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nurse practitioner

Nursing

Choosing Your NP Career Path: Why It’s Okay If You’re Still Unsure

by Amy Felix April 1, 2026

written by Amy Felix

If you’ve been following this blog and still don’t know what to do about NP school, I want you to hear something:

That’s not a problem.

That’s actually exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Most people won’t say that out loud — but it’s true.

It can feel like you should have figured it out by now. Like everyone else is moving forward, applying to programs, choosing specialties, making decisions, while you’re still sitting with the question, trying to sort through what feels right.

And if you found this blog, chances are you’ve been doing what most nurses do at this stage.

You’ve been researching. Watching videos, reading posts, looking up programs, and listening to what other nurse practitioners say about their experiences. Trying to gather enough information to finally make the “right” decision.

But at a certain point, more information stops helping. It just starts to feel confusing.

Because what you actually need at this stage isn’t more content — it’s space.

The NP Career Decision That Changed My Path

I had a similar experience when I was finishing nursing school.

I knew I wanted to become a nurse practitioner. I loved pediatrics, so I applied to a pediatric primary care NP program. I studied for the GRE, submitted my application, and went in for the interview.

During that interview, I could feel it — the program director didn’t think I was a strong fit. My scores weren’t where they expected them to be, and even though nothing was said explicitly, I could sense the hesitation in the room.

I left feeling completely thrown off. Honestly, I was devastated.

So instead of waiting for a rejection, I withdrew my application. And then I just sat with it. No plan, no next step — just the question:

What am I actually supposed to do now?

At the time, it felt like a step backward. Looking back, that pause changed everything. Because it forced me to actually think.

How Slowing Down Led Me to the Right NP Specialty

When I slowed down, I realized something that seems obvious now — but wasn’t then.

I didn’t actually want to do primary care.

I liked taking care of sick kids. I worked in critical care and enjoyed the intensity, the problem-solving, the acuity. So why was I about to choose a path centered on preventative care, just because it was the common route?

That realization shifted the entire trajectory of my career. I ended up choosing a specialty that aligned with how I like to work, what I enjoy doing, and the kind of patients I wanted to care for. And honestly, I wouldn’t have loved the other path. That pause helped me see that clearly.

What More Research Won’t Give You — And What Will

If you’re still unsure right now, it’s not because you haven’t done enough research. You’ve probably done plenty — looked at programs, compared specialties, listened to different perspectives.

But more information won’t give you clarity at this point. It’ll just give you more options to sort through, and more options often lead to more confusion.

What actually creates clarity is something much simpler, and much harder to give yourself: space to think.

What These NP Career Blogs Were Really Designed to Do

These blogs weren’t designed to hand you a checklist or tell you what to do. They were meant to reflect your thinking back to you.

In Before You Apply to NP School, Ask Yourself This, I asked you to pause and consider the role itself — not just the title or the trend.

In Why So Many Nurses Regret NP School — and How to Avoid That Mistake, I walked through three questions to help you approach your decision more intentionally.

In From RN to NP: How NPs Think Differently Than Nurses, we talked about the mindset shift required to move from nurse to NP.

And in Your First NP Job: What Nobody Tells You, I shared what the first year actually looks like — the learning curve, the discomfort, the time it takes to feel like you know what you’re doing.

If any of those made you pause, that matters. That’s the point.

Why Being Unsure About NP School Is Not a Setback

Being unsure doesn’t mean you’re behind. It means you’re thinking. It means you care enough not to rush into a decision that doesn’t fit you — and that you’re paying attention to what actually matters: the work, the lifestyle, the long-term fit.

That kind of awareness leads to better decisions. Not speed.

Still Going in Circles About NP School? Try This Instead

At a certain point, continuing to scroll, search, and compare doesn’t move you forward — it keeps you in a loop. The answer you’re looking for isn’t in another video or another article. It’s in your own thinking. And sometimes the most helpful thing you can do is get quiet enough to hear it, or talk it through with someone who can help you reflect it back to yourself.

