Halifax Massachusetts Nurse Practitioner Salary And Job Requirements

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 known as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). Some of their work cannot be done by nurses. 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:

What Is The Salary of A Nurse Practitioner In Halifax?

The average salary for a nurse practitioner is around $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.

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Setting

NPs receive higher salaries if they are badly needed in the area. 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. In Delaware, NPs could earn as much as $67,000.

Nurse practitioner salary information

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Experience

As far as experienced is concerned as a factor of salary, in this field, even with experience, the salary hardly increases. After 20 years of working, the salary may increase 10-15%.

Ability

Your capacity for work could contribute to your salary increase. 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. The skills of geriatrics and internal medicine both fall somewhere in between these two.

Promotions

Getting a specialization or a promotion may be the only way to earn higher. There are a few processes you can follow to achieve this. A Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist earns $150,000 annually, which is one option. 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. Besides taking these courses, you could earn more by taking other specialization courses. 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. 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. They are also paid to attend certain conferences and their registration fees are taken care of.

Because of this shortage for main medical practitioners, many aspiring health care professionals would most likely work in the field. 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

Job Prospects of Halifax Nurse Practitioners

In 2014, the United States of America provided 170,000 jobs to nurse practitioners. Over the next decade, the BLS expects approximately 31% development in the field. This means that about 57,000 new jobs will come up in that period. The lack of medical professionals caused this. Doctors and physicians cannot meet the demands of the people. This means that PAs and NPs will continue to be needed for a long time. 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. The speed of growth is much higher than the the other careers’ growth rate.

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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. The biggest employers of NPs are Office of Physicians, Outpatient Care Centers, and General Hospitals.

There is an increase in the demand for specialized medical care. Nurse practitioners are usually specialized in some or the other field like pediatrics, gerontology, acute care and many other things. When the patient’s illness is within their scope of specialty, they can diagnose it more accurately.

Employment outlook for nurse practitioners in

**Image Source – BLS.gov

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. After spending much time with work, most people go for teaching jobs. 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 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. As for an academic, the average salary starting out is about $85,000. This can go up to $175,000 a year easily with experience. The specialization of a nurse determines the amount of salary he or she earns. Those specializing as nurse anesthetists may receive a salary between $150,000 to $235,000.

Each career’s status and salary rate may differ in each state. Those who want to know the data statistics of NP employment could visit Bureau of Labor Statistics. This career is not only very competitive but also have huge prospects.

Nurse practitioner job outlook

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Career Requirements For Nurse Practitioners In Halifax

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. 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. This experience is provided by 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. Becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse first is another way to achieve your goals.

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Completing Bachelor’s Degree

Earning a bachelor’s degree is the next thing to do. Those who have applied for a diploma or an associate’s degree should consider this. A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) is required. 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. Duration of program may depend on certain conditions. The duration is longer when you are also studying while working. Bridge courses by LPN-BSN are also available.

Period of 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. Some nurses who have been working for a long time feel that this process is somehow lacking when it comes to real life applications. 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. 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

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. It doesn’t matter which one you go for, you will be trained for knowledge and application in real settings. Students are often required to get a lot of work experience as an RN while they are learning to be an NP. You might also try to get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree as an alternative.

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Getting A Doctorate (optional)

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

The state license is a requirement for those who want to be an NP. Requirements for licensing may vary in every state. 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. Your specialization is also a big factor in the type of licensure exams you will take. 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. Then, you need to earn a bachelor’s degree, which will expose you to real life medical situations. 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 Halifax Nurse Practitioner?

Works in general

A nurse practitioner usually works under the supervision of a physician or someone of the same level. They are authorized to diagnose and treat patients, too. If patients need to undergo medical tests and other proceedings, they can are also allowed to conduct them. They interpret these results and consult with the patient. During surgery, they could assist as a surgeon or as an anesthetist. They could also handle high risk surgeries.

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A more patient-centered treatment approach is done by nurse practitioners. Treating their patients involve their patient’s needs as a big factor. Most usual advises include prevention because they want to keep their patients away from diseases before they occur. This means that part of the NPs job is to discuss prevention of injuries and diseases to their patients.

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.

Family NP

One of the patient of these NPs is a whole family. 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.

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.

NPs Practicing Pediatrics

Pediatric NPs can handle newborn babies up to 18-year old patients. The neonatal NP belongs to this specialization. This is the work of the nurses you find in Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Kids can have a smoother puberty process through the help of pediatric NPs. Immunizations are also part of their work.

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. 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. The earnings may be different for each specialization. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetis (CRNA) is included in the list of highest paid specializations . 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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