Nurse Practitioner Specialties: Adult Nurse Practitioner
A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse with an advanced degree in nursing. This time and financial investment involved in achieving this advanced education is worthwhile for those seeking a better salary, greater job autonomy, and greater job security. A nurse practitioner is licensed to perform many of the responsibilities once limited to physicians. Most practice nurses will choose a specialty, and focus their upper level class work in that direction, as well as the topic of their thesis and their clinical experience hours. An adult nurse practitioner, for example, works with adult patients, possibly specializing in disease management, wellness maintenance, or pathophysiology.
Adult Nurse Practitioner Education And Training Requirements
If you are already a registered nurse, you hold a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree in nursing. In order to pursue a career as an adult nurse practitioner (female or male), you will need to obtain a master’s degree in nursing. If you only hold an associate’s degree, there are some accredited colleges that offer bridge programs that make it easier for you to advance your degree to master’s level.
Once you have started your master’s program, you will need to complete some general nursing classes, like nursing theory, advanced practice nursing, cross cultural patient care, and pharmacology. Once you have completed your basic nursing requirements, you will begin to choose classes that focus on a specialty in adult practice nursing. Your final year is when you will write and defend your thesis, which will be based on a topic that is related to your choice of Nurse Practitioner Specialties. Also you will be required to complete a certain number of clinical hours, which will also be focused on adult practice nursing.
If you are starting from the beginning and are not yet working in the medical field at all, you will start by obtaining your bachelor’s degree in nursing, and then move on to your master’s program. Once you have completed your master’s degree, you will need to sit for a standardized test, which is evaluated by the American Nurses Credential Center. You must renew your licensure every five years.
Adult Nurse Practitioner Salary
Depending on regional fluctuations in salaries and whether you choose to work in private or public health care, you will find that the average salary for an ANP is around $92,000. This is a jump of at least $10,000 from that of a registered nurse. Of course, this salary may be even higher if you pursue a more competitive or sought after specialty.
These salaries are on the rise, as is the job outlook for practice nurses. Medical facilities, both private and public, are benefiting from employing nurse practitioners in place of or in addition to physicians. This is because practice nurses can offer the same level of care at a fraction of the cost that physicians demand. This becomes a savings for the facility, insurance companies, and the patients. Therefore, the demand for adult nurse practitioners rises year after year at a much quicker rate than the rate at which the accredited colleges can produce them.
Adult Nurse Practitioner Employment Opportunities
There are many employment opportunities for adult nurse practitioners, in doctor’s offices, hospitals, public health clinics, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and urgent care clinics. Many professionals who become adult nurse practitioners choose to specialize even further. They may choose geriatrics, occupational therapy, sports medicine, or a disease specialty such as pulmonology, cardiology, or oncology. The area of specialty you choose will help to determine where you find your employment opportunities.
Adult Nurse Practitioner Job Description
The responsibilities of an adult nurse practitioner will depend in part on the specialty choices involved. Common duties for certified adult nurse practitioners include wellness management, completing annual exams, and making health recommendations to adult patients. An ANP may be involved in diagnosing and treating acute and chronic diseases that are common to adults, like diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. Like a physician, an ANP will make treatment recommendations; help patients make long term decisions; order laboratory tests like X-rays, MRI’s, EKG’s, blood tests, and so on; and prescribe and monitor medication. An adult nurse practitioner will build relationships with their patients to help work toward better health.
Traits Of A Successful Adult Nurse Practitioner
An adult nurse practitioner has a desire to care for adult patients, helping them maintain good health, and treating them for acute and chronic illnesses. As an ANP, it is important that you have excellent communication skills and a high degree of patience. While an adult will work hard to ensure that his or her child receives all of the necessary medical care, that same adult may not heed recommendations for himself. Compassion and empathy are very important if you plan to work in an area such as chronic disease, and the ability to work well with other medical professionals is absolutely necessary.