Berkeley Springs West Virginia Nurse Practitioner Salary And Job Requirements

Selecting a career may require you to know the nature of the job. 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). This means that they can perform a range of specialized activities that a nurse can’t. Depending on the specialization, NPs have differentiated work. Let us look at the general job duties and that of their specializations.

Nurse Practitioner Career Summary

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents:

How Much Salary Does A Nurse Practitioner Get In Berkeley Springs?

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 /]

Setting

NPs receive higher salaries if they are badly needed in the area. For instance, Hawaii pays $115,000 annually to NPs, which makes them the highest paying state. This amount is 30% higher than the average national salary. NPs in Delaware receive $67,000.

Nurse practitioner salary information

**Image Source – BLS.gov

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.

Ability

An increase of salary may be given if you have more expertise in some fields. Skills in acute care and emergency room may help increase salary 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

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. 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 options include being 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. 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

There are several benefits that an NP could gain. 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. 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 Berkeley Springs Employment Outlook

As of 2014, there were about 170,000 jobs for nurse practitioners solely in the United States of America. The BLS predicts an average of 31% growth in the industry within the next 10 years. In other words, that period will have roughly 57,000 new jobs. The lack of medical professionals caused this. The number of doctors and physicians cannot cope with the increasing medical needs of the population. This means that PAs and NPs will continue to be needed for a long time. 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 /]

Another reason for the increasing demand of nurses is because they take a patient-centered approach rather than a disease-centered one. NPs are more sought for than PAs for this reason.

There is a growing demand for medical care in rural areas. Most of these areas are not suitable for new buildings, which means that the people could only consult with NPs. These medical practitioners may ask help from other physicians to cater to the patients in the area. Most NPs get hired to work for 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. 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

Nurses are also in demand in the field of education. There is a lack of teachers for nurse practitioners and other medical personnel. 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 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. In the field of teaching, nurse practitioners may get as much as $85,000. 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.

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. Obviously, it is a career that is challenging and highly accredited, as well.

Nurse practitioner job outlook

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Nurse Practitioner Job Requirements In Berkeley Springs

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 way is earning a 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. 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. Another option is to become a Licensed Practical Nurse first.

[asd_program_button /]

Bachelor’s Degree

Earning a bachelor’s degree is the next thing to do. This is ideal for applicants for a diploma or an associate’s degree. The course Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) needs to be completed. During this period, the concepts learned will also be applied and put into actions during clinic duties. This is extremely important as experience plays a key role in any medical field. You may be a bachelor’s degree holder already and going for a Registered Nurse career at the same time. Such cases can be addressed through the bride programs offered by RN-BSN. 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.

Years of Practice

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. Thus, they recommend you go through some training before applying for a graduate degree since some of the NP training programs also require you to have some prior experience. The training you will receive may enable you to dealwith patients effectively, treat ailments, work with other professionals, and do the tasks efficiently.

Earning a Master’s Degree

To become a Nurse Practitioner, one needs to earn a 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 /]

Earning A Ph.D. Title

Additionally, one can opt to get a Ph.D. in any of the specializations after the master’s degree. 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.

Credentials and State License

It is mandatory for an aspiring NP to get licensed by the state. Each state has a different list of licensing requirements. Some only accept those whose bachelor degrees fall under their list of accepted programs. 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. The American Nurses Association has ancillary branches and you can submit your application in any of them like the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.

To revise, you first need to get an associate’s degree or a diploma to become a registered nurse. A bachelor’s degree should follow wherein you will be trained in the field. Lastly, you will get a master’s degree in your chosen area of specialization and the license will follow.

What Work Is Done by A Berkeley Springs Nurse Practitioner?

Works in general

Physicians and other medical professionals of the same level supervise nurse practitioners. 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. They interpret these results and consult with the patient. During surgery, they could assist as a surgeon or as an anesthetist. They could even perform risky operations.

[asd_program_button /]

Nurse practitioners work with the patient-centered method. This means that they focus more on the patients’ needs and wants while treating them. They value prevention over treatment, which is why they advise their patients to start taking precautions. This means that part of the NPs job is to discuss prevention of injuries and diseases to their patients.

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. They also provide direct care to the family in collaboration with a physician.

Working as Psychiatric NP

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. In this case, they can work with a professional psychologist to come up with a treatment program base on the results.

Working As Pediatric NP

Pediatric NPs can handle newborn babies up to 18-year old patients. 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. Immunizations are also part of their work.

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. 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 more fields that NP would want to pursue. Different specializations may have variations in salaries. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetis (CRNA) is included in the list of highest paid specializations . These information should now be able to help you make sound career choices.

[asd_program_prefilter_box /]