Do you believe it’s necessary to have floor experience before applying to NP school? I have only worked in PreOp/PACU for 4 years. I went to school and worked in a rural location… during clinicals I did not enjoy M/S or tele. So i specialized…
Yes. Absolutely. Go for it because as an NP, your view of the patient is totally different. You will not be viewing the patient as the nurse, you are now looking at the patient (still applying the whole patient construct) as the provider. That is one of the first things I was taught in NP school. There is a paradigm shift. Additionally, all nursing courses shift to advanced, including pathophysiology. Despite being in the hospital, you are RE - learning. Best of luck going forward.
If you intend to work in a hospital as an NP, yes, you absolutely must have floor/even ICU experience. You need to learn the hospital routines, where you fit into the team, become used to changing focus rapidly, and become familiar with all the meds and treatments outside of the PACU/Pre-op areas. If you do not want to work in a hospital as an NP you will need time in an office practice to become familiar with outpatient, sub-acute care, so working in rehab or a large clinic or urgicenter would be good for your knowledge and experience. Pre-op and PACU are very different and narrowed focus areas than acute/sub-acute care, and you will not be able to hit the deck running without further work experience.
My question to you is: Do you want to be the best NP possible? If the answer is yes, then just knowing one aspect of nursing is not going to make you a well-rounded NP. Also, if you didn't enjoy M/S, you may not enjoy taking care of the whole patient. My view of an NP is knowing how to put it all together. Can you do that without knowing how to take care of a person from start to finish? Just food for thought.
Absolutely. The progression of disease or illness needs to be seen from the beginning (if it can) to an outcome, positive or not. The nurse needs to see those, interact with the patient and their families.
