programs? I took all of my science pre-requisites back around 2009.

2. Is it flexible transitioning between RN, CRNA, and NP if you decide you don't like any one of them and also the flexibility transitioning between specialties?

3. How many specialties can you choose from as a RN or NP?

4. Is it possible to work as a CRNA and a NP together? Can you work a couple years as a CRNA, then a NP, then back to CRNA? How does this work?

5. Is it easy to work from home (telemedicine) with any of these degrees? Is the pay and number of hours good? How much per hour?

6. Do any of these roles (RN, CRNA, NP) require you to physically lift heavy objects or move patients? I am asking because I have back problems (degenerative discs and disc herniations from a back injury) where I cannot lift anything heavy. I can stand and bend just fine, just not lift anything.

If my back problems get worse and I can't walk around, can I do anything with a RN or NP degree? How much money can I make by sitting down or standing up immobile?

Thank you. Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated.

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[pamac]

1. Depends entirely on each and every school’s established policy. Usually it’s noted somewhere within their website.
2. No. You have to be an RN to transition into one of the advanced practice degrees like CRNA or NP (and there are separate specialties within the NP field. For instance, I’m a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. I can’t transition to being a family nurse practitioner without going back to school and training, then taking a test.
3. There are many roles as an RN to practice in, and there are certification exams that you can take that demonstrate competency. Whether you have to take those for a particular job depends upon the policies of the employer. I was an RN without any specialty certification and worked in ER, medical surgical, ICU, psychiatric, OR, and maternity. As an NP, off the top of my head, I can think of a few, but you can look it up on the internet.
4. It’s possible. For practical purposes, not really. You would end up having to dilute your skills between two realms by serving two masters. If you are asking this question, you need to get some health care experience and see what the landscape is like. Doing that would help you more than me answering any or all of these questions for you in depth.
5. If it’s easy for you to carry the burden of the risk that telemedicine could potentially hold towards your license to practice, then yeah, it’s easy. I’m fairly new to the field, and I’m too scared to do telemedicine under the circumstances that you are probably curious about. Some health systems have you seeing people remotely from your office to another person at a satellite office. That’s a bit different if they are established patients and an MA is there with them. In that scenario, I would not be wearing my pajamas in my home talking to a stranger wearing his or her pajamas in their home. From what I’ve seen, the pay for the latter style of “practice” isn’t very enticing given the risk and stress.
6. I’m a psychiatric NP. I make sure I’m fit enough to run away, or else protect myself and staff under most reasonable physical scenarios. When I was training in urgent care and primary care rotations, there was a fair amount of physical exertion that may surprise many folks who’ve never really watched for it. Not much lifting, but crouching, bending, squatting, leaning, and negotiating yourself around tables and people. A lot of standing up and sitting down. You could easily stand up and sit down on chairs of varying comfort at least 15 times in 15 minutes. Not hard, but if you add it up, it represents a fair amount of physicality, at least in my mind.

I didn’t choose psyche because it wasn’t physically strenuous, but I do recognize that it’s something I think I could do well into my old age. If I were to hurt myself during onenof my many outdoor hobbies, I like to think I could still practice for the most part if I felt I needed to. Currently my biggest worry is just not getting fat, so I work out a lot.

 

[psychnurse]

pamac gave you great answers.

I would add that many hospital-based RN jobs are physically demanding. I'm in good shape and have always lifted weights without too much problems. But in my first RN job (inpatient psych), I was on my feet hours on end and it really messed up my knees and ankles. I've since transitioned into another setting that requires much less walking around and it works out well.

Good luck!

 

[MidwestPAC]

I am a 28 y/o male with a Bachelors of Science degree in physiology. Below are my questions about RNs, CRNAs, NPs:

1. Are there any time expirations on prerequisite courses to get into Accelerated BSN or direct-entry programs? I took all of my science pre-requisites back around 2009.

2. Is it flexible transitioning between RN, CRNA, and NP if you decide you don't like any one of them and also the flexibility transitioning between specialties?

3. How many specialties can you choose from as a RN or NP?

4. Is it possible to work as a CRNA and a NP together? Can you work a couple years as a CRNA, then a NP, then back to CRNA? How does this work?

5. Is it easy to work from home (telemedicine) with any of these degrees? Is the pay and number of hours good? How much per hour?

6. Do any of these roles (RN, CRNA, NP) require you to physically lift heavy objects or move patients? I am asking because I have back problems (degenerative discs and disc herniations from a back injury) where I cannot lift anything heavy. I can stand and bend just fine, just not lift anything.

If my back problems get worse and I can't walk around, can I do anything with a RN or NP degree? How much money can I make by sitting down or standing up immobile?

Thank you. Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated.