How to Move Forward When You’re Unsure About NP School

That’s actually why I started offering clarity calls — not to tell you what to do, and not to push you toward NP school, but to give you space to talk through your thoughts out loud and hear your own answers more clearly.

If you’re at a crossroads and going in circles trying to figure out your next step, that kind of conversation can make a real difference.

You can book a free 20-minute clarity call here.

And if you’re not quite there yet, that’s okay too. Stay in the conversation. Keep reflecting. Keep paying attention to what resonates.

Your NP Career Path Doesn’t Have to Look Like Everyone Else’s

There isn’t one right path you’re supposed to follow — there’s just the one that fits you. And sometimes the most important step you can take isn’t moving forward quickly. It’s pausing long enough to choose your direction intentionally.

Your career doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. It just has to look like yours.

About the Author

Amy Anne Felix is a nurse practitioner and the creator of The Nurse Sabbatical, a thought-leadership platform exploring nursing culture, rest, identity, and life redesign. Through storytelling and systems reflection, she examines how mid-career nurse practitioners can build aligned, sustainable careers without abandoning their identity.

April 1, 2026 0 comment

Nursing

Your First NP Job: What Nobody Tells You (But I Will)

by Amy Felix March 25, 2026

written by Amy Felix

Let’s sit down for a minute — coffee or tea optional, honesty required.

If you’re thinking about your first nurse practitioner job, or you’re in the thick of it right now, questioning every clinical decision you make, this one’s for you. Because your first NP role? It’s part school, part trial by fire, and a whole lot of “Why didn’t anyone warn me about this?”

I’m going to tell you exactly what happened in my first NP job — the salary mistake I almost made, the physician who walked away from me mid-sentence, and the moment six months in when something finally clicked.

If you’re earlier in your journey and still deciding whether NP school is the right path, I shared three questions to help you think that through in a previous article.

How to Negotiate Your First NP Salary (And Why Most New NPs Don’t)

When I was finishing NP school, I had a specific window to find a job. I’d received a grant that required me to move to New York City and work there for two years — on a deadline. So I went to a job fair, found a table that had just opened up, applied, interviewed, and got a call in the middle of a busy ICU shift offering me the position.

There was just one problem: I told the physician straight up — I know basically nothing about GI.

Her response? “We will teach you.”

And honestly, that was enough for me to say yes. But then the offer letter arrived.

The salary was lower than what I was making as a nurse.

I know I’m not the only NP who has experienced this. It happens more than people talk about. And the pressure of my deadline made it even harder to push back. But I did it anyway. I emailed the employer and laid it out clearly: the offered pay didn’t cover the cost of living in New York City, and it was less than my RN salary. I couldn’t accept it as written.

They met my number.

Lesson one: Look at the full picture of the role — but do not skip advocating for your salary. The package matters. The flexibility, the schedule, the learning opportunity — those are real. But so is your rent. So is your financial stability. Advocating for yourself isn’t aggressive. It’s necessary. Know what you need to cover your expenses, your life, and the version of yourself you’re building. Then ask for it.

What the NP Learning Curve Actually Looks Like in Your First Year

Here’s the story I think about the most when I talk to new NPs.

My first GI role was in a small community hospital practice — three physicians, one secretary, and me. No fellowship, no structured orientation. I was seeing 15 to 20 patients a day in a specialty I had essentially no background in.

One of the physicians had a particular way of working. I’d start presenting a patient, and he would literally stand up and walk down the hall into the patient’s room — while I was still talking.

So I adapted. I tried talking faster. I followed him down the hall, still presenting, voice raised slightly over the footsteps, trying to get him the information before he got to the door.

He still went in and asked the patient the same questions I was covering.

I was frustrated. And confused. He couldn’t quite articulate what I was missing, and I couldn’t figure out what he needed. But I kept showing up, kept seeing patients, kept learning.

Then, about six months in, something shifted.

I was presenting a patient, and I finished — completely — before he even stood up from his chair. He walked in, looked at the chart, looked at me, and said: “You finally got it.”

