Lower Lake California Nurse Practitioner Salary And Job Requirements

While choosing a career, it is imperative that we know the exact job. The same could be said in the medical field, where different jobs could be mistaken for others. A Nurse Practitioner is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). They have duties that nurses cannot do. NPs have different work depending on the field they specialize on. Let us look at the general job duties and that of their specializations.

Nurse Practitioner Career Summary

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Table Of Contents:

What Is The Salary of A Nurse Practitioner In Lower Lake?

The average salary for a nurse practitioner is around $90,000. Compared to a registered nurse this is quite high since an RN gets something around $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

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

Experience is not too much of a factor for salary increase in the field. After 20 years of working, the salary may increase 10-15%.

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. 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.

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. The Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner also earns more than the normal NP. Becoming a Family, Pediatric NP, Psychiatrist NP, or an Adult NP are the top options, as well. 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. Most of the time, the company gives back the amount of money spent on further schooling that enhances their abilities. They are also paid to attend certain conferences and their registration fees are taken care of.

Since primary medical personnel is short in numbers, the demand for mid-level medical care professionals may increase. Therefore, an increase in Nurse Practitioners salary is more likely to happen in time. As an NP you are also given more time and freedom to choose which cases to work on.

Average nurse practitioner wage in

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The Status of Nurse Practitioner Employment In Lower Lake

As of 2014, there were about 170,000 jobs for nurse practitioners solely in the United States of America. According to BLS, the industry is expected to grow by 31% over the next decade. In other words, that period will have roughly 57,000 new jobs. The lack of medical professionals caused this. 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. Compared to other jobs, this increase in growth is faster.

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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.

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. These medical practitioners may ask help from other physicians to cater to the patients in the area. 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.

Employment outlook for nurse practitioners in

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Nurses are also in demand in the field of 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. 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. The salary of a nurse practitioner is expected to grow about 19% by 2020 because of above reasons. 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 of a specialized nurse practitioner depends on the 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. 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 Lower Lake

How to Be A Registered Nurse

First, one needs 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 requirement is your diploma. However, the skill acquired during internship or work experience are more important. You can get this experience through an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree. 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.

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Earning 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. 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. 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. RN-BSN offers bridge programs to help you in this case. The program has different time schedules. The duration is longer when you are also studying while working. LPN-BSN also offers bridge courses.

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. 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

A requisite of becoming a Nurse Practitioner is one’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Many programs accept RNs with a diploma or an associate’s degree. A bachelor’s degree is needed to enroll in other programs. It doesn’t matter which one you go for, you will be trained for knowledge and application in real settings. While studying to earn the NP title, RNs mostly need to undergo long hours of training. Alternatively, you could get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.

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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. 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. 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. The licensure exam differs depending on the specialization you are choosing. You can pass your application and requirements in any establishments under the American Nurses Association such as 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 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 Lower Lake Nurse Practioner Do?

Works in general

The nurse practitioner cooperate with a physician or other professionals of the same range. Diagnosing and treating patients are also part of their jobs. 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. During surgery, they could assist as a surgeon or as an anesthetist. Some high-risk cases are also handled by them.

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Nurse practitioners take a patient centered approach to treatment. 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. 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. The specific duties of an NP depend on this specialization that they have chosen. Let us look at some of the popular choices and their job duties.

Family NP

One of the patient of these NPs is a whole family. They can treat people of all ages and discuss ways to prevent diseases with the family. They also provide direct care to the family in collaboration with a physician.

NPs Specializing in Psychiatry

Psychiatric nurse practitioners work with a group of people who have mental issues. These professionals can prescribe medicine and do therapeutic consultations with 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. 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. 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 educate them about disease prevention and manage any illnesses they might have. Old people are more prone to different diseases. These healthcare experts will help reduce the risks of other diseases. In an effort to prolong the life of their patients, they provide them fitness plans.

The mentioned are only few of the specializations a nurse practitioner have. Some NPs may specialize in other fields that interest them. Each of these specializations offers a different amount of salary. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetis (CRNA) is included in the list of highest paid specializations . After learning these work descriptions for your future career, you may now be able to choose the ideal path for you.

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