What is a Nurse Practitioner?

These trained healthcare professionals offer care to patients of all ages. When thinking, ‘what is a nurse practitioner,’ you should understand that their title differs from an RN. These specialized nurses are experts in their craft and apply a blend of clinical expertise to the field. 

What Does a Nurse Practitioner Do?

They treat disease and illness while managing the overall care of their patients. Some of their tasks include:

• Charting patient records
• Recording symptoms
• Examining patients
• Creating treatment plans
• Reporting to doctors and RNs when necessary
• Prescribing medications
• Collecting samples for testing
• Managing other staff (RNs, LPNs, CNAs)

Salary

Regis College shares that a nurse practitioner’s salary averages $116,000 annually. Ultimately, how much you make will depend on location, experience, and education level. 

What is a Nurse Practitioner Specialization?

Specialization as a nurse practitioner means you can train specifically for a healthcare role that interests you. Nurse practitioners can specialize in their perspective fields if they wish to do so. Specializations for different nurse practitioners include:

• Family
• Pediatric
• Neonatal
• Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
• Adult-Gerontology
• Psychiatry and Mental Health

Many nurse practitioners reported high job satisfaction in their perspective fields and are one of the most popular nursing positions in 2022, according to NursingProcess.org. 

For more information on nurse specialties, visit our website at CynaMed. 

How To Become a Nurse Practitioner

Those interested in this position must first go through becoming a nurse. Here are a few simple steps you can expect to take:

• Attending an accredited university with a designated nursing program and graduate
• Pass the NCLEX to become a certified nurse
• As a registered RN, gain experience in the healthcare field
• Obtain a master’s degree in nursing 
• Work on getting your advanced practice nursing licensure in practical nursing. 
• For specialization, get additional certification in your area of interest.

Are you looking for a job as a nurse practitioner? Then, feel free to visit our website to learn more.