To Stay Or Go?

It is hard to believe that after 4 years of school and several months of anticipation, the time has finally come. On May 21, 2008, I will don my cap and gown and participate in Columbia University's Commencement ceremonies. I will join the noble profession of Nurse Practitioners.

It will be a day of great honor and enjoyment as I gather with family members and friends, as well as colleagues, to celebrate the culmination of trials and tribulations that were my experience as a nursing student. And after the long awaited day passes, aside from preparing for the boards, my obligations as a student will be over (at least for a while, anyway).

Naturally, after all this time studying, I am tired and anxious to get through the next few  days and weeks, finalizing every assignment and completing all details in preparation for the big day. I am looking forward to breathing a much anticipated sigh of relief.

My list of enjoyable things to do and friends to catch up with after graduation grows and grows. In short, I am very excited, but I am simultaneously nervous. It is hard to even remember what life was like before becoming a simultaneous full-time student and employee. I have been working a six-day week (sometimes seven) for two years, and while I can't wait for two-day weekends again, it will be a strange transition back to the normalcy of life as everyone else seems to know it...

The adjustment will take some time, but I imagine that I will get over it quickly and find myself busy enough just catching up with all I have missed in life over the past few years. The harder transition will be into my role as an NP. 

While it isn't entirely clear at this point, there is a chance that I will be hired at my current job or I may take another position entirely. I know that it is natural to be nervous while beginning a new profession and it is helpful to commiserate with my friends who are all in the same position. There is comfort in knowing that I am not alone and I find solace in the advice of several well-seasoned NP's that I have spoken to about this.

In my particular situation, I work as a Research Nurse and thus my role as a nurse hasn't been the norm, especially because I only see patients on an outpatient basis. And while part of me would love to transition into the role of NP at my current job, especially because I realize the value that one could have at our center, I fear that I may never be taken seriously.

I was wondering if there are other people out there who have been in this same position and could perhaps offer some suggestions or advice on the subject.

I have come a long way at our center, from research assistant, to research coordinator, to research nurse, and while there have been some struggles along the way, I have done my best to make it work. In my new role as an NP, however, I have new capabilities, including advanced decision making, seeing my own patients, writing prescriptions, and directly participating in the care we provide to patients.

I certainly don't need to justify my role to the people reading this, but I am hoping that there may be some who have gone through a similar transition. I would be happy to progress at my current place of employment, especially because I realize that there is a great need for a nurse practitioner. I recognize that there are always compromises to be made when negotiating a job position; however, as most of you would likely agree, sacrificing my hard earned role and autonomy as a new NP shouldn't be one of them.