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

[profstudent4life]

...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/moneymag/bestjobs/2009/snapshots/4.html

[Gottago]

I read the same article, and I was interested that CNN reported NP's make less money, and have more problems with insurance companies, than PA'a. Why is this? Is that PA's are more accepted by insurance companies? Is it because they are seen as working more directly under a physician's practice/insurance? The CNN report definitely makes a PA practice seem better than being a PA.

[AngeleyesRN]

I read the same article, and I was interested that CNN reported NP's make less money, and have more problems with insurance companies, than PA'a. Why is this? Is that PA's are more accepted by insurance companies? Is it because they are seen as working more directly under a physician's practice/insurance? The CNN report definitely makes a PA practice seem better than being a PA.

I don't think PAs even have to deal with insurance since they're work directly with physicians. I don't believe they are independant. NPs on the other hand are independent (short of a doctor's agreement), therefore they have to deal with insurance agencies.

[Dr. Tammy, FNP/GNP-C]

I don't think PAs even have to deal with insurance since they're work directly with physicians. I don't believe they are independant. NPs on the other hand are independent (short of a doctor's agreement), therefore they have to deal with insurance agencies.

Too true. Unfortunately, many NP's feel they are practicing medicine. Only when there is a consensus that NP's practice advanced nursing and not medicine will we truly be in a position to claim independence. Until then, with the frame of mind that NP's practice medicine, we will continue to be dependent medical adjuncts, physician extenders, medical technicians, or whatever physicians choose to call us.

[TakeBack]

The article, much like other recent output from CNN regarding PAs, is sometimes misleading and sometimes flat out wrong (in this case- "In most states they can write prescriptions as well".....in truth PAs currently have prescriptive authority in all 50 states).

PA practice autonomy is dictated by state law, which is variable. In the clinic/outpt setting PAs often carry their own pt panels with varying degrees of periodic chart review (eg as low as 5-10% every few months). PAs therefore deal directly with insurers on a regular basis. The issue can become if a certain insurer limits PA authorization for certain therapies, which may need supervising physician involvement.

PAs are not independent practitioners but that does not remove them from insurance dealings.

Additionally PAs do not work under the physician insurance, eg PAs having their own medicare number.