Athens Alabama Nurse Practitioner Salary And Job Requirements

While choosing a career, it is imperative that we know the exact job. The assumption that related jobs have the same description is easily made especially in the field of medicine. A Nurse Practitioner is also known as 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. The rest of the article will show you the specializations and general work duties of these professionals.

Nurse Practitioner Career Summary

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents:

How Much Does A Nurse Practitioner Make In Athens?

The average salary for a nurse practitioner is around $90,000. The NP receives higher salary than RNs, which is approximately $65,000. This is because the training of NPs are more extensive, allowing them to earn a medical practitioner title.

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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. This is about 30% percent more than the national average. While Delaware offers something around $67,000.

Nurse practitioner salary information

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Experience

Salary increase in this field is rare even for those who have extensive experience. 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. An approximate salary of $99,000 could be given to those with skills in acute care and emergency room skills. Whereas family care can take it only up to $92,000. Those who earn somewhere in between are mostly geriatrics and internal medicine practitioners.

Work Promotions

The only real way to increase your salary in this line of work is to get promoted or get specialized. Achieving this may require you to do the following. 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. 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.

Assistance

There are several benefits that an NP could gain. Some of the few are retirement plans, paid vacations, and health insurance. They are often reimbursed for any further studies that they may wish to undertake to improve themselves. Learning skills is a big matter, which is why they are given money and registration fees to participate in conferences that improve their abilities.

With the shortage of primary health care personnel, the job outlook of mid-level health care practitioners is supposed to be on the rise. So, in the future, there is a high chance that Nurse Practitioners are going to get paid much more. NPs also tend to have more time on their hands to opt for the work assignment they want.

Average nurse practitioner wage in

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Nurse Practitioner Athens Employment Outlook

The United States of America needed 170,000 nurse practitioners in 2014. The BLS predicts an average of 31% growth in the industry within the next 10 years. During that time, as much as 57,000 jobs will be available. This is primarily due to the lack of healthcare professionals. 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. 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%. This is way above the average growth rate of other careers.

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Another reason for the increasing demand of nurses is because they take a patient-centered approach rather than a disease-centered one. Thus, patients sometimes prefer NPs to PAs.

The need for healthcare in rural areas is also increasing. NPs are the best medical professionals in these areas because establishments are impossible to build there. These medical practitioners may ask help from other physicians to cater to the patients in the area. The biggest employers of NPs are Office of Physicians, Outpatient Care Centers, and General Hospitals.

Specialized health care demands are rapidly increasing. Nurse practitioners are usually specialized in some or the other field like pediatrics, gerontology, acute care and many other things. This means that they can give a more accurate diagnosis of the patient’s problem if it falls in their area of specialty.

Employment outlook for nurse practitioners in

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Another need for nurses is coming up in education. Medical schools have a shortage of teachers for nurses and medical professionals. So, if a nurse practitioner gets a Ph.D. he or she would be authorized to teach as an academic. People generally go into consulting or teaching after a certain age. 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. 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. 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 state you live in has a say on the job standpoint and salary of each career. More information and data about NPs could be found in Bureau of Labor Statistics. This career is not only very competitive but also have huge prospects.

Nurse practitioner job outlook

**Image Source – BLS.gov

How To Become A Nurse Practioner In Athens

Registered Nurse

The first step is to become a registered nurse. In order to be one, get your bachelor’s or an associate’s degree from an accredited school. A diploma can work as well. 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. After this, you must take a standardized national test and then get the license to practice as an RN. Becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse first is another way to achieve your goals.

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Earning 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. 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. This is extremely important as experience plays a key role in any medical field. There are people who are Registered Nurses, while also professionals in other fields. Such cases can be addressed through the bride programs offered by RN-BSN. Duration of program may depend on certain conditions. It will take more time if you are working while you are studying. 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. To become an NP, the best course may be to earn a master’s degree after your bachelor’s degree. However, many people already in the profession feel that this leaves you inadequately trained for the situations that you might face in life. 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.

Getting Your 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. 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. Students are often required to get a lot of work experience as an RN while they are learning to be an NP. Alternatively, you could get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

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Getting A Doctorate (optional)

After earning a master’s degree, one has freedom to choose a specialization for his/her Ph.D. 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.

State License and Certification

The state license is a requirement for those who want to be an NP. Requirements for licensing may vary in every state. They publish a list of accepted programs and bachelor’s degree. Becoming a nurse practitioner requires one to have the RN state license, master’s degree in nursing, and a passed state licensure exam. Licensure exams are in line with your specialization. You can pass your application and requirements in any establishments under the American Nurses Association such as the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.

In summary, becoming a registered nurse requires you an associate’s degree or a diploma. Then you must obtain a bachelor’s degree after which you move on to gain some experience. Finally, you acquire a master’s degree following which you get licensed after applying for the appropriate program.

What Does A Athens Nurse Practioner Do?

General duties

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. They can also order certain tests and medical procedures to be conducted. They can handle patient consultations and also interpret test results. Sometimes, they are also allowed to assist a physician in surgery whether as the surgeon or an anesthetist. They could even perform risky operations.

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A more patient-centered treatment approach is done by nurse practitioners. Their patient’s needs are more important to be able to treat them effectively. 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. The following are the works most of them choose.

NPs for Families

NPs on this field consult with whole families. They can deal with patients of every age and help avoid illnesses within the family. Families can receive high quality health care because the practitioner works with a physician.

Psychiatric NP

Patients who have mental issues may be handled by experts including the psychiatric nurse practitioners. They can practice as therapists and sometimes prescribe appropriate medicine. 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.

Pediatric NP

Newborn to 18 year old patients are handled by pediatric NPs. 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. Immunizations are also part of their work.

Gerontology NP

Those specializing as nurse practitioners in gerontology will be dealing with medical problems of elderlies. 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. Most patients who could only live for a certain period are kept healthy by these professionals using fitness programs.

The mentioned are only few of the specializations a nurse practitioner have. There are more fields that NP would want to pursue. The earnings may be different for each specialization. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is a specialization that lets one earn one of the highest salaries. These information should now be able to help you make sound career choices.

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