Nurse practitioners (NPs): Salary, career path, job outlook, education and more
Nurse practitioners (NPs) serve as primary and specialty care providers, delivering advanced nursing services to patients and their families. They assess patients, determine the best way to improve or manage a patients health, and discuss ways to integrate health promotion strategies into a patients life. Nurse practitioners typically care for a certain population of people. For instance, NPs may work in adult and geriatric health, pediatric health, or psychiatric and mental health.
Although the scope of their duties varies some by state, many nurse practitioners work independently, prescribe medications, and order laboratory tests. All nurse practitioners consult with physicians and other health professionals when needed.
- Education Required
- Nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners must earn a masters degree from an accredited program. These programs include both classroom education and clinical experience. Courses in anatomy, physiology, and pharmacology are common as well as coursework specific to the chosen APRN role.
- Job Outlook
-
The projected percent change in employment from 2016 to 2026: 31% (Much faster than average)
(The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent.) - Advancement
- Some APRNs may take on managerial or administrative roles, while others go into academia. APRNs who earn a doctoral degree may conduct independent research or work in an interprofessional research team.
- Licenses/Certifications
- Most states recognize all of the APRN roles. In states that recognize some or all of the roles, APRNs must have a registered nursing license, complete an accredited graduate-level program, and pass a national certification exam. Each states board of nursing can provide details.
- Median pay: How much do Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners make?
- $107,460 Annual Salary
- $51.67 per hour
Careers for Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners
- Acute care nurse practitioners
- Adult nurse practitioners
- Advanced practice registered nurses
- CNMs
- CRNAs
- Cardiology nurse practitioners
- Certified nurse midwives
- Certified nurse practitioners
- Certified pediatric nurse practitioners
- Certified registered nurse anesthetists
- Certified registered nurse practitioners
- Clinical nurse specialists (cnss
- DNAPs
- Dermatology nurse practitioners
- Doctors of nurse anesthesia practice
- Electrophysiology nurse practitioners
- Emergency medicine nurse practitioners
- Family health nurse practitioners
- Family practice nurse practitioners
- Gastroenterology nurse practitioners
- Gerontological nurse practitioners
- Internal medicine nurse practitioners
- NPs
- Neurosurgical nurse practitioners
- Nurse anesthetists
- Nurse anesthetists (CRNAs)
- Nurse midwives
- Nurse midwives (CNMs)
- Nurse practitioners
- Obstetrics-gynecology nurse practitioners
- Orthopedic nurse practitioners
- Palliative care nurse practitioners
- Pediatric nurse practitioners
- Surgical nurse practitioners