Salinas California Nurse Practitioner Salary And Job Requirements

Selecting a career may require you to know the nature of the 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 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:

What Is The Salary of A Nurse Practitioner In Salinas?

The average salary for a nurse practitioner is around $90,000. RNs receive $65,000 on average, which means they earn less than NPs. The reason behind this is that NPs train longer so they could be medical practitioners.

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Location

NPs receive higher salaries if they are badly needed in the area. NPs in Hawaii are the highest earners among all the states as they receive $115,000 every year. 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

Your capacity for work could contribute to your salary increase. Skills in acute care and emergency room may help increase salary to $99,000. Whereas family care can take it only up to $92,000. The skills of geriatrics and internal medicine both fall somewhere in between these two.

Increase in Position

Salary raise in the field could only be achieved when you get a promotion or when you earn a specialization. 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. 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. These things will require an additional certification and some more hours of training in that specific field.

Incentives

There are several benefits that an NP could gain. 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.

Since primary medical personnel is short in numbers, the demand for mid-level medical care professionals may increase. There is a high possibility that Nurse Practitioners will receive higher salaries later on. As an NP you are also given more time and freedom to choose which cases to work on.

Average nurse practitioner wage in

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Nurse Practitioner Salinas Employment Outlook

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. 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. 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.

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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. NPs are more sought for than PAs for this reason.

There is a growing demand for medical care in rural areas. 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. NPs could apply in Office of Physicians, Outpatient Care Centers, and General Hospitals.

There is an increase in the demand for specialized medical care. 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. 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. 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. 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. If you have been exposed to many medical specialization, your salary could increase to $175,000 within a year. The specialization of a nurse determines the amount of salary he or she earns. 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. As you can see, this is a highly competitive job with great prospects.

Nurse practitioner job outlook

**Image Source – BLS.gov

Career Requirements For Nurse Practitioners In Salinas

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. A diploma can work as well. However, the skill acquired during internship or work experience are more important. Experience during the bachelor’s or an associate’s degree internship contributes to this requirement. 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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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. 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. It is essential work because there is always a need for experience. You may be a bachelor’s degree holder already and going for a Registered Nurse career at the same time. RN-BSN offers bridge programs to help you in this case. Duration of program may depend on certain conditions. If you have a part-time work, the period of the study may take longer. LPN-BSN also offers bridge courses.

Years of Practice

One of the best ways to make it in the health care field is to get lots of experience. Earning your master’s degree right after your bachelor’s degree may be the ideal process to follow to become an NP. 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.

Earning a 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. A bachelor’s degree is needed to enroll in other programs. Both kinds will train you inside the classroom and in the field. 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)

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. 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. They publish a list of accepted programs and bachelor’s degree. 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. You can pass your application and requirements in any establishments under the American Nurses Association such as the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.

In general, you will need an associate 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 Does A Salinas 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. 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. This means that they focus more on the patients’ needs and wants while treating them. They want to prevent the disease rather than cure it and thus advise the patient to take the necessary steps to do so. Patients under NPs will receive consultation including some advices on avoiding illnesses or injuries.

Before the licensure exam, a nurse practitioner is generally required to complete a specialization program. 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. 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. Families can receive high quality health care because the practitioner works with a physician.

Psychiatric NP

One of the professionals who can handle patients with mental problems is 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.

Working As Pediatric NP

As the name suggests, pediatric NPs look after kids of all ages – from newborn babies to 18-year old kids. 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.

Working as a Gerontology NP

A gerontology nurse practitioner specializes in the healthcare of old people. Illnesses are treated and prevented with the help of these practitioners by giving their patients some advice. 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. Some NPs may specialize in other fields that interest them. Different specializations may have variations in salaries. One of the highest paying specializations is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). 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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