That was it. No fanfare. Just four words that told me everything.

I had stopped presenting information and started synthesizing it. I wasn’t just reporting — I was thinking like a provider. And that shift didn’t come from a textbook or a lecture. It came from hundreds of patient encounters and the slow, uncomfortable work of getting it wrong until I got it right.

Lesson two: The thinking will click — but not on your timeline, and not because someone hands it to you. The transition from nurse to NP isn’t just a role change. It’s a complete rewiring of how you process and prioritize clinical information. Give yourself the grace to be in that process without expecting it to feel comfortable.

Going from RN to NP: The Transition Nobody Fully Prepares You For

I came from a hospital with full support — social workers, case managers, a whole team around me. In my GI practice, it was just me. No nurse. No case manager. I was doing prior authorizations, managing families, coordinating care, and seeing a full patient panel every single day.

There were moments I genuinely questioned whether I had made the right choice.

But here’s what also happened: I got to know my patients deeply. Really deeply. I knew the families. I knew the kids. I knew which formula a child had already tried and failed and why. After a year or two, staff were coming to me with questions. Patients were specifically requesting me. I wasn’t just filling a role anymore — I was making a real difference in that practice and in those families’ lives.

That felt powerful in a way I hadn’t expected.

The hard first year and the meaningful second year are part of the same story. You don’t get the second without going through the first.

New NP Advice I Wish Someone Had Given Me Before I Started

If I could sit across from you right now — coffee in hand — here’s what I’d tell you:

Your first NP job is part school and part trial by fire. Walk in knowing that, and you’ll be less blindsided when it feels hard.

Advocate for mentorship like it’s part of your compensation. If you’re going into a role with no orientation, no structured support, no one to call when you’re unsure — that matters. Ask about it upfront. A toxic or isolating environment will cost you far more than a lower salary ever would.

Give yourself at least one year before deciding if the role fits. Not six weeks when you’re still drowning in the EMR. Not three months when you’ve barely found your clinical rhythm. A full year. Because who you are at month twelve looks almost nothing like who you were on day one.

Is It Normal to Feel Lost as a New NP? Yes — Here’s Why

The doubt you feel in your first NP job is not a red flag. It’s evidence that you’re paying attention. It means you understand the weight of the responsibility you’ve taken on and you’re not taking it lightly.

Stay curious. Keep advocating for yourself and your patients. Commit to the learning even when it’s uncomfortable — especially when it’s uncomfortable.

Because the thinking does click, and when it does, this role opens doors and creates impact you genuinely could not have predicted from where you started.

Are you in your first NP role, or getting ready to start one? Drop a comment below — what’s been the hardest part, or what are you most nervous about? Some of your answers might become a future post right here.

About the Author

March 25, 2026 0 comment

3 Questions to ask before applying to NP school

Nursing

Why So Many Nurses Regret NP School — And How to Avoid That Mistake

by Amy Felix March 11, 2026

written by Amy Felix

If you’ve been scrolling YouTube trying to decide whether to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner, you’ve probably seen the titles.

“Becoming an NP wasn’t worth it.” “I regret becoming a nurse practitioner.” “Why you shouldn’t go to NP school.”

Those videos hurt my heart a little — but I’ll be honest: they’re reacting to something real.

After seventeen years as an NP, I can tell you the problem usually isn’t the profession. It’s that many nurses go to NP school without fully thinking through the decision.

So before you apply, here are three questions worth sitting with.

If you’re just starting to explore this decision, start with my first post in this series: Before You Apply to NP School.

Question 1: Are You Choosing NP School — or Just Trying to Escape Bedside?

Do you truly want to become a nurse practitioner, or are you just frustrated with where you are right now?

Burnout in nursing is real. Shift work can be exhausting. Hospital systems are constantly changing. Patient violence is rising in many places. The emotional toll of patient care is real.

When you’re living inside that environment day after day, it’s very easy to start thinking: maybe I should just go to NP school.

