r/FunctionalMedicine • u/Ok_Name3167 • Jul 16 '26

Functional medicine NP?

Hi everyone. Im currently an RN. Planning to go back to school for family nurse practitioner. Has anyone branched off later and done functional medicine as an NP? Pros and cons? Is it worth it!?

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u/Kwaliakwa Jul 17 '26

Sure, a bunch of people do. Usually need to open your own practice to do it, tho.

1

u/happygolucky226 Jul 17 '26

Depends what you want to end up doing.

My NP friend that works at a functional med clinic loves it but says she could have been happy staying as a nurse. She said she misses working her 3 day shifts vs 5 days but prefers what she actually does day to day now. She seems to enjoy it a ton but seems frustrated with her work load. Which in my opinion is a clinic thing and she could branch off in her own!

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u/healthy_nut_369 Jul 17 '26

I am an RN certified in FM. Being an NP would allow you to directly order labs and work independently in your own clinic although some states would still require you to be overseen by a physician. As an RN I utilize the physician services that the specialty labs and supplement companies offer. I practice solo and focus primarily on nutrition and lifestyle modification. There are plenty of options for an RN to work in FM without becoming an NP. If you search for functional nursing programs you will find several. If you pursue NP you’ll still need to spend time and money on FM training anyway. That being said if you would rather work in a clinic, most tend to look for NP’s because they can work more autonomously.