His FNP interview

*Please provide your title and the organization you work for?

 Family Nurse Practitioner, U.S. Navy

*What led you to pursue a career in nursing?

I joined the Navy as a hospital corpsman in 1993. The experiences I had were extremely enjoyable and I found that I couldn’t get enough of medicine. I kept taking more classes, more schools, getting more certifications (EMT, ACLS, PALS, etc.) which eventually lead to me obtaining my RN license in 2004 and then my FNP certificate in 2007.

*Please tell me about your educational background.

Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Old Dominion University.

Bachelors of Science in Health Sciences with a minor in Business Mgmt from Old Dominion University.

Masters of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner certificate from Western University of Health Sciences.

*Did you begin your nursing profession as a nurse practitioner? If not please describe the history of your nursing career.
See above.

*What steps did you take in order to become a nurse practitioner?
See above.

*What are the certifications you’ve obtained as a nurse practitioner?
My job requires me to have current certifications in:
Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C)
Basic Life Support (BLS)
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
Trauma Nurse Care Course (TNCC)

*Please provide your current job description?
I do not have a detailed job description available. It’s in my office at work. 

*Do you have an organizational chart of your institution you could share? If so, please share.
Commanding Officer (Family Nurse Practitioner)
Executive Officer (Physician)
Director of Medical Services (Physician)
Department Head (Physician)
2 Family Nurse Practitioners, 8 Physicians, 1 Physician Assistant

*What is your local salary range for a nurse practitioner?
I am on the federal/military pay scale based on service time and rank. As an FNP I also get specialty board pay of $166 a month and a $20,000 bonus per year.

*Have you been confronted with any ethical issues in your profession as a nurse practitioner?
Not yet.

*What have you found to be the pros and cons of the nurse practitioner role?
Pros: I am allowed tremendous independence in my practice. I am doing the job I love. I get to spend a decent amount of time with my patients to educate them and practice preventative medicine. There are physicians available for me to collaborate with if I need. The salary is more than adequate. I have the opportunity to travel to conferences to further my education and knowledge.

Cons: I am the workhorse of the clinic. I see 3-4 times the amount of patients as the physicians and put in about 50-55 hours per week.

*Is there any advice you could give me as I begin to pursue a higher education level to ultimately obtain a profession as a nurse practitioner?
The job of a FNP is not for everyone. It often involves long hours and a lot of work. The educational path is lengthy and expensive. But for those few who are willing to sacrifice the time, effort. and money, it is one of the best jobs out there.