CoastalPalm Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Cool - thanks! I imagine most NPs in trauma/ED have experience though as an RN, right? An ER nurse I used to work with is now an ER NP (does both main ER and fast track). She had many years of experience as an ER nurse. Perhaps you'd find this interesting (this is where she works now): http://umm.edu/programs/shock-trauma/professionals/np-speciality-group http://umm.edu/programs/shock-trauma/professionals/education/np-rotation http://umm.edu/professionals/nurse-practitioners/clinical-services#traumatology (sadly they need to change the "physician'S assistant" to "physician assistant") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfran123 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 "Do you guys think an NP could fill a similar role if desired? I've noticed some of the "trauma residencies" allow NPs and PAs, but I rarely hear of NPs in trauma or ED". Our chief AP for our group is an NP. We have trained both PAs and NPs in our fellowship as does our ER post graduate fellowship. The fellowship at Intermount in UT takes both. Yes NP's work in Trauma. "I imagine most NPs in trauma/ED have experience though as an RN, right?" Not necessarily or the work experience is limited based on my experience and our interviewing of numerous NP applicants each year for our fellowship. NP programs are mirroring PA programs in that many NPs, not all but a majority, are going straight thru their BSN, MSN, to NP school with little to no real bedside nursing experience. Those that have significant amount of experience as an RN before going to NP school are in the minority these days. Maryfran123- Wow, thank you for this information!!!! I am glad to hear as a trauma PA you have had positive experiences. Trauma/CC is where my heart lies so I am realllly hoping I a.) get into PA school and b.) can do trauma/CC as a PA! Was your first job out of school in trauma? If not, what's a good pre-requisite experience? Most of the PAs I know that work Trauma/CC have positive experiences and are not treated like interns. Is my job, their job, or any other job all roses, no. Did I and do I have difficult days/weeks/months...yes but I do not think that is special to being a PA. Every profession, no matter your position, has ceilings, frustrations, scut work, and that sense of not being used to your full capacity. Being proactive to turn that around is important, if not you learn from it and move on....my experience. My first 5yrs out of PA school I went thru 5 jobs: Inpt ETOH/Drug Detox/Rehab(3mos), then Walk-in Urgent Care/Family Practice/SNF care/Detox all under same roof and I covered all of that for 1yr until it closed for financial reasons, another year spent doing just FP, then 2yrs doing ER in West Philly from colds to codes and everything in between, with alot of autonomy. From hear got a call from a head hunter one afternoon about a Trauma PA job, checked it out and was hooked. That was 1992 and I have never looked back. I think your background is a good base. Try to get strong rotations in IM, ER, Surgery and electives or roations in critical care and/or Trauma if you can. All of that experience on rotation will transfer if you have strong preceptors that teach and you are actively involved in care. If you can't get a job straight out of school, I do recommend a fellowship....people will come looking for you! That is our experience with your fellowship...we get more job offers than we have fellows. Each of our fellows this year had in excess of 6 interivews/offers. If a fellowship is not your choice, than a job in any of those rotations I listed will give you a base. You will be amazed how much IM there is in Trauma and Critical Care and a strong base in that only helps you provide even better care. Trauma/CC pts have LOTS of medical comorbidities and understanding them and managing them does affect outcomes. Good luck and hope you get into the PA school of your dreams :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMPA Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Do you guys think an NP could fill a similar role if desired? I've noticed some of the "trauma residencies" allow NPs and PAs, but I rarely hear of NPs in trauma or ED. contrary to popular belief PA's and NP's are not interchangeable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicalRN Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Thanks Coastalpalm and maryfran123 for your responses! Much appreciated. I am curious, maryfran123, how you think an NP could best prepare for a trauma position? I'm very interested in doing urgent care - would it be easier to go into that right out of NP school and then transition from urgent care to trauma...or would it be easier to go straight from school to trauma? Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicalRN Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 contrary to popular belief PA's and NP's are not interchangeable. Nowhere did I say that they are interchangeable. I stated that there are residency programs that open to both NPs and PAs - this is simply a fact. I then stated that I noticed more PAs in trauma than NPs and asked if an NP could also fill a similar role. This does not mean they are interchangeable by definition, but rather that I wondered if the skillset of an NP has a place in trauma as a "physician extender" as is the case for PAs. Brush up on your reading comprehension ;) It was a simple question: please do not interject your bias toward NPs at me. There are certaintly threads where you can vent about NPs, but trying to do so here is a bit of a stretch. No one is comparing the merits of them in these posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMPA Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Nowhere did I say that they are interchangeable. I stated that there are residency programs that open to both NPs and PAs - this is simply a fact. I then stated that I noticed more PAs in trauma than NPs and asked if an NP could also fill a similar role. This does not mean they are interchangeable by definition, but rather that I wondered if the skillset of an NP has a place in trauma as a "physician extender" as is the case for PAs. Brush up on your reading comprehension ;) It was a simple question: please do not interject your bias toward NPs at me. There are certaintly threads where you can vent about NPs, but trying to do so here is a bit of a stretch. No one is comparing the merits of them in these posts. evidently trolling and insulting people is all you are capable of, try to comprehend the meaning of my words for i do have years as a trauma PA in a level one center, i will not feed the trolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicalRN Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 evidently trolling and insulting people is all you are capable of, try to comprehend the meaning of my words for i do have years as a trauma PA in a level one center, i will not feed the trolls You need to take a chill pill and calm down, man. I have neither insulted nor trolled. If you notice, the winky face behind my "reading comprehension" comment means that it was said in jest - an attempt to inject some humor into the comment to ensure you did not react in a volatile manner...which I see failed. For that, I apologize. Regardless, your comment seems to indicate that NPs CANNOT fill the role of a trauma PA, is that correct? As someone undecided about PA vs NP, it's important that I have all the facts before I choose a program for next Fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lassibk Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I am extremely interested in Trauma as a PA. I start my clinical rotations in December. My elective rotation will be in trauma at a level 1 center that has 7 PAs on staff and a skills lab, and no residents or other students, so I am hopeful that I will be able to learn a lot! Any suggestions on how to prepare for the rotation? books to read? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lassibk Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfran123 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 lassibk, I would recommend getting a copy of the most recent ATLS manual from the library and go thru it in great detail. Then for more specific information re: Trauma injuries and management I would recommend the book "The Trauma Manual: Trauma and Acute Care Surgery" 3rd edition by Peitzman, Rhodes, Schwab, Yealy, and Fabian. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lassibk Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Thanks! I love the trauma manual! Read a little every day, it helped me immensely in my surgery course that I am currently taking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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