Becoming a Nurse Practitioner is something that a lot of Registered Nurses do when they want to take the next step in their careers. It’s an opportunity to work at a more senior level and expand on your knowledge, while at the same time increasing your earning potential.
Study alongside your current role
A positive impact of the stay-at-home orders that have been in place worldwide over the past year is that learning institutions have really got to grips with online learning so that you can be assured that learning online will give you the same benefits as learning in person.
The online nurse practitioner program at Marian University is available either full-time or part-time, so you don’t have to compromise your current work in order to study. Studying online also saves you time when compared with studying on campus because there is no need to allow for travel time, and it means that you can learn at your own pace so that you are more likely to retain the information.
Excellent career prospects
It’s predicted that the number of nurse practitioners employed in the US will increase by 45% between 2019 and 2029, which means that if you train as a nurse practitioner then you are setting yourself up for a career with great job security. The reason for this increase is primarily the aging population, but also a shift within the healthcare industry towards utilizing nurse practitioners for more primary care roles, a move designed to remove some of the strain from physicians. Additionally, there is a focus around education and disease prevention, which nurse practitioners do as part of their role.
The average salary for a nurse practitioner in 2020 was $117,670, which is a good deal higher than the average pay for a registered nurse, which is $65,000. This means that the investment you make in qualifying as a family nurse practitioner is a good one.
Greater flexibility
Working as a family nurse practitioner, in particular, is a role that offers greater flexibility and the opportunity to work more regular hours than other types of nursing roles. Family nurse practitioners perform a primary care role, which means that depending on where you choose to work, there is a much higher probability of working daytimes during the week. This is great news for people who are looking to maintain a good work-life balance while still having a career where they get to have a positive impact.
Positively impact your community
A lot of family nurse practitioners work in rural areas where there isn’t great access to physicians, which means that this role directly improves the health of entire communities.
They also provide a great deal of education wherever they work. They will often work with entire families not just on the treatment of illnesses, but educating them on how to live a healthy lifestyle and prevent diseases. In this way, nurse practitioners are helping to positively impact the health of the entire country through their patient-centric approach.
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