We should determine the actual job before making a career option. The same could be said in the medical field, where different jobs could be mistaken for others. A Nurse Practitioner is also called an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). This means that they can perform a range of specialized activities that a nurse can’t. NPs have different work depending on the field they specialize on. Here are the general tasks and the specific work they do.
Table Of Contents:
- Nurse Practitioner Salary
- Nurse Practitioner Employment Outlook
- How To Become A Nurse Practitioner
- Nurse Practitioner Job Description
What Is The Salary of A Nurse Practitioner In Lexington?
A nurse practicioner earns $90,000 on average. RNs receive $65,000 on average, which means they earn less than NPs. This value is lower compared to an NP since an NP goes through more training and education and later earns the right to practice medicine.
[asd_program_button /]Location
The higher the demand for NPs, the higher they will be paid. For example, Hawaii is the highest paying state with an average salary of $115,000 a year. Compared to the average earnings of NPs in the rest of the country, they earn 30% more. NPs in Delaware receive $67,000.
Years of Experience
As far as experienced is concerned as a factor of salary, in this field, even with experience, the salary hardly increases. A 10-15% increase in the salary may be given to those who have been working in the field for more than 20 years.
Ability
An increase of salary may be given if you have more expertise in some fields. Acute care and Emergency room skills will be something that can increase your average salary to up to $99,000. The professional may earn up to $92,000 for specializing in family care. Those who work as geriatrics and internal medicine specialists earn somewhere in between.
Promotions
Getting a specialization or a promotion may be the only way to earn higher. Achieving this may require you to do the following. You can try to become a Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist who can earn about $150,000 a year. The Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner also earns more than the normal NP. Other options include being a Family, Pediatric NP, Psychiatrist NP, or an Adult NP. You could also increase your salary with other specializations after doing the procedures. These things will require an additional certification and some more hours of training in that specific field.
Benefits
NPs also receive some benefits. Among the number of assistance, health insurance, retirement plans, and paid vacations are included. Most of the time, the company gives back the amount of money spent on further schooling that enhances their abilities. Learning skills is a big matter, which is why they are given money and registration fees to participate in conferences that improve their abilities.
Because of this shortage for main medical practitioners, many aspiring health care professionals would most likely work in the field. Therefore, an increase in Nurse Practitioners salary is more likely to happen in time. There are also more time for NPs to choose the type of cases they wish to do.
Nurse Practitioner Lexington Employment Outlook
In 2014, the United States of America provided 170,000 jobs to nurse practitioners. Over the next decade, the BLS expects approximately 31% development in the field. This means that about 57,000 new jobs will come up in that period. The main reason for this is the shortage of medical workers. Doctors and physicians cannot meet the demands of the people. The need for PAs and NPs will keep on increasing in the future. It is estimated that the jobs for Family, Pediatric, Gastroenterology, and Hospitalist NPs will rise by about 11% whereas that of neonatal NPs will rise about 34%. The speed of growth is much higher than the the other careers’ growth rate.
[asd_program_button /]The best way to deal with people in the medical field is to use the patient-centered approach, which is a much ideal process than only focusing on the illness. Nurses perform these tasks, that’s why they are needed. Thus, patients sometimes prefer NPs to PAs.
There is a growing demand for medical care in rural areas. It is not possible to set up the infrastructure in such areas and thus NPs are the source of primary health care. These medical practitioners may ask help from other physicians to cater to the patients in the area. NPs could apply in Office of Physicians, Outpatient Care Centers, and General Hospitals.
There is an increase in the demand for specialized medical care. Specializations of nurses include those in pediatrics, gerontology, acute care, and other fields. The diagnosis of the illness is clearer and faster when the disease is specialized by the practitioner.
The educational field is also in need of nurses. Teachers of nurses and other medical professionals are needed due to the lack of people honing the skills of the future medical practitioners. So, if a nurse practitioner gets a Ph.D. he or she would be authorized to teach as an academic. After spending much time with work, most people go for teaching jobs. NPs who do not have the strength to carry on the usual work may opt for this.
There are many good news when it comes to the financial aspect of the nurse practitioner careers. Because of the need for nurse practitioners, a 19% salary raise in 2020 may be given. As for an academic, the average salary starting out is about $85,000. A high salary as amounting to $175,000 could easily be achieved after a year when you have skills and experience. The specialization of a nurse determines the amount of salary he or she earns. The earnings of a nurse anesthetist could range from $150,000 to $235,000.
Each career’s status and salary rate may differ in each state. For more statistics and data on the job outlook of NPs, you can visit Bureau of Labor Statistics. As you can see, this is a highly competitive job with great prospects.
