Nurse Practitioners ranked #4 by CNNMoney.com Best 50 jobs in America

...right below the PA job, which ranked at #2...


Top 50 rank: 4
Sector: Healthcare
What they do: In addition to performing routine caretaking tasks, nurse practitioners have the advanced medical training to diagnose and treat a wide range of ailments. They can also prescribe medication without consulting an MD.
Why it's great: Thanks to the growth of retail health clinics and the shortage of primary-care doctors, opportunities abound for nurse practitioners in settings from hospitals and urgent-care centers to private practice. They can specialize in fields such as women's health or oncology. Experienced nurse practitioners looking for a change of pace can shift to teaching or medical research. Nurse practitioners are also specifically trained in patient teaching; disease prevention is typically a large part of their practice. "Helping people see that small changes in their lifestyles can make a big difference to their health is very rewarding," says New York City nurse practitioner Edwidge Thomas.
Drawbacks: Constant insurance headaches. Education requirements are ratcheting up.
Pre-reqs: Must first complete training to get license as a registered nurse; master's degree, plus certification. A doctor of nursing practice degree is increasingly in demand, which requires about three additional years of study.


Do Nurse Practitioners have great jobs, or what?
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Nurse Practitioner stats
Pay Median salary
(experienced)$85,200 Top pay$113,000 Opportunity 10-year job growth
(2006-2016)23%Total jobs
(current)23,000Online want ad growth
(April 2009-August 2009)30%Quality of life ratings Personal satisfactionAJob securityBFuture growthABenefit to societyALow stressDFrom the November 2009 issue


http://money.cnn.com/magazines/money...apshots/4.html