We should determine the actual job before making a career option. The assumption that related jobs have the same description is easily made especially in the field of medicine. A Nurse Practitioner is also called an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). They have duties that nurses cannot do. NPs have different work depending on the field they specialize on. 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 Arcadia?
A nurse practitioner receives an average of $90,000. The NP receives higher salary than RNs, which is approximately $65,000. The reason behind this is that NPs train longer so they could be medical practitioners.
[asd_program_button /]Location
Wherever there is a growing need of NPs, they will be paid more. For example, Hawaii is the highest paying state with an average salary of $115,000 a year. This amount is 30% higher than the average national salary. While Delaware offers something around $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
Your capacity for work could contribute to your salary increase. An approximate salary of $99,000 could be given to those with skills in acute care and emergency room skills. Those who have family care skills can earn up to $92,000. Those who work as geriatrics and internal medicine specialists earn somewhere in between.
Work Promotions
The only real way to increase your salary in this line of work is to get promoted or get specialized. To do this there are several options. You can try to become a Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist who can earn about $150,000 a year. Another is by becoming an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, who earns slightly more than the regular 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. 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.
Benefits
NPs also receive some benefits. Some of the few are retirement plans, paid vacations, and health insurance. Employees who want to enhance their skills through schooling can gain financial support from their company. If there are conventions or seminars, they are given registration fees and some allowances.
With the shortage of primary health care personnel, the job outlook of mid-level health care practitioners is supposed to be on the rise. There is a high possibility that Nurse Practitioners will receive higher salaries later on. 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 Arcadia
The United States of America needed 170,000 nurse practitioners in 2014. According to BLS, the industry is expected to grow by 31% over the next decade. During that time, as much as 57,000 jobs will be available. 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. This means that PAs and NPs will continue to be needed for a long time. 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. This is way above the average growth rate of other careers.
[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. Thus, patients sometimes prefer NPs to PAs.
The need for healthcare in rural areas is also increasing. It is not possible to set up the infrastructure in such areas and thus NPs are the source of primary health care. They coordinate with physicians and treat the patients in such areas. NPs could apply in Office of Physicians, Outpatient Care Centers, and General Hospitals.
The need for specialized health care is also increasing. Specializations of nurses include those in pediatrics, gerontology, acute care, and other fields. When the patient’s illness is within their scope of specialty, they can diagnose it more accurately.
The educational field is also in need of nurses. Medical schools have a shortage of teachers for nurses and medical professionals. Getting a Ph.D. is a requisite for a nurse practitioners to be able to teach. Some people resort to teaching after a long period of service. 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. The salary of a nurse practitioner is expected to grow about 19% by 2020 because of above reasons. 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 increase depends on the nurse practitioner’s specialization. Those specializing as nurse anesthetists may receive a salary between $150,000 to $235,000.
The salary and job prospects of any career also depend on the state one is residing in. For more statistics and data on the job outlook of NPs, you can visit Bureau of Labor Statistics. This career is not only very competitive but also have huge prospects.
How To Become A Nurse Practioner In Arcadia
Becoming a Registered Nurse
The first step is to become a registered nurse. To do this you must earn a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree from any of the registered institutions. Another way is earning a 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. After this, you must take a standardized national test and then get the license to practice as an RN. 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. A requirement is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) diploma. This will not only give you a more in-depth education in the medical world, but it will make you undergo a lot of clinical 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. There are also bridge courses from LPN-BSN.
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. 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. 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.
Master’s Degree
Getting a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) is mandatory for becoming a Nurse Practitioner. Many programs accept RNs with a diploma or an associate’s degree. Other programs require the students to have a bachelor’s degree. 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. Alternatively, you could get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
[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. This will improve your credibility as a medical professional and improve your chances to earn a bit more. Specialization in family care, gerontology or health systems are good options.
Credentials and State License
An NP must be licensed by the state. Different states may require some documents that other stated do not. Some only accept those whose bachelor degrees fall under their list of accepted programs. 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. 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 Arcadia Nurse Practitioner?
Works in general
A nurse practitioner usually works under the supervision of a physician or someone of the same level. Diagnosing and treating patients are also part of their jobs. 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. They are also authorized to help as a surgeon as an anesthetist when needed in an operation. They could also handle high risk surgeries.
[asd_program_button /]Nurse practitioners work with the patient-centered method. 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. Thus, a huge role of NPs is to consult patients on how to prevent injuries and illnesses.
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. Let us look at some of the popular choices and their job duties.
Family NP
These NPs take care of the whole family. They can treat people of all ages and discuss ways to prevent diseases with the family. 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. They can practice as therapists and sometimes prescribe appropriate medicine. However, phsychological testing is not a part of their job. 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. 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 the ones who give immunizations and vaccines to children.
Gerontology NP
A gerontology nurse practitioner specializes in the healthcare of old people. 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. Each of these specializations offers a different amount of salary. 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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