We should determine the actual job before making a career option. 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 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.
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 Oakdale?
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
The higher the demand for NPs, the higher they will be paid. NPs in Hawaii are the highest earners among all the states as they receive $115,000 every year. This is about 30% percent more than the national average. While Delaware offers something around $67,000.
Length of Practice
Salary increase in this field is rare even for those who have extensive experience. It increases about 10-15% over 20 years of experience.
Skills
A range of skills can increase your potential to earn a lot more. 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.
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. You could also try to become an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner to earn a bit more than a normal NP. Becoming a Family, Pediatric NP, Psychiatrist NP, or an Adult NP are the top options, as well. 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.
Incentives
NPs also receive some benefits. Among the number of assistance, health insurance, retirement plans, and paid vacations are included. 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. As an NP you are also given more time and freedom to choose which cases to work on.
Nurse Practitioner Oakdale Employment Outlook
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 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. 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 best way to deal with people in the medical field is to use the patient-centered approach, which is a much ideal process than only focusing on the illness. Nurses perform these tasks, that’s why they are needed. Thus, patients sometimes prefer NPs to PAs.
There is a growing demand for medical care in rural areas. It is not possible to set up the infrastructure in such areas and thus NPs are the source of primary health care. 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.
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.
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. After spending much time with work, most people go for teaching jobs. 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. In 2020, the 19% salary increase is most likely provided to nurse practitioners. As for an academic, the average salary starting out is about $85,000. A high salary as amounting to $175,000 could easily be achieved after a year when you have skills and experience. The salary increase depends on the nurse practitioner’s specialization. A nurse anesthetist earns about $150,000 and this can go up to $235,000.
The state you live in has a say on the job standpoint and salary of each career. Those who want to know the data statistics of NP employment could visit Bureau of Labor Statistics. Obviously, it is a career that is challenging and highly accredited, as well.
Career Requirements For Nurse Practitioners In Oakdale
Registered Nurse
First, one needs to become a registered nurse. Earning a bachelor’s or an associate’s degree is needed to become one. 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. After this, you must take a standardized national test and then get the license to practice as an RN. Another option is to become a Licensed Practical Nurse first.
[asd_program_button /]Completing Bachelor’s Degree
Earning a bachelor’s degree is the next thing to do. This is mostly for people who had earlier applied for a diploma or an associate’s degree. 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. 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. In such cases, there are bridge programs from RN-BSN. Duration of program may depend on certain conditions. If you have a part-time work, the period of the study may take longer. 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. Some nurses who have been working for a long time feel that this process is somehow lacking when it comes to real life applications. For this reason, getting some training is advised if you are planning to get a graduate degree. This is because prior experience is a requirement in certain NP training programs. 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
A requisite of becoming a Nurse Practitioner is one’s 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. 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. Another option will be to take the course of becoming a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).
[asd_program_search_bar /]Earning A Ph.D. Title
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 Other Documents
The state license is a requirement for those who want to be an NP. Each state has a different list of licensing requirements. Others have a set of bachelor’s degree and programs they accept. 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. 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. 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 Does A Oakdale Nurse Practioner Do?
General duties
Physicians and other medical professionals of the same level supervise nurse practitioners. They are authorized to diagnose and treat patients, too. 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.
[asd_program_button /]Nurse practitioners take a patient centered approach to treatment. Their patient’s needs are more important to be able to treat them effectively. They want to prevent the disease rather than cure it and thus advise the patient to take the necessary steps to do so. 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 is a need for this because NPs have a specialization in the field. The following are the works most of them choose.
NPs Specializing in Families
One of the patient of these NPs is a 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
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. In this case, they can work with a professional psychologist to come up with a treatment program base on the results.
NPs Practicing Pediatrics
As the name suggests, pediatric NPs look after kids of all ages – from newborn babies to 18-year old kids. A subspecialty is a neonatal NP. This is the work of the nurses you find in 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
Those specializing as nurse practitioners in gerontology will be dealing with medical problems of elderlies. They educate them about disease prevention and manage any illnesses they might have. However, since old people are more sickly, it is the expert’s job to make sure their illnesses do not reduce the quality of their lifestyles. They are also responsible for coming up with fitness plans for such people who will need it to live for an extended period.
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 . 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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