Hildergard said:
I am now in the process of applying for nursing program (hopefully, I will get in next Fall 2005). Anyhow, I have been looking into many nursing jobs and I notice that some of them are for "nurse practitioners" while others are for "registered nurses". Aren't they the same? I am really confused because I've always thought that once you become RN, you could pretty much work in any department in a hospital. Can anyone illuminate me about this? Also, another question that I have is how much does a recent grad (RN) make per hour? Does it matter where you receive your nursing education, meaning associate degree vs Bachelor's degree?
thanks everyone 😍
ADN's and BSN's start at the same base rate. Pay varies from state to state and generally the starting rates are the same. If you want to get your BSN your hospital will most likely pay for it. Not all states are the same; not all hospitals are the same.
MD Office pay is generally much lower, since most docs don't want to pay for nursing skills; they will only hire one RN and the rest will be Medical Assistants -- with one semester of post-HS education. Scary, isn't it! The MA's are taught to take vital signs, give IM/SQ injections, draw blood, and write down what medications the patient is taking. They do not do any patient education and they are
not nurses, although the MD's often refer to them as such. I don't know why docs hire MA's; they are uneducated in the nursing process as a whole and do more to confuse the public about the RN's role in healthcare.
Nurse Practitioners, on the other hand, must be at least master's degreed, and are mid-level practitioners. However all that responsibility isn't rewarded as the AMA is doing what it can to keep NP's 'in their place' by keeping wages low. RN's w/5+ year's experience will make more money than a master's degreed NP for the most part, unless you get a really, really good collaborative agreement with really decent docs who understand and accept that NP's practice in the nursing model: Patient education, empathy, and respect for their patients.
PA's are trained in the so-called 'medical model' and must work under the supervision of an attending physician. NP's are not held to this standard as nurses do not report to physicians but to other nurses, or can practice on their own with a collaborative agreement with a physician.
