Nursing School
I got accepted into The University of Tennessee Health Science Center of Memphis for my RN, MSN-CNL degree. A CNL (clinical nurse leadership) is a master’s preparatory program which instills the ideas of clinical leadership. This position is more suited, in my opinion, for a nursing manager position. A CNL is a patient advocate, implements individualized patient care plans, coordinates interdisciplinary communication among subspecialties, and utilizes evidence-based practices for systems and technology to improve patient outcomes (PHEW!! I really had to DIG deep inside my hippocampus to pull out my CNL role checklist, ha). This extra step in my nursing education was vital for me to not only provide the best nursing care, but to also incorporate evidence-based practice guidelines for better patient outcomes. Yes, this program is a lot more research based, but I believe it lays the foundation to keep pursuing higher levels of nursing education.
Nurse Practitioner School
After nursing school I worked in the OR for orthopedic and neuro subspecialties for about 3-4 years. This, believe it or not, is where I met my husband. He had just graduated nurse anesthetists school and worked in the same OR facility as me. He can remember every detail in how me met; I do not remember jack, ha! All I can say is that I remember telling myself I will NOT date anyone from work, I got to be professional. Well, fast forward to marriage and 2 kids later. I know, typical Grey’s Anatomy story line, ha! Anywho, back to our subject.
I got accepted into the family nurse practitioner program at the University of Southern Alabama in fall of 2014. Fast forward a few months later, we found out we were pregnant with Archer. I was ecstatic yet terrified at the same time if that makes sense. My first thought was how am I going to finish this 2 year program with an infant on the way. Nonetheless, after MANY sleepless nights, support from family and friends, and prayers to The MAN upstairs, I graduated in December of 2016. By no means was NP school a breeze, add a newborn in there and you’ll REALLY test your limits. But, more than a degree, NP school has taught me about myself more than ANY other life experience. My advice to you, if I can do it with a baby, you definitely can do it.
Orthopedic Certification
How does one get certified in orthopedics especially if you graduated with a family practice degree? The answer is simple: push yourself. After NP school, I got a job with an AMAZING orthopedic group in South Mississippi. The team that I was a part of pushed me to WANT to learn more about ortho and turned it into my passion.
I am board certified by the Orthopedic Nurses Certification Board (ONCB). In order to obtain the credentials of ONP-C (certified orthopedic nurse practitioner), there’s a checklist of prerequisites BEFORE you are even able to sit for the exam. I’ll break it down for you in reference to the NP role, but you are also able to obtain credentialing as an RN as well. Here is a generalized breakdown of the checklist from the ONCB website:
- have 3 full years as APRN/RN experience in orthopedics
- Hold a Master’s degree from an accredited university
- Minimum of 2,000 hours practicing as an APRN in orthopedics
- have your APRN license up to date
Certification is good for 5 years
