Is RN experience before NP school a must? Before I share my own opinion, I will first start out by saying that there are two camps and most people are not interested in hearing what the other camp has to say about this topic. So, the purpose of this blog entry is not to persuade or dissuade anyone, but to simply share my own experience.
There was nothing that I learned in nursing school that could have prepared me for what it would be like to be a bedside nurse in a busy trauma hospital in the ICU. Nothing can prepare you to take care of someone who was just shot in the face several times. Nothing can prepare you to see a mother who kissed her son goodbye that morning and is now seeing him for the first time in the ICU after a motor vehicle collision with a severe traumatic brain injury. Nothing can prepare you to witness a husband making the decision to withdraw life support from his wife who he has been married to for a lifetime. Nothing can prepare you to see a 25 week old fetus be delivered stillborn because the mother was in a terrible motor vehicle collision. Nothing can prepare you to manage two patients who are hemodynamically unstable. Nothing can prepare you work closely with dysfunctional families. Nothing can prepare you to be in a heated disagreement with a physician. Nothing can prepare you to multitask, problem solve and troubleshoot like someone's life depended on it.
So, what's my point? My point is, that the skills I learned in nursing school meant almost nothing to me. What has been most valuable to me are the skills that I learned as a bedside nurse. It was through those experiences, those countless hours working in a hospital with physicians, with patients and with families that will be of value to me as I begin my career as a nurse practitioner. What I have learned from a textbook or in a classroom is important, but the real value comes from within the hospital walls- from experience.
I feel really strongly about this. Although the thought process of an NP is much different than an RN, the experienced RN is a better NP. My best students are the ones who have ER and ICU background. There is just something about being able to think on your feet, which is a skill that cannot be taught in school (I believe the technical term is "critical thinking") That across the room assessment..a skill you need when you walk into the exam room and the parent/patient begins rambling on about things that aren't pertinent to the visit. I was a nurse for over 20 years before I went back to school, I've done a lot of different things as an RN, and all that experience has paid off for me in my role as a primary care NP, especially now in the teaching clinic where I work.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! I'm in nursing school now, and so many of my classmates absolutely do not want to work as a bedside RN before continuing on to NP school...but I think it is a must!
ReplyDeletePediNP- you are so right! Thanks so much for sharing your own experiences as a practicing NP.
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