For your question on number 2: You can transition between NP to CRNA, but that would be A LOT of extra pre-reqs, and A LOT of schooling to be a CRNA. Most people would never do that. Now to go between psych NP to family practice, for example, you can do that in as little as 4 months of clinical rotations with 24 credit hours of didactic work. This would be very easy and not much time wasted nor money. I will post links for you.

https://portal.frontier.edu/documents/10609/142985/FNU+Catalog+Spring+2019.pdf/c5a571be-a60f-d2cc-e454-556e7b22aa48

PGC Program Plan Family Nurse Practitioner Curriculum Students who did not complete the required courses for Admission may have those courses added to an individualized program of study by the Associate Dean. See Admission Criteria for the Post-Graduate Certificate section of this catalog for details. Level II: Clinical Management for Specialty Care (22 didactic credits – 0 clinical credits) NP700 The Role the Nurse Practitioner (3-0) NP702 Primary Care I (3-0) NP703 Women’s Health and Childbearing (4-0) NP704 Primary Care Pediatrics (3-0) NP705 Primary Care II (3-0) NP706 Primary Care III ( 3-0) PC719 Introduction to Psychiatric Mental Health (3-0) Level III: Clinical Bound (1 didactic credit – 0 clinical credits) NP711 Advanced Skills for Nurse Practitioner Care(1-0) Level IV: Clinical Practicum (1 didactic credit – 12 clinical credits) NP713 FNP Clinical II (0-3) NP714 FNP Clinical III (0-3) NP715 FNP Clinical IV (0-3) NP716 FNP Clinical V (0-3) NP717 FNP Final Comprehensive Review (1-0) Post-Graduate Certificate Completed: 36 total credits (24 didactic + 12 clinical)

https://frontier.edu/student-experience/clinical-experience/

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The clinical experience follows completion of your didactic coursework and a campus visit for Clinical Bound.

• MSN and ADN Bridge Entry Option students will complete a minimum 675 clinical hours and a minimum 16 weeks of clinical experience during the MSN curriculum.
• For Post-Graduate students, the minimum is 540 clinical hours with a successful challenge of three clinical credits and 16 weeks of clinical experience.
• Students will complete an additional 360 clinical hours prior to finishing the DNP.
• Click here to view the catalog for clinical hour requirements.

https://frontier.edu/admissions/admissions-criteria-pgcdnp/

 

[phagocytosis41]

I am a 28 y/o male with a Bachelors of Science degree in physiology. Below are my questions about RNs, CRNAs, NPs:

1. Are there any time expirations on prerequisite courses to get into Accelerated BSN or direct-entry programs? I took all of my science pre-requisites back around 2009.

2. Is it flexible transitioning between RN, CRNA, and NP if you decide you don't like any one of them and also the flexibility transitioning between specialties?

3. How many specialties can you choose from as a RN or NP?

4. Is it possible to work as a CRNA and a NP together? Can you work a couple years as a CRNA, then a NP, then back to CRNA? How does this work?

5. Is it easy to work from home (telemedicine) with any of these degrees? Is the pay and number of hours good? How much per hour?

6. Do any of these roles (RN, CRNA, NP) require you to physically lift heavy objects or move patients? I am asking because I have back problems (degenerative discs and disc herniations from a back injury) where I cannot lift anything heavy. I can stand and bend just fine, just not lift anything.

If my back problems get worse and I can't walk around, can I do anything with a RN or NP degree? How much money can I make by sitting down or standing up immobile?

Thank you. Any advice or insight is greatly appreciated.

1. Not too sure... Double check with the programs, but I would assume most programs would want you to take at least some classes since you took those 10 years ago.
2. Well you either become an NP or a CRNA after you get a Masters/Doctorate degree, while you already hold a BSN/AAS in Nursing. You can't transition from NP to CRNA and vice versa, unless you also get Masters degree for both degrees. But its easy to go from NP or CRNP to an RN since you have to become an RN with some experience to even get admission to NP/CRNA programs.
3. RN pretty much any since nursing is a general field. As for NP it depends on what type of NP graduate degree you get. If your a Family NP, its pretty much what a Primary Care Doc does, and I assume if you have the experience, a lot of other specialties since Family NP is pretty much general practice. But if your an Adult or Woman's Health NP, your pretty much restricted to Adult/Woman's health.
4. Not together... Those are two totally different fields. Its like saying you want to work as a IM Doc and an Anesthesiologist at the same time... Its a no Go.
5. I assume anything is possible, so yes. Not sure if that is all you can do, I would ask those that are in Nursing Telemed.
6. RNs lift a lot while turning patients, transferring them, etc. Def. RNs do more of the lifting than NPs but I assume CRNA do their fair chair since they are in the OR and have to help the team at times with lifting.
Good luck!
Source: RN, Soon to be Physician.

 

[pamac]

6. Yeah, I don’t lift patients. I’m a psyche NP, but even if I was an FNP, I wouldn’t be lifting a thing. However, as an NP, you might find yourself in some uncomfortable physical environments or procedures that require leaning, bending, weird angles of attack, getting up and sitting down all the time, going from room to room, changing position a bunch. A CRNA especially can find themselves struggling over patients while handling lines and airways. It’s always looked uncomfortable to me to see how they had to lean in to install epidurals. I’d never want to be going in and out of rooms all day in a busy doctors office or ER. As a psych NP, I either bring patients back to my office or have them brought in. I stay in good physical shape for general health, but also to creat an imposing and capable physique to discourage anyone in an altered mental state from being able to harm me or anyone else if I can help it. Of course, mental health patients don’t always have the faculties to think logically, so my mileage varies as far as how imposing I can seem with my physical appearance. But fortunately, I haven’t had anyone try their luck and get physical with me in my NP role.