For a lot of nurses, becoming an NP starts to feel like the obvious way out of bedside.

But leaving bedside doesn’t automatically mean things get easier. It simply means you’re stepping into a different kind of responsibility.

As an NP, you’re diagnosing. You’re prescribing. You’re carrying legal and clinical responsibility for patient care decisions. And in many environments, you’re also taking on additional tasks simply because you’re capable of doing them.

That’s why it’s important to pause and ask yourself a deeper question:

Am I running away from something — or am I genuinely pulled toward this role?

Frustration can push us to make fast decisions. But fast decisions don’t always lead us to the right place.

Question 2: What Does Your Ideal Day as a Nurse Practitioner Actually Look Like?

Most nurses can tell you what they want to escape. Far fewer have actually pictured what they want to walk into.

When I was first thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner, the most common path at the time was primary care. And I assumed that’s what I wanted.

I had always loved children. When I was younger, I even thought I might become a pediatrician one day. So moving toward pediatrics and primary care felt like a natural direction.

But once I started exploring what that work actually looked like day to day, I realized something. Seeing patient after patient in clinic, discussing vaccines and preventive care all day, just didn’t excite me the way I expected it would.

It wasn’t a bad job. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

At one point, I even considered midwifery because I thought it might align better with my interest in pediatric care. But that didn’t feel quite right either. And staying in critical care long-term didn’t feel sustainable for me personally.

Eventually I found a middle ground in pediatric acute and chronic care, which gave me something I realized I needed: intensity and problem-solving — but with some flexibility.

That discovery didn’t happen overnight. It happened because I paid attention to what kind of work actually energized me.

If I had simply followed what everyone else was doing, I might have ended up in a career path that didn’t fit me at all.

Question 3: Is NP School the Right Next Step — or Just the Most Obvious One?

Have you explored all the possibilities available to you in nursing?

One of the most powerful things about a nursing degree is how versatile it really is. Nurses develop strong clinical judgment and critical thinking skills, and those skills can translate into many different roles.

Some nurses move into leadership positions. Others transition into informatics, helping design and improve healthcare systems. There are roles in quality improvement, where nurses help organizations redesign processes to improve patient care. Some nurses build businesses and step into entrepreneurship. Others work in education, teaching the next generation of nurses or helping students prepare for licensing exams.

I’ve even worked in roles where I helped nurses prepare for the NCLEX, which allowed me to stay connected to the profession in a completely different way.

Becoming a nurse practitioner is one path. But it’s not the only path. And sometimes the best career move is not simply choosing the next logical step, but exploring what actually fits your strengths and interests.

A Simple Exercise That Can Help

If you’re still unsure after those three questions, this is the exercise I wish someone had given me earlier.

Take ten minutes. Find a quiet space, grab a piece of paper, open the notes app on your phone — whatever works for you. Then write down two lists.

First, ask yourself: what do I enjoy most about my current role? What parts of your day energize you? What types of tasks do you look forward to? When do you feel most engaged in your work?

Then write down the opposite. What drains you? What parts of the job feel exhausting? What tasks make you feel frustrated or depleted?

When you step back and look at those two lists, patterns start to appear. And those patterns can help you think about what kind of roles might allow you to spend more time doing what you enjoy — and less time doing what drains you.

Ideally, the work you choose should include a majority of the tasks that energize you — not the other way around. Because whatever specialty or role you choose, you’ll be spending a significant portion of your life doing that work.

Choosing With Intention

I’m not anti-NP school. I’m not here to discourage anyone from becoming a nurse practitioner. Nursing needs skilled nurse practitioners, and I genuinely love seeing nurses grow and expand in this profession.

But what I don’t want is for nurses to default into roles simply because they seem like the next logical step.

I want us choosing roles intentionally. Roles that align with the kind of work we enjoy, the way we like to work, and the type of life we want to create.

Because when people are working in roles that truly fit them, something interesting happens. Burnout often decreases. Not because the work is easy. But because the work is aligned.

