Nursing School: Knowledge vs Application
I graduated in 2014 with my master’s in Nursing. I am an FNP, but I no longer practice as one, less than two years post-grad. I have been an emergency room nurse for 14 years and was in EMS for five years prior to that. I thought that I wanted a change of pace.
After graduating with my master’s, I went to work for a physician with a large practice. I jumped in with both feet and was single-handedly seeing at least 24 patients in an 8-9 hour workday. I had to teach myself everything. I was so afraid of missing something that I studied for hours before work, after work, and on my lunch break. I kept asking myself if this was what family practice is all about—knowing just enough to identify when a patient needs a referral.
The school I graduated from left me extremely ill-prepared for patient care as an NP. We spent more time writing papers than learning how to apply our knowledge. I have years of experience, yet I felt completely incompetent. It would have been nice if someone offered internships. I do not need you to teach me how to be a nurse, how to treat people, or even how to come up with differential diagnoses, but could I get a little help reading x-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, etc?
Rather than agonize over whether I had missed something, I walked away to gain some confidence and look for a mentor. My master’s program was not what I had hoped for.
Your article puts things in perspective. I love precepting new graduates. I enjoy passing on my “learn from my mistakes” speech. Nursing is my passion. It is what I was born to do, and I love sharing that with others.
Dawn Smith, FNP-C
Houston, TX
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