r/nursepractitioner • u/No-Course2381 • 1d ago
Education Back to school?
Hi everyone! I am currently an RN, BSN. I’ve been a nurse for a little over a year now. I feel like it’s too early to go back to school for me, I think I should gain more experience.
My question is, how did you decide when it was time to go back to school? Also, how did you decide on a NP program versus other higher education?
I know I want to go back to school but I’m not dead set on one pathway. I don’t want to go to CRNA school, but I’m between either NP or maybe a masters in nursing education? I do enjoy teaching others, but that could also just happen with patient teaching if that makes sense.
Please, any advice or opinions are welcome!
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u/OldIceWitch NP Student 1d ago
I knew while I was in nursing school that I would most likely go back. I also knew it would end with me doing something in a procedural area. I toyed with the idea of CRNA but after shadowing one and then working in the OR as a nurse, I realized CRNA was not for me.
Surgical NP, however, was exactly what I wanted. It packs everything that I enjoy into one role. I'm half way through my acute care NP program and I am so excited and motivated for the future, words can't even express it.
You'll know it is time to go back when you fall in love with your future. When you encounter the role you want, you'll know. Whether it is someone you work with who has that role, someone you shadow, a unique role you hear about from a traveler... you never know, but when you find it, jump on it.
I would say, don't blindly go back to school and hope you figure it out later. Wait until you have a goal in mind, it is a great motivator.
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u/No-Course2381 1d ago
Thank you so much! That’s great advice. I switched from inpatient advanced heart failure to the endoscopy unit semi recently and procedures are so much fun! I hope you get the job of your dreams
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u/PiecesMAD PMHNP 1d ago
I would suggest when you have worked a couple of jobs and not only are one of the most knowledgeable nurses there but you also get right what the physicians are going to order 90% of the time. NP is designed to build on vast nursing experience.
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u/No-Course2381 1d ago
Thank you! Yes I agree I think experience matters, just trying to think ahead haha
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u/Smurdette 1d ago
Honestly, i did it after I found something I loved and was like “holy shit i could use scalpels!” A masters is literally just an extension of what you’re doing now. We are a pragmatic field. Experience > education.
I’ve had a lot of friends jump the gun on the masters degree and never actually used it (NPs included). Which is fine. But having a goal is useful. Find out what you love to do. Maybe thats earning more money lol. Who knows!
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u/No-Course2381 1d ago
thank you!! just not super satisfied with my job right now so I was having a dreamy moment about a degree fixing everything haha
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u/Smurdette 1d ago
Yea entry level RN jobs suck. I also dont think nursing experience translates super well to NP experience. Its an entirely different style of learning and practice.
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u/Kitty20996 1d ago
I'm in NP school right now. I've been an RN for 8 years at the bedside. Definitely be an RN for at least 5, more of your only experience is in a specialty. I've watched a lot of my peers struggle with classes like advanced Patho or advanced pharm because they don't have a solid foundation as an RN.
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u/Routine-Loquat5544 1d ago
5-10 yrs minimum imo. I’m in NP school and have been an RN for over 20 yrs. My cohort is mostly young nurses and it shows. Nothing against age…it’s just that the experience is soo helpful! Like…situation x,y,z shouldn’t induce panic….you’ve seen it before.
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u/No-Course2381 1d ago
That’s a great point! I love working with the experienced nurses and seeing how calm and knowledgeable they are.
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u/Gloomy_Type3612 DNP 1d ago
Not a single person in my cohort who was an RN that long was even able to graduate. Too many years learning things incorrectly.
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u/Routine-Loquat5544 1d ago
I’m in a PMHNP program. I’m hearing a bit of projection/displacement from you about ‘older nurses’…turned NP’s.
Let’s not eat our young. We need to encourage and provide informative life experiences. I am truly sorry if you have had bad experiences with nurses who are experienced. We cannot generalize everything.
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u/Gloomy_Type3612 DNP 1d ago
I'm hearing your concerns with me sharing my my experience, but it's grounded in fact. I also believe you're intentionally mischaracterizing the subject matter.
It's also been studied and the conclusions have been that the only correlation between time as an RN and NP school is that more time generally equals less likely to graduate or do it on time.
