We should determine the actual job before making a career option. 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 known as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). They have duties that nurses cannot do. Depending on the specialization, NPs have differentiated work. The rest of the article will show you the specializations and general work duties of these professionals.
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 Livermore?
A nurse practicioner earns $90,000 on average. The NP receives higher salary than RNs, which is approximately $65,000. 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
Wherever there is a growing need of NPs, they will be paid more. For instance, Hawaii pays $115,000 annually to NPs, which makes them the highest paying state. This is about 30% percent more than the national average. NPs in Delaware receive $67,000.
Experience
As far as experienced is concerned as a factor of salary, in this field, even with experience, the salary hardly increases. It increases about 10-15% over 20 years of experience.
Skills
A range of skills can increase your potential to earn a lot more. 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 earn somewhere in between are mostly geriatrics and internal medicine practitioners.
Work Promotions
Getting a specialization or a promotion may be the only way to earn higher. To do this there are several options. A Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist earns $150,000 annually, which is one option. You could also try to become an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner to earn a bit more than a normal NP. Other alternatives are to become a Family, Pediatric NP, Psychiatrist NP, or an Adult NP. You could also increase your salary with other specializations after doing the procedures. The specific area you take may require you to spend a period of time to apply what you learned and you will receive certificates in return.
Incentives
An NP is entitled to numerous benefits. Among the number of assistance, health insurance, retirement plans, and paid vacations are included. They are often reimbursed for any further studies that they may wish to undertake to improve themselves. If there are conventions or seminars, they are given registration fees and some allowances.
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. NPs also tend to have more time on their hands to opt for the work assignment they want.
The Status of Nurse Practitioner Employment In Livermore
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. The need for doctors and physicians cannot be catered by the number of medical professionals. Thus, the need of people like PAs and NPs is increasing and is projected to increase even further. The jobs for neonatal NPs will boost by 34%. The same could be said with Family, Pediatric, Gastroenterology, and Hospitalist NPs, which will have an 11% increase. This is way above the average growth rate of other careers.
[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.
Rustic areas have a continuous need for better healthcare. Most of these areas are not suitable for new buildings, which means that the people could only consult with NPs. They coordinate with physicians and treat the patients in such areas. The biggest employers of NPs are Office of Physicians, Outpatient Care Centers, and General Hospitals.
The need for specialized health care is also increasing. Pediatrics, gerontology, acute care and other specializations are usually practiced by nurse practitioners. When the patient’s illness is within their scope of specialty, they can diagnose it more accurately.
Nurses are also in demand in the field of education. Teachers of nurses and other medical professionals are needed due to the lack of people honing the skills of the future medical practitioners. A Ph.D. title is needed before a nurse practitioner becomes a teacher in the field. People generally go into consulting or teaching after a certain age. So this is the perfect option for NPs who feel that they are now not fit enough to handle the stresses that come with the medical field.
There is a brighter future for nurse practitioners in terms of earnings. In 2020, the 19% salary increase is most likely provided to nurse practitioners. A salary of $85,000 may be earned by those who are in teaching. If you have been exposed to many medical specialization, your salary could increase to $175,000 within a year. The salary of a specialized nurse practitioner depends on the specialization. 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. More information and data about NPs could be found in Bureau of Labor Statistics. As you can see, this is a highly competitive job with great prospects.
Career Requirements For Nurse Practitioners In Livermore
Becoming a Registered Nurse
The first step is 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, they do not hold as much importance as the other two since some of the clinics and hospitals need you to have some clinical experience before applying for the job. You can get this experience through an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. Then, the licensure examination for nurses will take place and only then will you be called an RN if you pass the standardized national test. You could also try to take a different path and become a Licensed Practical Nurse first.
[asd_program_button /]Earning Bachelor’s Degree
The next step is to earn a Bachelor’s degree. Those who have applied for a diploma or an associate’s degree should consider this. The course Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) needs to be completed. 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. There are people who are Registered Nurses, while also professionals in other fields. In such cases, there are bridge programs from RN-BSN. The program has different time schedules. If you have a part-time work, the period of the study may take longer. LPN-BSN also offers bridge courses.
Period of Experience
One of the best ways to make it in the health care field is to get lots of experience. Earning your master’s degree right after your bachelor’s degree may be the ideal process to follow to become an NP. Some nurses who have been working for a long time feel that this process is somehow lacking when it comes to real life applications. 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.
Master’s Degree
A requisite of becoming a Nurse Practitioner is one’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. RNs having diploma or an associate’s degree are usually accepted in most programs. A bachelor’s degree is needed to enroll in other programs. Both kinds will train you inside the classroom and in the field. Extensive work experience is required for an RN before they turn into NPs. You might also try to get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree as an alternative.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Getting A Doctorate (optional)
The Ph.D. title follows after the master’s degree and in this program, one can opt for the specialization that best fits him/her. In this way, you can have more reputation in the field and you may have higher salary. You can choose to specialize in fields like family care, gerontology or health systems.
State License and Certification
An NP must be licensed by the state. Requirements for licensing may vary in every state. They publish a list of accepted programs and bachelor’s degree. 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 summary, becoming a registered nurse requires you an associate’s degree or a diploma. A bachelor’s degree should follow wherein you will be trained in the field. Finally, you acquire a master’s degree following which you get licensed after applying for the appropriate program.
What is the Work of A Livermore Nurse Practitioner?
General Work
The nurse practitioner cooperate with a physician or other professionals of the same range. They can diagnose and treat patients like a primary healthcare provider. They can also order certain tests and medical procedures to be conducted. 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 /]Nurse practitioners take a patient centered approach to treatment. This means that they focus more on the patients’ needs and wants while treating them. They want to prevent the disease rather than cure it and thus advise the patient to take the necessary steps to do so. This means that part of the NPs job is to discuss prevention of injuries and diseases to their patients.
In general, nurse practitioners need a specialization before they take the licensure exam. The specific duties of an NP depend on this specialization that they have chosen. 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. Working with other physicians is also common when taking care of families.
NPs Specializing in Psychiatry
Patients who have mental issues may be handled by experts including the psychiatric nurse practitioners. These professionals can prescribe medicine and do therapeutic consultations with them. However, they are not allowed to perform psychological testing. They can choose to look at the results from the testing and then work with a professional psychologist or psychiatrist to determine a treatment plan for the patient.
Pediatric NP
As the name suggests, pediatric NPs look after kids of all ages – from newborn babies to 18-year old kids. Under this specialty is the neonatal NP. These people look after infants and work at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). 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
Old people are the patients of those working as gerontology nurse practitioners. They help by recommending the ideal activities and treatments to address existing illnesses and prevent them from worsening. 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. There are more fields that NP would want to pursue. Different specializations may have variations in salaries. One of the highest paying specializations is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). These information should now be able to help you make sound career choices.
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