Nurse Practitioner job market

[fsu813]

Originally Posted by tacosman

This is a little off topic, but I don't trust their quality of work. Knowledge base and skills are usually very superficial.

That's a very ignorant comment. There's many NP's who save doctors butts on a regular basis. It's about the individual, not the title, as in most professions.

[tacosman]

Originally Posted by fsu813

That's a very ignorant comment. There's many NP's who save doctors butts on a regular basis. It's about the individual, not the title, as in most professions.

I suppose anything is theoretically possible, but I am unimpressed by them. Standards appear lacking.

[wrigley615]

Originally Posted by tacosman

I suppose anything is theoretically possible, but I am unimpressed by them. Standards appear lacking.

"Theoretically possible" ??? Wow, you're just so wrong! Are you a medical professional? I'm not trying to start some pissing contest, I'm just curious where your opinion is based. I just showed this thread to 2 doctors who both thought you are way off base. Like I said before though, there are gonna be bad mid-levels out there, just like bad physicians. I think one got you a little jaded.

[tacosman]

Originally Posted by wrigley615

"Theoretically possible" ??? Wow, you're just so wrong! Are you a medical professional? I'm not trying to start some pissing contest, I'm just curious where your opinion is based. I just showed this thread to 2 doctors who both thought you are way off base. Like I said before though, there are gonna be bad mid-levels out there, just like bad physicians. I think one got you a little jaded.

yes I work in health care and have worked with several nps. I've also worked with an np training progam at multiple sites. If you have a different opinion than me, that's fine/perfectly ok.

[wrigley615]

Originally Posted by tacosman

yes I work in health care and have worked with several nps. I've also worked with an np training progam at multiple sites. If you have a different opinion than me, that's fine/perfectly ok.

Fair enough

[momwifenp]

I'm an NP myself and agree that our clinical hours ARE often questionable. Personally, I would never feel safe myself or my family being cared for by an FNP I did not personally know. The knowledge base of an NP historically came from being a "floor nurse" for many years and gaining knowledge through experience. That is, however, no longer the case and many new graduate nurses are entering NP programs directly out of nursing school. To me, that is unsafe practice.

With that being said, I would trust a specialized NP. An oncology NP, for instance, spent two years learning about specifically cancer, cancer treatments, cancer drugs, etc. That individual does have a large amount of information about a very narrow, specific topic. I'd allow them to be part of my cancer treatment team. Same goes with neonatal NP (I am a neonatal NP), psychiatric NP. They have a very narrow, specific knowledge base. Specialized NP's also REQUIRE a minimum of two years floor nursing experience in that discipline, so they're coming into the masters program with some baseline knowledge. But no matter how experienced, an NP will never be in the same league as a MD, they lack the foundation.

A lot of my friends have done the FNP route and they all know very little about a lot of things...if that makes sense. "Fake it 'til you make it" one of my friends who works a Walgreen's Take Care Clinic says.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by momwifenp

I'm an NP myself and agree that our clinical hours ARE often questionable. Personally, I would never feel safe myself or my family being cared for by an FNP I did not personally know. The knowledge base of an NP historically came from being a "floor nurse" for many years and gaining knowledge through experience. That is, however, no longer the case and many new graduate nurses are entering NP programs directly out of nursing school. To me, that is unsafe practice.

With that being said, I would trust a specialized NP. An oncology NP, for instance, spent two years learning about specifically cancer, cancer treatments, cancer drugs, etc. That individual does have a large amount of information about a very narrow, specific topic. I'd allow them to be part of my cancer treatment team. Same goes with neonatal NP (I am a neonatal NP), psychiatric NP. They have a very narrow, specific knowledge base. Specialized NP's also REQUIRE a minimum of two years floor nursing experience in that discipline, so they're coming into the masters program with some baseline knowledge. But no matter how experienced, an NP will never be in the same league as a MD, they lack the foundation.

A lot of my friends have done the FNP route and they all know very little about a lot of things...if that makes sense. "Fake it 'til you make it" one of my friends who works a Walgreen's Take Care Clinic says.

All good points IMO. I'm a retired lawyer who did a lot of medical/legal work. I have no problems with the NPs and PAs who work with some of the specialists I see from time to time. OTOH - when it comes to routine medical care - my quarterback is my family doc - who's board certified in internal medicine. My husband and I have never gone to a drugstore clinic except to get shots (and only after clearing them with our doctors - some people with various problems shouldn't get certain kinds of shots). Robyn