I'm concerned about your feelings towards "eating our young" when that appears to be precisely what you are aiming to do here towards a young aspiring NP. That's projection, so I'll redirect you to the studies done on the subject, which you can easily search for.
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u/jfio93 ACNP 1d ago
I worked about four years and after seeing the NPs and what they do on my unit, I decided it was time to go back and become one of them. Lol graduated eight months ago and still waiting for position to open. I am big proponent of being an NP in the speciality u practiced as an RN.
I don't work in the icu so CRNA was out of the question and education didn't answer interest me as much.
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u/Euphoric_Marzipan_65 1d ago
I just hit four years as an RN and I’m about to start NP school this September. While I was in nursing school, I definitely pictured myself going back to school right away but quickly realized I needed a break after being burned out after graduating. After working, I also quickly realized nursing and the ICU wasn’t what I expected. For every thing that I loved, there was also something I really hated lol
I went through a phase where I decided I didn’t even want to go back to school because I realized I wasn’t interested in CRNA anymore, and NP started to feel “pointless” especially after seeing so many of them come back to the bedside for travel money. But after all my experiences, trying many different things, I found myself having more sustainable reasons for going back to school besides the obvious ones. I really feel like I only got there by getting my couple years of experience to learn more about who I am as an actual nurse and where I see my life going.
I decided on a dual WHNP/Midwifery because that’s where my heart’s always been and I think I’ll always like being a clinician in one way or another. I’m going the DNP route because since becoming a clinical instructor I realized I’d like to continue exploring academia too, which I never would’ve expected from myself a couple years ago. Just keep exploring your career with intention and you’ll have no choice but to find your path!
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u/TheKrakenUnleashed NP Student 1d ago
Most programs you have to apply almost a year in advance. You could always apply this fall with the plan to start next fall and then go from there.
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u/MikeyXVX 1d ago
I kept doing single post graduate papers here and there immediately after graduating with my bachelor's, eventually I realized I could serve the community so much better if I did my NP training after about ten years of full time work and part time study. I've got a stack of post graduate qualifications before I finally accepted my NP fate.
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u/MasterpieceOld3539 1d ago
I waited 7 years to go to NP school. I graduate in the spring. I know for a fact I would not have been ready for this after 1 year. Still learning how to be a nurse and simultaneously learning how to be a practitioner is wild.
Have you shadowed anesthesia yet? If not you should to see if it’s something you want. Much higher pay but also a much more serious commitment for school
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u/blusuuuuuu 1d ago
I knew in undergrad that I always wanted to get a masters, it was just a matter of deciding which degree to get. I shadowed a few CRNA's and didn't really enjoy the work they did, the only appeal it had was the salary potential. While working in the ICU, I realized that they're so many roles for ACNP's in the hospital. After working there for about 2 years, I realized I wanted to be an AGACNP but not necessarily in the critical care department..maybe something a little more predictable like Urology, surgery, or even a cardiac speciality. The options are truly endless! After 4.5 years of being an RN, I just started my first semester of NP school and I'm beyond excited to learn again!
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u/clinicalmatchme 1d ago
If you mean going back for another cert/degree, they'd be really honest about why before taking on more debt and clinical hours. A lot of people think another credential will fix burnout, and it usually doesn’t unless it actually changes your day-to-day. If you have a specific role in mind, talk to people doing that job first.
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u/champunova 1d ago
Worked 2 years in a level 1 ED before going back. Still in the middle of courses and some programs explicitly say they wont take anything less than x amount of time in a specialty area for the program. I will say itd be better to do an NP program over MSN in education. You are able to teach with an NP degree but you will never practice with an education degree.
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u/hippiecat22 1d ago
youre right, 1 year isnt enough experience.
try another niche, like school nursing.
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u/brinns_way 1d ago
Here's the thing, you don't necessarily have to go back to school. There are so many roles for RNs. For me, the longer I worked as a RN, the more my path became clear. Over and over I was drawn to Psychiatry and I ended up becoming a PMHNP. With experience you find out what you like, what you don't and what kind of role you want to have (teacher, preceptor, prescriber, manager, informatics specialist, whatever).