So if you’re thinking about NP school right now, pause and ask yourself these three questions. And if, after reflecting on them, the answer is still a clear yes, then go for it.

But if there’s hesitation, give yourself the space to explore that feeling.

Because the goal isn’t just to keep moving forward. The goal is to move forward in the direction that actually fits you.

About the Author

Amy Anne Felix is a nurse practitioner and the creator of The Nurse Sabbatical, a thought-leadership platform exploring nursing culture, rest, identity, and life redesign. Through storytelling and systems reflection, she examines how mid-career nurse practitioners can build aligned, sustainable careers without abandoning their identity.

March 11, 2026 2 comments

Nursing

Before You Apply to NP School, Ask Yourself This

by Amy Felix March 5, 2026

written by Amy Felix

One of the most common questions I get at work—from nurses I respect, nurses who are solid clinicians, nurses who are honestly just trying to figure out their next move—is this:

“Where did you go to NP school?”

I tell them my alma mater (University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, yes, I’m very proud). In addition, I share the program, the track, the path.
But then I always ask the question that matters more.

“Are you thinking about going back?”

And then I ask the follow-up that really makes the room quiet:

“What do you actually want to do with your degree?”

If you’re already wrestling with that question, I made a video about this over on my YouTube channel, The Nurse Sabbatical, and this is the deeper, written version of that conversation.

Almost every time, there’s a pause.

Not because nurses don’t have answers. They do.

They can tell me the names of every program in the state. The specialty tracks. The clinical hour requirements. The salary ranges. The job market. The “best” route. The “fastest” route.

But when it comes to the why—the pull—the thing that’s actually calling them forward?

That’s where they stumble.

And it’s not because they’re not smart or knowledgeable. It’s because nursing culture doesn’t always teach us to pause long enough to ask ourselves what we actually want.

I’ve been a nurse practitioner for almost seventeen years, and I’ve truly loved being an NP. Over the years, my skill set has allowed me to do so many things beyond the bedside.

However, I’m also honest about this: becoming an NP is not automatically the answer. And it’s definitely not something we should default into just because it’s trending.

So if you’re thinking about NP school right now, I want you to pause for a second—and ask yourself one simple question before you start looking at programs, tuition, and application deadlines:

Do I actually want the work?

Not the title.
Not the paycheck.
Not the escape route.
The work.

NP School Is Trending—But Is It Your Work?

Right now, becoming an NP is more popular than ever. It’s consistently listed as one of the fastest-growing roles in healthcare, and you can feel that energy everywhere.

Especially online.

If you’ve spent any time on social media, you’ve seen the highlight reels:

The nurses who went into aesthetics—Botox, fillers, IV infusions—and now they have their own clients, their own business, their own schedule.
The psych NPs who see patients remotely, accept insurance, and build a practice without stepping foot in a hospital.
The “I escaped bedside” storyline that gets framed as the ultimate win.

’m not judging any of that. Some of those paths are incredible. Some nurses are thriving in those spaces.

But I want to name what’s happening underneath it.

A lot of nurses are choosing NP school because of what they’re exposed to.

Because it’s visible.
Because it looks better than bedside.
Because it sounds like freedom.

And yes—sometimes it is.

But exposure can create momentum that feels like clarity… even when it’s not.

Nursing Culture and the “What’s Next” Trap

Nursing culture has this unspoken rule: keep going.

Get the next certification.
Get the next credential.
Go back to school.
Climb the ladder.
Prove yourself again.

It’s the idea that the more letters you collect, the more legitimate you become.

And people will say it out loud, too.

“Go back after one year before life happens.”
“Get it done before you have kids.” “Get Certified, the more certifications the better.”
“Just get your DNP.”
“Get your PhD.”
“Keep advancing.”

It’s always upward. Always next.

But here’s the part we don’t say enough:

If you’re always moving to prove yourself, you don’t always stop to ask if you even like where you’re going.

And nursing is one of those fields where the “next step” can feel like the only step.

