Nurse Practitioner (NP) Jobs

Nurse Practitioners provide primary care to patients, such as preventing, diagnosing and treating illnesses and injuries. N.P.s can be found in most medical facilities, including, but not limited to, hospitals, and seeing their own patient’s in family practices. Like physicians, nurse practitioners can be educated in a specific specialty, some of the most common are neonatal, pediatric, adult, geriatric and women’s health.

One important duty of a Nurse Practitioner is promoting health and disease prevention. Other tasks include ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic tests, and prescribing medication. These duties slightly differ from physicians in the sense that a Nurse Practitioner focuses on the prevention of illnesses, overall wellness, and education of health.

In addition, it is unlikely one will ever find a shortage of Nurse Practitioner jobs. Nurse Practitioner jobs are plentiful because of the essential role N.P.s play in the healthcare system. Essentially, as more clinics and hospitals scramble for primary care physicians, these medical facilities look to nurse practitioners to fill those spots. Also, unlike other types of nurses, an experienced N.P. has the option to open up their own private practice, which would allow a nurse practitioner to have more independence in relation to patient care and personal life.

-Offices of physicians

-General medical and surgical hospitals

-Outpatient care centers

-Colleges, universities, and professional schools

-Home health care services

The top paying industries based on annual mean wages include;

• Personal Care Services ($118, 080)
• Specialty Hospitals ($114, 410)
• Business, Professional, Labor, and Political organizations ($111, 400)
• Employment Services ($108, 730)
• Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories ($106, 520)

Nurse practitioners complete an extensive education program, needing a master’s degree in nursing at the very least. Depending on the N.P.s specialty, some nurse’s may choose to continue their education and receive a Doctor of Nursing Practice. Following their education, N.P.s must also pass the NCLEX-RN, a licensure examination. Nurse practitioners can then work in a variety of medical facilities, depending on their specialty.

A Nurse Practitioner is a wonderful career that revolves around helping people, and while the schooling to become a Nurse Practitioner requires a great deal of time, education, and dedication, a career as an N.P. comes with a high level of personal satisfaction and financial stability.