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 also called an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). Some of their work cannot be done by nurses. The job duties of an NP vary from one specialization to another. Let us look at the general job duties and that of their specializations.
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 Santa Ynez?
A nurse practitioner receives an average of $90,000. 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.
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Wherever there is a growing need of NPs, they will be paid more. 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. In Delaware, NPs could earn as much as $67,000.
Experience
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. Acute care and Emergency room skills will be something that can increase your average salary to up to $99,000. Those who have family care skills can earn up to $92,000. Those who earn somewhere in between are mostly geriatrics and internal medicine practitioners.
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. An option is to earn $150,000 annually by becoming a Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist. 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. 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.
Assistance
There are several benefits that an NP could gain. These include paid vacations, retirement planning 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. 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.
The Status of Nurse Practitioner Employment In Santa Ynez
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. This means that about 57,000 new jobs will come up in that period. 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. 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%. Compared to other jobs, this increase in growth is faster.
[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. 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. 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. 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.
The educational field is also in need of nurses. 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. 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. 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. This can go up to $175,000 a year easily with experience. The salary of a specialized nurse practitioner depends on the specialization. A nurse anesthetist earns about $150,000 and this can go up to $235,000.
Each career’s status and salary rate may differ in each state. 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.
How To Become A Nurse Practioner In Santa Ynez
How to Be A Registered Nurse
One should strive to become a registered nurse first. 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. 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.
[asd_program_button /]Completing Bachelor’s Degree
The next step is to earn a Bachelor’s degree. This is ideal for applicants for a diploma or an associate’s degree. A requirement is a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) diploma. 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. There are people who are Registered Nurses, while also professionals in other fields. In such cases, there are bridge programs from RN-BSN. The program has different time schedules. It will take more time if you are working while you are studying. There are also bridge courses from LPN-BSN.
Experience
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. The practicality is not provided in this process, according to many senior nurses in the field. 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. 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.
Getting Your 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. Other programs require the students to have a bachelor’s degree. Either way, the master’s degree includes spending time in both the classroom and the clinic. 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.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Getting A Doctorate (optional)
The Ph.D. title follows after the master’s degree and in this program, one can opt for the specialization that best fits him/her. 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
An NP must be licensed by the state. Each state has a different list of licensing requirements. Others have a set of bachelor’s degree and programs they accept. To become a nurse practitioner, it is important for every candidate to have a valid RN license, a master’s degree in nursing and to pass the state licensure exam. The licensure exam differs depending on the specialization you are choosing. For example, you can apply at the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board or any other institution which is a subsidiary of American Nurses Association.
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. Finally, you acquire a master’s degree following which you get licensed after applying for the appropriate program.
What Work Is Done by A Santa Ynez Nurse Practitioner?
General Work
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. They are also authorized to help as a surgeon as an anesthetist when needed in an operation. Some high-risk cases are also handled by them.
[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 want to prevent the disease rather than cure it and thus advise the patient to take the necessary steps to do so. 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. 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. Working with other physicians is also common when taking care of families.
Psychiatric NP
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, phsychological testing is not a part of their job. 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
As the name suggests, pediatric NPs look after kids of all ages – from newborn babies to 18-year old kids. Under this specialty is the neonatal NP. These people look after infants and work at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Another work of pediatric NPs is helping kids have a smooth journey through puberty. They are also the ones who give immunizations and vaccines to children.
Working as a Gerontology NP
Those specializing as nurse practitioners in gerontology will be dealing with medical problems of elderlies. They help by recommending the ideal activities and treatments to address existing illnesses and prevent them from worsening. 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. 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. There are several others that an NP might try to get into according to his or her own interests. Different specializations may have variations in salaries. 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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