So nurses apply to NP school because it seems like the logical thing to do but logical doesn’t always mean aligned.

A Better Question Than “What Program Should I Pick?”

If you’re thinking, “Should I go to NP school?”—I want to offer you a different way to frame it.

Not:

“What’s the best program?”
“What’s the fastest track?”
“What specialty pays the most?”

But:

Do I want the day-to-day work of this role?

Because here’s what I’ve learned after years in this profession:

You don’t live inside your title.
You live inside your days.

And your days are shaped by the actual work.

Different NP Roles, Different Lives

I think sometimes nurses look at “NP” like it’s one uniform job. You get the degree and then you just… become a nurse practitioner and life is better.

But the reality is: different NP roles are completely different types of work with completely different lifestyles.

Let me make it real.

My first job as an NP was outpatient GI.

I saw patients Monday through Friday.
In the morning, I had clinic.
In the afternoon, I handled administrative work.
I was also on call one week per month.

That’s a very specific rhythm. It works for some people. It can feel stable. It can feel predictable.

Then I transitioned into emergency medicine.

Now I was doing shift work. Days. Evenings. Weekends. Holidays. Different patients all day. Different acuity levels. Different pace.

Some people love that. Some people hate it. But it’s not the same life.

And when you look across other roles, it gets even more different.

If you’re a CRNA, you’re in anesthesia. You’re sedating patients. You’re doing procedures. You’re in a very specific flow of assessment + sedation + monitoring.

If you’re a psych NP, you’re listening to people’s pain, trauma, patterns—every single day. That’s depth. That’s emotional labor. That’s a completely different kind of energy.

If you’re in primary care, you’re doing assessments all day, preventive care, chronic disease management—often with documentation that never ends.

If you’re in pediatrics, you’re not just working with children. You’re working with parents. All day. Every day. And if you don’t like that dynamic, you will feel it.

My point isn’t to scare you.

My point is to tell the truth: These are different lives. Not just different specialties. Different lives.

NP School Is Not a Rescue Plan

I want nurses to stop choosing NP school like it’s a rescue plan.

“I’m tired, so I’ll become an NP.”
“I’m burned out, so NP school is the answer.”
“I hate bedside, so let me just get this degree.”

Because becoming an NP doesn’t automatically mean things get easier.

It means you’re doing a different job—with a different type of responsibility.

And if you don’t actually like that work, you can end up right back where you started: Frustrated. Drained. Wondering what’s wrong with you.

When really… nothing is wrong with you.

You just chose a role based on trend, pressure, or escape instead of fit.

A Clearer Way to Say What I Mean

In my video, I said something like: “If we’re moving away from something instead of toward something, how do we know we’re heading to the right thing?”

It’s true—but let me say it in a clearer:

If your main reason for NP school is to get away from what you’re doing now, you might end up in another job you don’t even like.

Because “not bedside” is not a plan.

And “trending” is not a reason.

One Question to Ask Before You Apply

So before you start filling out applications, before you start comparing tuition, before you start building your whole identity around becoming an NP, pause and ask yourself:

Do I actually like the type of work this role requires?

Like… truly.

Do you like doing assessments all day?
Do you like educating patients?
Do you like building long-term relationships?
Do you like high-intensity decision-making?
Do you like emotional depth and listening?
Do you like procedures?
Do you like routine, or do you like variety?

Because your answer doesn’t make you a better nurse or a worse nurse.

It just makes you honest.

And honesty is what protects you from defaulting into a life that looks good on paper but feels wrong in real life.

Gentle Direction

I’m not anti-NP school. I’m not here to talk you out of it.

I’m here to challenge the way nursing culture sometimes teaches us to move without reflection.

So here’s your pause—the heart of The Nurse Sabbatical:

Before you apply, ask yourself if this role fits

the kind of work you enjoy
how you like to work
what you want your life to feel like

Not just the salary.
Not just the title.
Not just because it’s trending.

The actual work. The lifestyle.

If you’re not sure yet? That’s not a problem.