Nurse Practitioner Job Requirements In Lexington
How to Be A Registered Nurse
First, one needs to become a registered nurse. Earning a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree is needed to become one. Another requirement is your diploma. However, the skill acquired during internship or work experience are more important. Experience during the bachelor’s or an associate’s degree internship contributes to this requirement. Taking and passing the standardized national exam for RNs is your next step so you can work officially. Becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse first is another way to achieve your goals.
[asd_program_button /]Completing Bachelor’s Degree
The next step is to earn a Bachelor’s degree. This is mostly for people who had earlier applied for a diploma or an associate’s degree. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is required. Besides the comprehensive learning of medical procedures, there is also application during internship clinic rounds. One’s experience in the field contributes a lot to the career of a medical professional. You may already have a bachelor’s degree while you were pursuing a career as Registered Nurse. RN-BSN offers bridge programs to help you in this case. The time duration of these programs varies. The duration is longer when you are also studying while working. LPN-BSN also offers bridge courses.
Years of Practice
The medical field treats experience as a great factor. To become an NP, the best course may be to earn a master’s degree after your bachelor’s degree. The practicality is not provided in this process, according to many senior nurses in the field. Before earning a graduate degree, they recommend more training. Most graduate degrees require a certain amount of experience before the student could be admitted. During the training, you will learn how to work effectively as an individual and with other professionals, how to ensure the welfare of various patients and treat the infections they may have.
Earning a Master’s Degree
Getting a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is mandatory for becoming a Nurse Practitioner. RNs having diploma or an associate’s degree are usually accepted in most programs. Students who want to be enrolled in other programs needs to have a bachelor’s degree. Either way, the master’s degree includes spending time in both the classroom and the clinic. While studying to earn the NP title, RNs mostly need to undergo long hours of training. Alternatively, you could get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Earning A Ph.D. Title
Additionally, one can opt to get a Ph.D. in any of the specializations after the master’s degree. Reaching this far will potentially increase your earnings and also your reputation as a medical professional. Specialization in family care, gerontology or health systems are good options.
State License and Other Documents
An NP must be licensed by the state. Different states may require some documents that other stated do not. Others have a set of bachelor’s degree and programs they accept. Becoming a nurse practitioner requires one to have the RN state license, master’s degree in nursing, and a passed state licensure exam. The licensure exam differs depending on the specialization you are choosing. For example, you can apply at the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board or any other institution which is a subsidiary of American Nurses Association.
In general, you will need an associate degree or a diploma to become a registered nurse. Then, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree, which will expose you to real life medical situations. Finally, you acquire a master’s degree following which you get licensed after applying for the appropriate program.
What is the Work of A Lexington Nurse Practitioner?
General Work
Physicians and other medical professionals of the same level supervise nurse practitioners. They are authorized to diagnose and treat patients, too. If patients need to undergo medical tests and other proceedings, they can are also allowed to conduct them. After the results are out, they can interpret and discuss them with the patient. They are also authorized to help as a surgeon as an anesthetist when needed in an operation. Some high-risk cases are also handled by them.
[asd_program_button /]Nurse practitioners take a patient centered approach to treatment. Their patient’s needs are more important to be able to treat them effectively. They value prevention over treatment, which is why they advise their patients to start taking precautions. Patients under NPs will receive consultation including some advices on avoiding illnesses or injuries.
Before the licensure exam, a nurse practitioner is generally required to complete a specialization program. There is a need for this because NPs have a specialization in the field. Let us look at some of the popular choices and their job duties.
Family NP
These NPs take care of the whole family. Through the assistance of NPs, the whole family can avoid illnesses together, and any disease no matter how how old the patient is could be treated. Families can receive high quality health care because the practitioner works with a physician.
NPs Specializing in Psychiatry
Psychiatric nurse practitioners work with a group of people who have mental issues. These professionals can prescribe medicine and do therapeutic consultations with them. However, they are not allowed to perform psychological testing. He or she could design a treatment plan for the patient along with a professional psychologist’s help.
NPs Practicing Pediatrics
As the name suggests, pediatric NPs look after kids of all ages – from newborn babies to 18-year old kids. The neonatal NP belongs to this specialization. These people look after infants and work at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Another work of pediatric NPs is helping kids have a smooth journey through puberty. Immunizations are also part of their work.
NPs in Gerontology
Those specializing as nurse practitioners in gerontology will be dealing with medical problems of elderlies. They educate them about disease prevention and manage any illnesses they might have. However, since old people are more sickly, it is the expert’s job to make sure their illnesses do not reduce the quality of their lifestyles. Most patients who could only live for a certain period are kept healthy by these professionals using fitness programs.
The abovementioned things are just some good examples of a nurse practicioner’s specialties. There are several others that an NP might try to get into according to his or her own interests. The earnings may be different for each specialization. One of the highest paying specializations is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). Now that you know the different roles that your job may entail, you can make an informed decision about your career choice.
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