A Career As A Nurse Practitioner
Career Goal- Nurse
Career Overview
Nurse practitioners serve as primary and specialty care providers. They treat and care for patients with a broad range of health issues.
Nurse practitioners are registered nurses who have additional training. They see patients for a variety of issues as well as general check-ups. They treat patients and prescribe certain medications.
Nurse practitioners may specialize in areas such as:
- Emergency care
- Family medicine
- Pediatrics
- Women’s health
- Geriatrics
Nurse practitioners get information from patients about their medical history. They examine patients and discuss any problems. They also order x-rays and other tests and interpret their results. When needed, they prescribe some medicines or treatments.
Nurse practitioners talk to patients about healthy lifestyles and ways to manage chronic conditions. Sometimes they refer patients to doctors or specialists.
Nurse practitioners usually work with other nurses and medical office staff. They dictate notes about their visits with patients. They often are part of a larger medical practice.
Career Skills and Interests
Communicate
- Listen to others and ask questions.
- Understand spoken information.
- Speak clearly so listeners can understand.
- Read and understand work-related materials.
Reason and Problem Solve
- Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong.
- Combine several pieces of information and draw conclusions.
- Analyze ideas and use logic to determine their strengths and weaknesses.
- Use reasoning to discover answers to problems.
Use Math and Science
- Choose a mathematical method or formula to solve problems.
- Use scientific methods to solve problems.
Manage Oneself, People, Time, and Things
- Check how well one is learning or doing something.
- Manage the time of self and others.
- Motivate, develop, and direct people as they work.
Work with People
- Change behavior in relation to others’ actions.
- Use several methods to learn or teach new things.
- Be aware of others’ reactions and understand the possible causes.
- Look for ways to help people.
Work with Things
- Analyze needs and requirements when designing products.
Perceive and Visualize
- Identify a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in distracting material.
- Quickly and accurately compare letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns.
Career Working Conditions
Interpersonal Relationships
- Have a high level of social interaction. They constantly talk to patients, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff.
- Are greatly responsible for the health and safety of others.
- Are often placed in conflict or difficult situations in which others, especially patients and family members, may be rude or angry.
- Are responsible for the work done by other medical staff.
Physical Work Conditions
- Are exposed to diseases and infections on a daily basis.
- Always work indoors.
- Regularly wear surgical gloves and masks to protect themselves.
- Work very near others. They must come into close physical contact with patients during examinations.
Work Performance
- Must be very exact and accurate when performing the job. Patient health depends on their ability to diagnose and treat.
- Often repeat the same mental and physical tasks throughout patient appointments.
- Make decisions on a daily basis that substantially impact patients and their families.
- Make nearly all their decisions and set their daily tasks and goals independently.
Hours/Travel
- Usually work more than 40 hours per week.
- Generally work a set schedule.
- May be "on-call," which means available to work on short notice to handle emergencies.
Career Wages and Outlook
Wages
Minnesota Median Wage: $95,690
Outlook
Demand for this occupation is very strong. Growth is expected as the aging population gets larger and the need for medical procedures increases. New federal health insurance laws also create more need for health care services. States are giving nurse practitioners more authority to perform procedures that only physicians used to perform.
Job prospects are best in rural and other undernserved areas.
Career Related Occupations
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Physician Assistant
- Occupational Therapists
- Physical Therapist
Program Of Study- Advanced Nursing
Program Overview
Advanced nursing programs provide further training for people interested in a nursing specialty.
Advanced nursing programs include topics such as:
- Patient care
- Health education
- Patient examinations and treatments
- Health economics and finance
- Health policy
- Pharmacology
- Pathophysiology
- Research methodology and statistics
- Bioethics
Concentrations
In advanced nursing specialty programs, students may be able to specialize in:
- Nursing science
- Emergency room/trauma nursing
- Nursing practice
- Palliative care nursing
- Clinical nurse leader
- Geriatric nursing
- Women’s health nursing
Schools
Very few community colleges offer associate degree programs in advanced nursing specialties. An associate degree program at a community college usually takes two years of full-time study to complete.
Several colleges and universities offer bachelor’s degrees in advanced nursing specialties. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.
Most advanced nursing programs are offered at the graduate level. Many universities offer graduate degrees in advanced nursing specialties. A master’s degree typically requires two years of study beyond a bachelor’s degree. Doctoral (PhD) degree programs usually require two or more years of study beyond the master’s degree.
Program Admission
You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.
Admission to nursing programs is competitive, so make sure to get good grades. There are many types of programs and requirements vary based on the particular specialty and program.
Additional requirements at most schools include:
- Knowledge of CPR and first aid
- Ability to speak, read, write, and understand English well
- Criminal background check
- Immunizations
- Letters of recommendation
- Course work in nutrition, algebra, anatomy, and physiology
Program Typical Course Work
This program may include courses in the following subjects:
- Advanced Practice Nursing
- Health Economics and Finance
- Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology
- Advanced Health Assessment
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing
- Clinical Skills
- Nutrition
- Advanced Pharmacology
- Health Assessment and Maintenance
- Bioethics
- Concepts in Integrated Health Care
- Research Methodologies
- Statistics
- Clinical Research Designs and Testing
Graduate programs that lead to a master’s or doctoral degree typically include:
- Required courses
- Clinical practicum
- Thesis (master’s degree)
- Preliminary exams (doctoral degree only)
- Dissertation and dissertation defense (doctoral degree)
Most advanced nursing programs require students to participate in several clinical and laboratory rotations. This means that students work in hospitals and medical centers under the close supervision of professional nurse administrators. They perform duties such as administering medications, diagnosing illnesses, and writing reports.
Related Programs
The Programs of Study listed below are similar or related to the program you are currently exploring.
Schools That Offer My Program Of Study
Bethel University- Arden Hills
College Choice
Augsburg College - Minneapolis
College Information
- Size and Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Admission Requirements: Cumulative grade point average of a 3.25. ACT score 18 or above. SAT is also accepted.
- College Expenses: (For year) Tuition= $34,431. Room/Board= $9,104. Books/Supplies= $1,200. These numbers can be reduced with Financial Aid and scholarships. 98% of first-time undergraduates receive financial aid.
- Financial Aid: Deadline to apply is May 1st. Some scholarships you can apply for are; Early Auggie Scholarship, Regent's Legacy Scholarship, Augsburg College Access Program Scholarship.
- Housing: On campus housing, residential housing and apartments.
- Activities: Swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, golf, hockey, lacrosse (both men and women), softball, volleyball, wrestling, and football. Also have people that are in control of the College's Instragram, Twitter, Facebook pages.
Informational Interview
Plans To Reach Your Goal
After being told that how open your options are really make me consider to continue looking what I really want to do in the health field.
Ways I can experience these things are that my senior year I will be taking a CNA class and also a Internship of my choice. Having this experience under my belt will help me in college as well in applications for future jobs.