What do Acute Care Nurse Practitioners do? Do they work in the ER? Can they suture? First assist in surgery?

I would like to be a PA but the only program near me gets 1000 applicants a year for 55 spots - my grades are good but not 3.8 good! So, I am looking at becoming an NP...advice?

One of our best mid-levels in my ER is an ANP. The majority of our mid-levels, in fact, are NPs. I think as long as you have the credentials and experience, you can work in any department/specialty you want, regardless of what your title is.

ACNPs practice in varying communities. They can work in an ER, Clinic, or Hospital.

Whether they can suture or not is a matter for the State Board of Nursing in your State to decide. Check with them and ask about the ACNP Scope of Practice.

States usually have a certification process for First Assistants, and it is usually tied in with the national certifying body for First Assistants (RN-FA, I believe.)

Check with your State Board of Nursing for more information

Acute Care Nurse Parctitioners don't typically work in the ER per se, but rather they take care of patients who are in critical condition such as the ICU or a step-down ICU unit. They can suture, and anybody from scrub-techs to LPNs can assist in surgery, so there's no doubt that a NP can assist. But I want to put strong emphasis on the word "assist," which includes watching the monitors, handing the doctor their tools, cleaning the tools. I even had friend, (who was an RN) who said she once had to massage a patient's heart during surgery.
But to summerize, Actue Care deals mostly with ICU or step-down ICU. I hope that helps, and I wish you the best of luck.

In my neck of the woods, very few NPs work in the ER (mostly PAs); PAs can first assist, but I think NP need to get a RN first assist credential. Acute care NPs generally work in ICU or hospital type settings. The NPs that do work in the ER are FNPs (family practice).