Nurse Practitioner Info:

Specialties NP

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Hi all,

I'm a nursing student now, halfway through completing my BSN...I'm interested in earning my MSN and become a nurse practitioner. My question is what type of departments do nurse practitioners typically work in and what type of work do they do? I've tried to look up some stuff online, but most of it is for OB-GYN. Is this the main area of work for a NP?

Thanks everyone!!

- Jenny

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Hi there...no OB/GYN isn't the only place that NP's work.

Here is an article about Kansas City NP's:

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15767931&BRD=1441&PAG=461&dept_id=155395&rfi=6

Here is another article about the Cleveland Clinic and their use of NP's:

http://www.rwjf.org/reports/grr/020553.htm

The National Institute of health has the following info:

http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/nursepractitioners/history.html

Hopefully this will help to show you more roles. There will be other APN's along to help you too. I am a clinical nurse specialist who works in chronic dialysis.

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Hello, GVSUgirl87 and welcome to allnurses.com

Good to read of your desire to be an NP.

No, OB-GYN isn't the main area. Many many specialty tracks offered: FNP, NNP, ACNP, PNP, etc. Even dual NP/CNS.

We work in hospitals, clinics, large, small, rural. Everywhere. I am OB-GYN NP and FNP and work in rural clinics as well as in the hospital ED.

After graduation, work a little while, gain some experience as RN and decide what area interests you.

Good luck and look forward to seeing more of your posts here.

I have an interest in acute care....what types of duties does an NP have in an ICU or AC setting?

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Here is a link to a Medscape article:

"Management of Patients in the Intensive Care Unit: Comparison Via Work Sampling Analysis of an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Physicians in Training" http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/461282_print ... includes responsibilites/activities of the ACNP at the end of the article. You might have to sign up to view this article. It is a free site.

Other links:

http://www.npcentral.net/consumer/about.nps.shtml

http://www.acnpweb.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3479

Thank you so much!

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

You are quite welcome.

Enjoy the site!!

Hi Siri

Are you from India?

:welcome:

Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Hello, tulip aron and welcome to allnurses.com

No, I am not from India.

How may we address your interest as a Nurse Practitioner??

Hey there everybody, although I've been reading these forums for years now, this is my first post. I too have questions about NP. I have been accepted to a program and am due to start in the spring, but I have reservations about continuing in nursing. I also applied to podiatrist school and it looks like I will be accepted. I know that these are different fields of medicine, but they share the essentials of caring for people and helping them have the best life that they can, as well as provide a good living for my family (?) Therein lies my reservation. i know that it varies from state to state, but how hard is it to open up your own practice? what are the salaries like these days? is the market saturated/getting saturated? Why aren't NP's reimbursed at the same rate as MD's for the same procedure?

NP would be easier on my family in the short run, but with a podiatrist's salary my wife would never have to work again (very nice). anyway, these are a few of my concerns. Do with them what you will. thanks for the info. i've got from reading here thus far!

Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Hi Reznurse and welcome. I think first you need to make a decision about whether to continue in nursing. Congrats on being accepted into podiatry school.

NPs in private practice vary greatly in terms of their independence (as dictated by the BON), salary (varies widely from state to state and in even within a state) and how NPs are accepted in private practice.

Your best bet to find out info is to contact your state's advanced practice nursing society/organization and/or your state BON.

You might also do a lit search and then contact the authors.

I am an adult health CNS and I work in a large nephrology practice. My background however is ER and ICU - big learning curve for nephrology! In my area (rural central IL) there are NO independent NP practices. There are some satellite offices that are staffed by NPs but owned by the MD practice. In fact, in my area, most private MD practices are owned by the two large hospital systems in the area.

Thanks TraumaRUs. I am from Oklahoma (working on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico) and I know someone who opened up an NP clinic about two years ago in rural Oklahoma who seems to be doing very well, I am just worried about the power of the AMA and them feeling threatened by NP's.

My brother and sister inlaw are both optometrists and get paid the same as an opthamologist for the same procedure. I don't see any reason that an NP shouldn't be compensated at the same rate as an MD for the same thing. I'm not saying that I think an NP should be able to do the same thing as an MD (don't know enough about the whole deal to have an opinion about that), but when they do they should get paid!

It is crazy to me that our health care system is set up the way it is; that big companies run MD practices. I bet you've learned a lot in your role. I would like to become an advanced practice nurse and continue my learning, however with our student loans (private college for my wife's undergrad) and all of our bills, I want to be sure that I can make a good living as one. Thanks again

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