That’s information.

In the next blog, I’m going to take this one step deeper—so you can start getting clearer on your “why” and what kind of path actually fits you.

About the Author

Amy Anne Felix is a nurse practitioner and the creator of The Nurse Sabbatical, a thought-leadership platform exploring nursing culture, rest, identity, and life redesign. Through storytelling and systems reflection, she examines how mid-career nurse practitioners can build aligned, sustainable careers without abandoning their identity.

Watch the full conversation on YouTube:

March 5, 2026 2 comments

Nursing

Happy Nurse Practitioner Week 2022

by Amy Felix November 17, 2022

written by Amy Felix

Happy Nurse Practitioner Week to all of my fellow nurse practitioners. November is always an interesting month for me to reflect on my career as a Nurse Practitioner. I became certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner in November of 2008. A fun fact is that I have practiced as a nurse practitioner longer than I have practiced as a nurse.

Although I am not actively practicing as a Nurse Practitioner and took a sabbatical due to burnout, I do not take my career path for granted. I have no regrets about becoming a nurse practitioner and my contributions to patient care, hospitals, nurses, and to my fellow colleagues.

Why did I become a Nurse Practitioner?

Truly why I wanted to become an NP, to be part of the decision-making process in the care of patients. I wanted to influence patient care as a provider with advanced knowledge. There were 3 moments that made me realize that I wanted to be a nurse practitioner.

High School

Once I decided that I wanted to be a nurse, I immersed myself in the healthcare field and took any summer job that would allow me to be in a hospital setting. Senior year of high school, I found myself working in a file room at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital In Boston. It was the most boring job EVER! However, the file room was next to an office with cardiac nurse practitioners. One day, I asked if I could shadow one of the NPS and she said sure. I came in on my off day, elated to see what a nurse practitioner did in an office. I observed her carefully as she called back patients with Cardiac disease, answered all of their questions, and managed their care. I thought it was so cool.

College

Next, my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing created a space for us to dream and think big. In the 1^st 2 years of nursing school, we were exposed to so many nurses who were doing amazing things. As nursing students, we couldn’t help but think about how we wanted to make a difference in the healthcare field as a nurse. Like many schools now, there was an opportunity to submatriculate into the master’s programs. While that was not my chosen path, the seed had been planted for me to consider advanced practice nursing

My 1st role as a Nurse

Random fact about me, I am a May baby which means I am a Taurus. While some people may describe Taurus as stubborn, I would like to say that I am determined. 😊. In finishing nursing school, the recommendation at that time was to do medical-surgical nursing. That was not my cup of tea. I wanted to work in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. When I look back at my first job as a nurse, working in a large ICU, 22 years old, and caring for the sickest of children, with a few dying on you. Whew! I was definitely brave! In the ICU there were Nurse practitioners, who were smart intelligent, caring, teachers. I marveled at their confidence in leveraging their expertise to care for patients and working with teams that may have been the only ones!

What exactly does a nurse practitioner do?

Everything! Honestly, we do, and no 2 roles are the same, which is truly the beauty of the nursing profession in general. All of my roles as a nurse practitioner gave me a new skill set and what is possible for nurse practitioners.

1st Nurse Practitioner Role

My first job as a nurse practitioner was in outpatient Pediatric Gastroenterology. If you are saying .. Ewww.. You are right! I had no idea what I was getting into. When people heard I was moving from the sexy PICU to the world of guts, chronic abdominal pain, and poop, they said good luck but gave me the “crazy look.”

But here’s the deal. I was emotionally exhausted as a nurse after caring for critically ill patients. I received a grant during my master’s program that required me to work in New York City for a year. There were no other jobs available. And the physician really took a chance on me as I admitted to only knowing about “ Zantac and Miralax”. So I packed my bags and headed to the unknown. I could do anything for a year.

