Because I will complete the Acute Care NP program this summer- August 8th to be exact, I have been thinking a lot about where I would like to work. Also, someone asks me almost daily when I am at clinical if I already have a job lined up. The answer is no and this question has me second guessing whether or not I should already be scheduling job interviews.
I'll be honest- I am not passionate about any one particular area of medicine. I either like or dislike them all equally. I've spent most of my RN career as a bedside nurse in the ICU and I thought that perhaps I would end up in the ICU as a NP, but that specialty area is looking less likely. I can see myself getting burned out after a few years.
This week I spent my clinical time working with 2 NP's on the cardiac surgery service. These NP's manage the patients pre-operatively in the clinic and post-operatively once they've been transferred from ICU. They alternate their weeks- one week outpatient and one week inpatient. We saw a few patients in the clinic and I really enjoyed the variety. I also enjoyed getting to the know the patient in a normal setting, in street clothes rather than intubated and sedated in a hospital bed. It might have helped that the patients we saw in clinic were kind and pleasant people.
This group of cardiac surgeons also employ 2 PA's and 1 RN first assist who work in the OR full time. I talked at length with one of the PA's and she loves her job in the OR. She worked in a community health clinic for several years but burned out quickly. I've been in the OR several times to observe and while it is usually interesting, I could not see myself working in that setting exclusively.
So, after learning a bit more about my preferences and what I find interesting, here is my 'perfect job'
1. Outpatient, inpatient and assisting in the OR- the specialty is secondary (don't have a preference)
2. A competitive salary, of course.
3. I don't mind working some weekends- but prefer only working 4 days/week.
4. Off on holidays
5. At least 3 weeks of vacation time/yr- more would be better.
6. A short commute.
There you have it- the 'perfect job.' I know I may not get everything on my wish list but a girl can dream, right?
There are a lot of NP job postings in my area- so I might just have a chance.
Any words of advice when trying to land my first job out of NP school?
My "perfect job" requirements will look a lot like this except I'd HOPE for 4 weeks of vacation a year & as of yet I haven't found my niche, but we'll see :)
ReplyDeleteDon't forget about the benefits...a generous CME allowance is key, even better is paid time off for CME (not vacation time). Paid malpractice insurance...nice, supportive physician partners (ok, that might be hard to tell off the bat). My first job didn't fulfill all my dreams, but I got fantastic experience and sometimes that is more important than anything else. My current position is pretty good, but nothing is perfect, I think!
ReplyDeleteIt is only April so do not stress over the jobs yet. Sounds like you know what you want and PediNP had some good advice. I would like teachers hours, off all summer and no holidays or weekends.
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