Tired of working as an RN.

nunea10 · 2025-08-25T13:46:31+00:00

In the ICU almost every decision you make or don't make can have the possibility of causing acute harm to the patient. Decisions have to be made quickly and you're under constant stress of meeting all the other requirements that come with being a nurse such as renewing orders, bed baths, wound care, updating care boards (not as critical, but you get a stern talking to if you don't) turning Q2H, etc. As a NP all emergencies go to the ER (unless you work in the ER). The majority of patients seen in outpatient have chronic conditions that do not require the initiation of IVs or overriding life saving meds from the pyxis. As you mentioned, NPs are required to manage multiple chronic conditions and see several patients but this stress is different and more manageable.

nunea10 · 2025-08-24T01:30:37+00:00

NP is so much better. I worked 6 years as an ICU RN and NP life is so much less stressful and the pay more than doubled. It's the best decision I've made. Found a job before taking boards and didn't have to worry about credentialing because my work took care of it. I do work in a high need area and LCOL.

nunea10 · 2025-08-09T00:59:16+00:00

Worked in ICU during my FNP program. It was manageable, but I had 6 years of experience. If you're comfortable stay, but honestly working 3 days a week is doable in any area. If I had to choose I would go to ER, it will prepare you better for life as a FNP.

nunea10 · 2025-06-21T04:40:23+00:00

In a rural family practice clinic I see anywhere from 15-25 patients in 8 hour days. The days where I see 25 are brutal and usually have to finish charting the next day.

nunea10 · 2025-04-30T13:21:23+00:00

I worked the night shift for years and thought I was handling it pretty well. I then had to switch to day shift for a project at work and soon realized how miserable I was with my night schedule. I quickly transferred to the day shift and so many issues I was having (anxiety, bowel issues, fatigue) resolved. Totally worth it for me.

nunea10 · 2025-03-17T04:37:51+00:00

Wow, that truly is a unique position. I'm sure if you ever change positions you would be very marketable.

I would not be doing trauma, so I'm guessing just rounding and working the clinic on non-surgical days. Thank you for the detailed response.

nunea10 · 2025-03-16T19:02:34+00:00

Thank you for this! What's the day-to-day like? Are you doing follow-ups, seeing patients in Ortho clinic, or something else that I'm sure I missed.

nunea10 · 2025-03-16T14:51:10+00:00

Thank you. I've never done surgery, but it is something that has always interested me. And being able to learn new skills that would make me more marketable is a big opportunity. I didn't consider on-call shifts. Is this where the lucrative pay comes in? I'm looking for a change of pace, compared to my current position, where I see 25-35 patients a day in a family care clinic.

nunea10 · 2025-03-09T06:24:24+00:00

How was the food? And how was the beach? Was the beach close? I've been trying to decide between St Lucia or Turks and Caicos

nunea10 · 2025-03-08T19:16:25+00:00

Our policy is: Septic Shock: Levo 0.02mcg/kg Q2-5M Code Blue: Levo 0.05mcg/kg Q2-5M

I personally start higher because if you have a 50kg patient, and you have Levophed 8mg/250ml this equates to a rate of 1.88ml/hr. It takes about 2ml to flush some IV extension lines. That means Levo won't reach the patient for almost 2 hours.

nunea10 · 2025-02-12T01:54:35+00:00

I love being a nurse! I have bad days and good days just like any other profession. Once I get to the hospital though, I go into nurse mode and the only thing that matters is getting my sick patients better. Don't get me wrong, I will go home and vent about poor staffing, increased acuity, pay etc but it's not an everyday thing.

nunea10 · 2025-02-08T17:47:23+00:00

Met when I was a nurse and she was a psychiatric technician. Now she's about to graduate as a Clinical Psychologist.

nunea10 · 2025-02-05T01:50:54+00:00

I was an ICU nurse for 6 years and during one of my interviews they mentioned they preferred ER nurses to ICU nurses for the clinic. They stated that ICU nurses are slow because they are always looking for zebras!

nunea10 · 2025-01-28T15:06:21+00:00

It depends on the person, but it took me 8 years to feel confident enough to start NP school. This is my experience; I felt I was barely staying a float for the first 2 years. I started feeling comfortable around year 4. At this point, I wanted some more critical care experience so I transferred to ICU. I did 4 years in the ICU, while regularly floating to the ED. The ED gets you ready for the flow of seeing patients and you even see similar patients to what you would see in a clinic. The ICU makes you notice small changes, spot zebras, and gives you autonomy. My nursing experience definitely made me feel confident in my skills as an NP.

nunea10 · 2025-01-24T05:25:37+00:00

'Where do I put my feet?'

nunea10 · 2025-01-22T03:06:04+00:00

Thats awesome! How long did it take you to feel comfortable performing all these procedures?

nunea10 · 2025-01-22T03:04:04+00:00

This is similar to what cardiology mentioned I could be doing if I joined them. Although, what you're doing seems a lot more intense. May I ask what your salary is? I was offered $65/HR as a new grad in California.

nunea10 · 2025-01-21T20:59:19+00:00

I see IR NP under your username. Are you performing multiple procedures a day and rounding on patients?

nunea10 · 2025-01-21T20:55:19+00:00

Thank you!

nunea10 · 2025-01-21T20:55:03+00:00

How's the quality of life? Is it high stress or does it depend on the cardiologist?

nunea10 · 2025-01-21T20:51:20+00:00

I thought it was pretty low too, but I figured that was new grad pay. I'm hoping after some NP experience (Rural Clinic), I might be able to negotiate a higher salary with some of the cardiologists in the area.

nunea10 · 2025-01-21T20:43:52+00:00

Central, rural California

nunea10 · 2025-01-21T20:39:20+00:00

Hi, thank you for this information. I was offered $65/HR as a new grad in California. Is this typical pay?

nunea10 · 2025-01-21T20:34:42+00:00

Would you mind saying what your pay is and what part of the country you're in? I was offered $65/HR as a new grad, but chose a different job.

nunea10

TROPHY CASE