Are you intrigued in
possibly becoming a nurse practitioner? That’s wonderful! Nurse practitioners
(NPs) form an essential layer of care in any modern healthcare system, where
they are directly responsible for preserving the lives of patients and
otherwise enhancing the care that patients receive. For their work, they are
rewarded with a robust salary: Approximately $116,000 per year on average,
according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Below, we take a closer
look at the role that nurse practitioners play in the healthcare industry and
assess them against other common professions that you might also be
considering.
What is the work of a nurse practitioner?
The most important thing
to keep in mind when trying to comprehend what a nurse practitioner does for
their patients is that they serve as a primary care provider. In many states,
this means that nurse practitioners can treat patients without the direct
supervision of a doctor. They can also order diagnostic tests and write
prescriptions when necessary. The outcome is that NPs have boundlessly more
opportunity and adaptability in their job than numerous different sorts of
medical caretakers, including enlisted attendants.
Emergency rooms, hospitals,
managed care facilities, surgical clinics, and private practice are all places
where nurse practitioners work. NPs treat a wide range of patient populations
in these settings, depending on their specialization. Pediatrics, women’s
health, and adult gerontology are just a few examples.
Depending on their
employer’s and patients’ needs, NPs can carry out any combination of the
following on a daily basis:
l Keeping
track of a patient’s medical history,
l updating
their records, documenting their symptoms, and taking samples (blood, urine,
stool, and other fluids)
l Managing
other nurses, such as CNAs, LPNs, and RNs,
l monitoring
patients to determine if treatment is successful and, if not, to identify which
adjustments might be made
Nurse Practitioners vs. Other Roles
While nurse practitioners
play an important role in many healthcare service settings, it’s possible that this is
not the right career path for you. Some other roles you might want to think
about are as follows:
Registered Nurse (RN)
The obligations of enrolled
medical attendants will frequently cover with those performed by nurture
experts. RNs, for instance, will carry out wound care, create and implement
patient care plans, administer medications or treatments, record medical
histories, collect biological samples, and more. The fact that NPs can order
diagnostic tests and prescribe medications, whereas RNs cannot, is the primary
distinction between the two. RNs also work under other people’s supervision,
whereas NPs are more free.
Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL)
Clinical nurse leaders
coordinate and collaborate with each patient’s caregivers to serve as a point
of contact for their patients. The primary objectives of the position are to
enhance communication among members of the medical team, to guarantee compliance
with the organization’s policies and procedures, and to serve as an additional
level of oversight. CNLs are trained to coordinate patient care, whereas NPs
are trained to be the primary caregivers for their patients. This indicates
that CNLs frequently do not provide patient care but rather supervise those who
do so and serve as a resource when required.
Physician Assistant (PA)
The obligations of doctor
colleagues cross-over altogether with the obligations performed by nurture
experts. However, the fact that PAs work under the supervision of a physician,
whereas NPs do not in many states, is a significant distinction. Another
difference is that NPs frequently specialize in treating a specific patient
group. On the other hand, most physician assistants will concentrate on a
particular area of medicine, such as internal, emergency, or surgical care.
The Bottom Line
In the event that you are
keen on turning into a medical caretaker, you have numerous choices with
regards to possible vocations. Whether you need to turn into a medical
caretaker expert, a CNL, an enlisted medical caretaker, or something different
out and out. The ideal decision for you will rely upon your very own and
proficient objectives. A rewarding career choice for many will be to become a
nurse practitioner.
