While choosing a career, it is imperative that we know the exact job. This is especially true for the medical field, since the job descriptions of so many professions in this field are similar. A Nurse Practitioner is also called an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). Some of their work cannot be done by nurses. Depending on the specialization, NPs have differentiated work. 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 Kearney?
The average salary for a nurse practitioner is around $90,000. RNs receive $65,000 on average, which means they earn less than NPs. This is because the training of NPs are more extensive, allowing them to earn a medical practitioner title.
[asd_program_button /]Site
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. This is about 30% percent more than the national average. While Delaware offers something around $67,000.
Years of Experience
Experience is not too much of a factor for salary increase in the field. A 10-15% increase in the salary may be given to those who have been working in the field for more than 20 years.
Skills
Your capacity for work could contribute to your salary increase. Skills in acute care and emergency room may help increase salary to $99,000. Whereas family care can take it only up to $92,000. The skills of geriatrics and internal medicine both fall somewhere in between these two.
Work Promotions
Salary raise in the field could only be achieved when you get a promotion or when you earn a specialization. Achieving this may require you to do the following. An option is to earn $150,000 annually by becoming a Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist. The Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner also earns more than the normal NP. Other alternatives are to become a Family, Pediatric NP, Psychiatrist NP, or an Adult NP. After this, of course, there are further specializations that can help you a bit more cash if needed. In order to achieve these things, you will need to undergo a number of training sessions and acquire additional certification.
Benefits
An NP is entitled to numerous 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. If there are conventions or seminars, they are given registration fees and some allowances.
Since primary medical personnel is short in numbers, the demand for mid-level medical care professionals may increase. Therefore, an increase in Nurse Practitioners salary is more likely to happen in time. NPs also tend to have more time on their hands to opt for the work assignment they want.
Nurse Practitioner Kearney Employment Outlook
In 2014, the United States of America provided 170,000 jobs to nurse practitioners. The BLS predicts an average of 31% growth in the industry within the next 10 years. 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. Thus, the need of people like PAs and NPs is increasing and is projected to increase even further. There is an expected 11% increase in jobs for Family, Pediatric, Gastroenterology, and Hospitalist NPs while jobs for neonatal NPs will have a 34% increase. The speed of growth is much higher than the the other careers’ growth rate.
[asd_program_button /]The need for nurses is growing because their techniques in work are focused on the needs of the patient instead of the disease. NPs are more sought for than PAs for this reason.
The need for healthcare in rural areas is also increasing. Most of these areas are not suitable for new buildings, which means that the people could only consult with NPs. These professionals work hand in hand with physicans to provide medical assistance to the patients in such areas. Most NPs get hired to work for Office of Physicians, Outpatient Care Centers, and General Hospitals.
Specialized health care demands are rapidly increasing. Pediatrics, gerontology, acute care and other specializations are usually practiced by nurse practitioners. This means that they can give a more accurate diagnosis of the patient’s problem if it falls in their area of specialty.
Another need for nurses is coming up in education. There is a lack of teachers for nurse practitioners and other medical personnel. Getting a Ph.D. is a requisite for a nurse practitioners to be able to teach. 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 is a brighter future for nurse practitioners in terms of earnings. The salary of a nurse practitioner is expected to grow about 19% by 2020 because of above reasons. As for an academic, the average salary starting out is about $85,000. If you have been exposed to many medical specialization, your salary could increase to $175,000 within a year. The specialization of a nurse determines the amount of salary he or she earns. A nurse anesthetist earns about $150,000 and this can go up 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 Kearney
How to Be A Registered Nurse
First, one needs to become a registered nurse. In order to be one, get your bachelor’s or an associate’s degree from an accredited school. 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 /]Earning Bachelor’s Degree
It is also recommended that one completes his/her 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. It is essential work because there is always a need for experience. You may be a bachelor’s degree holder already and going for a Registered Nurse career at the same time. RN-BSN offers bridge programs to help you in this case. The program has different time schedules. If you have a part-time work, the period of the study may take longer. Bridge courses by LPN-BSN are also available.
Experience
As mentioned before, being experienced is key to getting into of the careers in the medical field. Getting a master’s degree after a bachelor’s degree might be the most efficient way of becoming an NP. However, many people already in the profession feel that this leaves you inadequately trained for the situations that you might face in life. For this reason, getting some training is advised if you are planning to get a graduate degree. This is because prior experience is a requirement in certain NP training programs. This training teaches you how to work with a team of medical professionals, how to work efficiently, how to tend to different patients and how to treat a variety of infections.
Getting Your Master’s Degree
Getting a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is mandatory for becoming a Nurse Practitioner. Lots of programs only need the RN’s diploma or an associate’s degree as a requirement. Other programs require the students to have a bachelor’s degree. Both kinds will train you inside the classroom and in the field. 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 /]Doctorate (optional)
After earning a master’s degree, one has freedom to choose a specialization for his/her Ph.D. In this way, you can have more reputation in the field and you may have higher salary. Others choose family care, gerontology or health systems as their field of specialization.
State License and Certification
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. Passing the state licensure exam, RN license, and a master’s degree are the requirements in becoming a nurse practitioner. Licensure exams are in line with your specialization. The American Nurses Association has ancillary branches and you can submit your application in any of them like the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.
In general, you will need an associate degree or a diploma to become a registered nurse. Then you must obtain a bachelor’s degree after which you move on to gain some experience. Lastly, you will get a master’s degree in your chosen area of specialization and the license will follow.
What Does A Kearney Nurse Practioner Do?
Works in general
Physicians and other medical professionals of the same level supervise nurse practitioners. They are authorized to diagnose and treat patients, too. Apart from this, they could also send the patient for tests and other medical procedures. After the results are out, they can interpret and discuss them with the patient. Sometimes, they are also allowed to assist a physician in surgery whether as the surgeon or an anesthetist. They could also handle high risk surgeries.
[asd_program_button /]A more patient-centered treatment approach is done by nurse practitioners. This means that they focus more on the patients’ needs and wants while treating them. Most usual advises include prevention because they want to keep their patients away from diseases before they occur. Patients under NPs will receive consultation including some advices on avoiding illnesses or injuries.
A nurse practitioner is generally supposed to take up some or the other kind of specialty before taking the licensure exam. There are specific duties by NPs on the field, which is why they need this. Here are the most common duties they do.
NPs for Families
NPs on this field consult with whole families. They can treat people of all ages and discuss ways to prevent diseases with the family. They also provide direct care to the family in collaboration with a physician.
NPs Specializing in Psychiatry
Psychiatric nurse practitioners work with a group of people who have mental issues. Both therapy and prescription of medicine can be administered by them. They cannot interpret psychological tests, though. He or she could design a treatment plan for the patient along with a professional psychologist’s help.
Pediatric NP
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. People you see inside Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) caring for newborn babies work in this field. Pediatric NPs also help kids transition through puberty as this may be a difficult time for some. They are also responsible for immunizations.
Working as a Gerontology NP
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. Since old age is often the onset of many diseases, it is their responsibility to look after the old people and reduce the progress of such diseases as much as possible. In an effort to prolong the life of their patients, they provide them fitness plans.
The abovementioned things are just some good examples of a nurse practicioner’s specialties. Some NPs may specialize in other fields that interest them. Different specializations may have variations in salaries. One of the highest paying specializations is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). After learning these work descriptions for your future career, you may now be able to choose the ideal path for you.
[asd_program_prefilter_box /]