My 1 year became 6 years. I really loved that job. Working in a community-academic center, where 90% of your patients are immigrants and non-English speaking was so fulfilling. My department had 3 doctors, a secretary, and myself. That was it. I was the Nurse Practitioner, Nurse, Social Worker, Patient Advocate, and clinical manager in one. The role truly allowed me to use my nursing background and my advanced knowledge to its full potential. I felt like all of the Nurse Practitioners that I had shadowed and followed, I was making a difference.

Patient letter — Letter from one of the patients in my 1st Nurse Practitioner Role

Research

In the undergrad and grad school, I despised the word research. Again, boring! Some of the professors were studying really cool topics, but I was not excited to learn about theories and concepts.

Yet, I realized that my 1^st hand knowledge of patients and managing illness placed me in a space where research was helpful. In my 1^st role as a GI NP, the physicians trusted me to work on research. I collected data for registries on the chronic illness of our GI patients. I was the coordinator for a clinic on children with fatty liver disease due to obesity where we counseled them. I was the coordinator of a research clinical trial for a drug to help children with acid reflux. You may be thinking, Amy you did too much. No wonder you are burned out! Lol. Not really because that institution gave me the time, space, and compensation to do these projects for my career growth. I only left that job because I had outgrown the role and wanted a more general pediatric experience.

Teaching

Something that is often not discussed enough is how Nurse Practitioners impact the future of the field. In my examples above I mention how my surroundings, school, and mentors influenced my decision to become a nurse practitioner. I have had the privilege of paying it forward. Formally, by teaching nursing students at Kaplan or giving a lecture at my Alma Mater. Secondly, by precepting Nurse Practitioner Students and providing them with the support and understanding of the value of the role and what it means to be a nurse practitioner. And most recently as a Nurse Leader, where I pushed the nurse practitioners to develop their culture, be supportive of each other, and work together to advocate for their patients and their role.

The Challenges of the nurse practitioner role

As you can tell, I believe the role of Nurse Practitioners is a great profession. However, I must admit it’s not all glamorous and easy. With 355,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the country according to AANP, our role is still new and young compared to our nurses and physician colleagues. With every role functioning differently, It can be hard to compare yourself to another nurse practitioner to make sure you are aligned or not aligned.

Our education as Nurse Practitioners, allows us to provide medical care to patients with a nursing focus. Yet because of our adaptability and patient-centric focus, we can be given tasks that do not use our skill set to their potential or can be delegated to someone else. I have been asked to do tasks such as talking to insurance companies about prior authorizations. I HATED IT! Calling insurance companies 3-4 times a day, faxing forms, just to explain why a patient with a medical diagnosis really needed medication. It was exhausting! However, my WHY would always give me the strength to continue. I wanted my patients to have the best care possible.

In other scenarios, we have to demonstrate our knowledge and our skill set. Once we are accepted as part of a team, we are then given more work because “ we do it so well”. I have heard phrases such as “Resident replacement” or “ Doctor Helper” used to describe nurse practitioners. These phrases are hard to hear, especially if you are new to the practice. However, we truly are an added piece to any care team and our role should be acknowledged as such. No role is perfect. However, Nurse Practitioners are amazing and should be celebrated.

Still love being a nurse PracTitioner

I know you may be thinking,

”if you do, why are you writing a blog about sabbaticals, and not working as a Nurse Practitioner.”

All are valid questions. The thing is that after 14 years of working mostly clinically, I became tired, exhausted, and burned out. Through my sabbatical, I have been able to process what led to my burnout and how I can make changes. I believe our hospital systems do not support the clinicians and leaders as much as they should for better patient outcomes, and to have people stay in the nursing field. If I saw institutions that were supportive of breaks during the day, not always working to your maximum if there are no patients, then I would apply immediately to a role. But it’s not like that. My personal mission now is to support nurse practitioners, help them create healthy boundaries so they can thrive in their roles, or help them discover how their skill set can be used in other fields.

With that being said, I hope all of my nurse practitioners do something special for themselves this week to celebrate the work they have done, the lives they affected, and how they want to continue to contribute to health care.

Til Next time…

November 17, 2022 0 comment