Nurse practitioners are the individuals who have gained a master’s degree in a specialty of practitioner. They make diagnoses, assessments, perform minor procedures for surgeries, diagnostic tests, provide treatments, prescribe medications and practice under licensed doctors. In this profession long hours standing duties are required so that they can move and take care of the patients who need their assistance.
Requirements of job
There are different programs available and certification courses which one can opt for according to their choices. There are degree level, degree fields, licensure, certification, technical and computer skill courses for which there are common requirements.
First of all you will need to earn bachelor’s degree which will take 4 years to complete. Courses includes physiology and anatomy, pharmacology basics, health assessments of patients, basics of path physiology. Students also have to practice in clinical rotations which are supervised by professionals. After that students can also go for master’s degree.
Obtaining registered nurse license
All the nurses must be licensed by the state before they can go for practice. The requirements are different of different states. There are additional board requirements which candidates have to fulfill to avail license. The process can be completed within few months
Choosing specialty and gaining experience
Aspiring practitioners can choose their interest of specialty before they will start graduate program because in case of degrees they are required or encouraged to give at least one to two years of experience in the specialty they choose. The specialties are wide such as pediatrics, mental health, acute care, women’s health, gerontology, anesthesia, family practice, midwifery and many more. Interested students can also gain experience in variety of settings depending upon their interest.
Masters degree
After completing graduate programs students can go for master’s degree. This will take 5- 1 year time depending upon the area of specialty. There are fast track programs that students can choose. Those who are serious building their careers in as a nurse practitioner must get master’s degree from an accredited institutions. These days’ students will find a very high level of education in this field.
Applying for certification
Those who have completed mater’s degree are eligible to take the certification examination of nurse practitioner. Most of the agencies need students to have RN license and will perform few hours practice in their field of specialty to pass certification examination. The examination runs for 750-1400 hours. It can take up to six months to complete the certification examination depending upon their hours of shift.
It will take up to maximum 6 years to get a certification in the nurse practitioner field. You will have to complete bachelor’s degree for 4 years and after that master’s degree which will take 1-2 years and then apply for certification examination which will take 6 months to 1 year.
Make sure to learn the requirements of your state before you jump into this process. This will let you have better idea about this field and all your doubts will also be cleared. You might want to complete nurse practitioner courses in different states which might have different criteria’s.