Is It Still Worth It To Go To The NP School After The Pandemic?

You might be wondering if it is still worth it to go back to school and become a nurse practitioner in 2023 after the pandemic has hit and nurses are making more than anyone could ever imagine. You might be burned out working as a floor nurse and looking for an exit plan but wondering if going back to school and taking up more student loan is worth the investment.

This blog post will help you see why it is still worth it to get your NP in 2023 when floor nurses are making more money than nurse practitioners.

Why I Decided to still Continue on Working on My Degree When My Friends Decided to do Travel Nursing

In the wake of the pandemic, the field of healthcare education has undergone significant transformations. With the emergence of new challenges and opportunities, aspiring Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are left wondering whether pursuing an NP degree is still a worthwhile endeavor.

Let me start first by saying this: It is amazing how patients would respect you when you are their provider! The amount of autonomy and respect that my patients give me is definitely worth the time and money I spent to get my advanced degree. The respect started on the floor when I am no longer following orders; I am giving them! I am no longer physically or emotionally exhausted and look forward to my days at work.

Working as a floor nurse is physically and emotionally exhausting, especially since the pandemic has hit and the floor census has doubled. The workload has become even more complex and sometimes impossible to manage with the extremely low staffing. Many of us have exit plans we hope to execute once we are ready to leave bedside nursing. The nurse practitioner route is one of the most popular routes that nurses choose to take because it allows them to practice nursing still but gain the autonomy they could not get in bedside nursing.

Deciding to go back to school and get an advanced degree is a big investment and requires a lot of commitment and sacrifices. Most NP programs last about two and a half years with a BSN and cost between $20,000 and $45,000. This means NP candidates must be committed to making it through the programs.

Some might argue that RN is currently making more than NPs, and many NPs are returning to the floor. But the reality is that it is just temporary, and the NP who goes to the floor to work as an RN to take advantage of the covid money can always leave to get an NP job once the pandemic is over and hospitals go back to paying their low pay rates. The NP who was working with you will leave you to go back to being a provider and making a salary of an NP. After the pandemic hit, many nurses decided to start traveling and earn double to triple what they were making before the pandemic. Still, they took over a heavier workload, with patient ratios increasing to 1:7 on a regular med-surg floor. This means more stress, pressure, and liability.

It is worth going to NP school and getting your NP in 2023 because you can get away from bedside nursing and gain your autonomy back. Even though you might be making more money working as an RN, the autonomy you will get as an NP is better. Working as an NP is less demanding physically, and if you work at an Urgent Care or Emergency Room, you will still be able to work your three twelves and keep your flexible schedule.

Another question people might ask is "is it easy to get an NP job after you graduate?". Do you remember how you used to hear that nursing is saturated? The nursing job market is overflooded, and it is hard to get an RN job? I remember I used to hear that when I was trying to go to nursing school eight years ago, and I still listened to the same thing when I decided I wanted to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner. Many of my coworkers told me it was not worth it and gave me an example of a person they know who had difficulty finding a job after getting their NP. Every person has their own personal story and experience when it comes to finding a job. I personally did not care about how long it would take me to start working as an NP once I graduated. All I wanted was to have my degree and get more opportunities to grow because I knew bedside nursing was not for me, and I do not see myself working on the floor until retirement. So if you want to advance in your career, get the degrees you need while you can, and the rest will follow. It is always good to have a plan B in life.

The decision to attend NP school after the pandemic is a multifaceted one that requires careful consideration. While the healthcare landscape has evolved, the worth of NP education remains high for those who are passionate about making a difference in patient care. By weighing the benefits, challenges, and opportunities presented, individuals can embark on an NP journey that aligns with their aspirations and contributes to the ongoing improvement of healthcare.

So if you are wondering if it is still worth getting your NP in 2023 after the pandemic, the answer is yes! After all, we all know that this covid money will not last; soon, hospitals will stop paying these covid shifts and go back to their low pay rates. In the meantime, if you are an NP, your pay rate will continue to increase as you gain experience.