The medical field contains a wide range of ways people can contribute to helping keep our society healthy. Hospitals, clinics, and medical complexes employ hundreds of people with different skill sets and abilities. Nurse practitioners are one of the many roles to pursue to treat patients and their families. Maverick Medical Education works closely with nurse practitioners who want to expand their skill set each year.

What is a nurse practitioner?

A nurse practitioner is a nurse with advanced training, specifically within a specialty, like neonatology, pediatrics, or women’s health. Nurse practitioners can diagnose and treat patients in several settings and work in different communities throughout the country. According to Nurse Journal, the annual average salary for a nurse practitioner is over $120,000, with growth projected across the nation.

How to become a nurse practitioner.

The overall schooling to become a nurse practitioner takes about six years.

1. The steps begin with earning a BSN, Bachelor of Science in Nursing. This step will encompass traditional education classes and clinical training, which many programs take around four years to complete.

2. Your next step will be to pass your NCLEX-RN to become licensed as a registered nurse.

3. Most nurse practitioner programs require around 2 years of clinical experience before they will consider a candidate for admission. Nurse Journal advises that nurses “can also use this time to explore specialties to help them decide on a future NP focus.”

4. Enroll and complete a nursing graduate program. You may spend 2 to 6 years completing your program, depending on whether you choose a master’s or doctoral program. Additional testing is required at the end of your graduate work, and some fields may require further clinical practice.

5. Enjoying a fulfilling career is the last step to becoming a nurse practitioner. With employment opportunities around the country, you may be able to select the location of your choice for your new position.

What are the benefits of becoming a nurse practitioner?

In many cases, a nurse practitioner will see more opportunities for career advancement than a registered nurse. Additionally, the earning potential significantly increases with this additional schooling, training, and experience. Many nurse practitioners enjoy the ability to work closely with patients and can pursue a practice where they have more opportunities for diagnosing and treatment. Over the next ten years, the projected growth for nurse practitioners is 46%, allowing those in the field to feel secure in their positions and comfortable pursuing the spots they want.

To work more with Maverick Medical Education, as a nurse practitioner or someone else in the medical field, contact us today. We help train various roles in pain relief techniques and the use of Point of Care Ultrasound to better help their patients in their own community setting. This continuing education is vital to improving skills and patient outcomes. See our course calendar for more information!