We should determine the actual job before making a career option. The assumption that related jobs have the same description is easily made especially in the field of medicine. 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. Here are the general tasks and the specific work they do.
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 Woodbridge?
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.
[asd_program_button /]Setting
Wherever there is a growing need of NPs, they will be paid more. For example, Hawaii is the highest paying state with an average salary of $115,000 a year. Compared to the average earnings of NPs in the rest of the country, they earn 30% more. NPs in Delaware receive $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.
Expertise
Your capacity for work could contribute to your salary increase. An approximate salary of $99,000 could be given to those with skills in acute care and emergency room skills. 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
Getting a specialization or a promotion may be the only way to earn higher. Achieving this may require you to do the following. An option is to earn $150,000 annually by becoming a Nurse Practitioner Anesthetist. 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. These things will require an additional certification and some more hours of training in that specific field.
Benefits
NPs also receive some benefits. Some of the few are retirement plans, paid vacations, and health insurance. Employees who want to enhance their skills through schooling can gain financial support from their company. Learning skills is a big matter, which is why they are given money and registration fees to participate in conferences that improve their abilities.
Because of this shortage for main medical practitioners, many aspiring health care professionals would most likely work in the field. 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.
Job Prospects of Woodbridge 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. During that time, as much as 57,000 jobs will be available. This is primarily due to the lack of healthcare professionals. The number of doctors and physicians cannot cope with the increasing medical needs of the population. The need for PAs and NPs will keep on increasing in the future. 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. Compared to other jobs, this increase in growth is faster.
[asd_program_button /]The need for nurses is growing because their techniques in work are focused on the needs of the patient instead of the disease. It is the reason why NPs are preferred over PAs.
The need for healthcare in rural areas is also increasing. 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. Most NPs get hired to work for 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. The diagnosis of the illness is clearer and faster when the disease is specialized by the practitioner.
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. 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.
Financially speaking, the future for nurse practitioners is quite bright too. The salary of a nurse practitioner is expected to grow about 19% by 2020 because of above reasons. In the field of teaching, nurse practitioners may get as much as $85,000. This can go up to $175,000 a year easily with experience. The salary increase depends on the nurse practitioner’s specialization. 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. 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 Woodbridge
How to Be A Registered Nurse
The first step is 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, 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. 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. You could also try to take a different path and become a Licensed Practical Nurse first.
[asd_program_button /]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. The course Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) needs to be completed. Besides the comprehensive learning of medical procedures, there is also application during internship clinic 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. 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. LPN-BSN also offers bridge courses.
Experience
One of the best ways to make it in the health care field is to get lots of experience. 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. The training you will receive may enable you to dealwith patients effectively, treat ailments, work with other professionals, and do the tasks efficiently.
Master’s Degree
To become a Nurse Practitioner, one needs to earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Many programs accept RNs with a diploma or an associate’s degree. 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. Extensive work experience is required for an RN before they turn into NPs. You might also try to get a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree as an alternative.
[asd_program_search_bar /]Doctorate (optional)
Additionally, one can opt to get a Ph.D. in any of the specializations after the master’s degree. Reaching this far will potentially increase your earnings and also your reputation as a medical professional. Others choose family care, gerontology or health systems as their field of specialization.
State License and Certification
It is mandatory for an aspiring NP to get licensed by the state. Different states may require some documents that other stated do not. 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. Your specialization is also a big factor in the type of licensure exams you will take. 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. A bachelor’s degree should follow wherein you will be trained in the field. Then, you choose the best specialization and earn your license after finishing your master’s degree.
What Work Is Done by A Woodbridge Nurse Practitioner?
General duties
Physicians and other medical professionals of the same level supervise nurse practitioners. They are authorized to diagnose and treat patients, too. Apart from this, they could also send the patient for tests and other medical procedures. They interpret these results and consult with the patient. They are also authorized to help as a surgeon as an anesthetist when needed in an operation. They could also handle high risk surgeries.
[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. 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 is a need for this because NPs have a specialization in the field. Here are the most common duties they do.
NPs for Families
These NPs take care of the whole family. They can treat people of all ages and discuss ways to prevent diseases with the family. Working with other physicians is also common when taking care of families.
NPs Specializing in Psychiatry
One of the professionals who can handle patients with mental problems is the psychiatric nurse practitioners. They can practice as therapists and sometimes prescribe appropriate medicine. They cannot interpret psychological tests, though. He or she could design a treatment plan for the patient along with a professional psychologist’s help.
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. People you see inside Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) caring for newborn babies work in this field. Another work of pediatric NPs is helping kids have a smooth journey through puberty. Immunizations are also part of their work.
NPs in Gerontology
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. 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. In an effort to prolong the life of their patients, they provide them fitness plans.
These are just some of the specializations of a nurse practitioner. There are several others that an NP might try to get into according to his or her own interests. Each of these specializations offers a different amount of salary. The Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) is a specialization that lets one earn one of the highest salaries. 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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