Nurse Practitioner
What does a Nurse Practitioner do?
- Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses who have special training in
the diagnosis and treatment of illness.
- They must be supervised by a Physician, but the Physician does not need
to be present.
- The Physician may authorize the nurse practitioner to interview and
examine patients, take medical histories, to treat routine problems, order
laboratory tests, prescribe certain kinds of medicine, and refer more
complex problems to Physicians. (Nurse Practitioners tend to learn about the
whole person and advise the patient on emotional and social problems which
affect the patient's health.)
- They also teach patients how to deal with illness and how to stay
healthy.
- Tasks include: Working with children, with older people, with students,
with injured workers, with adults, and with women.
Salary and Employment Outlook:
EDD Labor
Market Information
Occupational Outlook Handbook
Career Info Net
Typical Employers:
Nurse practitioners are employed by hospitals, health care clinics, nursing
and convalescent homes, educational institutions, private physicians, government
health agencies, psychiatric institutions, women's health-care clinics, and the
Peace Corps (federal government).
Preparation:
Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses who have completed additional
training in an approved program. Nurse Practitioner programs are commonly two to
three years in length. Programs may grant a master's degree or a certificate,
and generally require a bachelor's degree for admission. Some programs admit
only practicing Registered Nurses. Others admit nursing students and provide
both types of training simultaneously.
Educational Program(s):
Nursing
Related Programs: Emergency Medical Care, Health Technologies, Medicine,
Physician's Assistant Training, Public Health
Web Resources:
EDD Labor
Market Information
Occupational Outlook
Handbook
ONet Online
Career Info Net
Career Center
American Academy of Nurse Practitioners
National League for Nurses
American
Association of Colleges for Nurses
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