When you choose to become a nurse, you choose a career path that is dedicated to the service of others. The education and clinical experience that a nurse must obtain before being able to practice as an RN is all geared towards preparing that individual for one of the most challenging — and at times thankless — jobs there are. That said, the career of a nurse is filled with rewarding experiences and the knowledge that you are making a definitive difference every day in the lives of your patients.

Nurses tend to be at the forefront of direct patient care and are generally only able to practice under the direct supervision of a physician. Some choose to pursue a particular field of medicine and work with other healthcare professionals within that same field. Others might opt to take their careers away from direct care and work in the administrative side of healthcare or in education. With so many possible career options available to nurses, the world of healthcare would truly be lost without them.

These days, it is also possible for a nurse to become qualified to work in an autonomous fashion without need to be under the supervision of a physician. This can be done when a nurse makes the decision to take his or her career to the point of becoming a nurse practitioner.

Although considered to be a fairly new career path option for nurses, this area of nursing has seen a great amount of growth in recent years. In fact, there are indications that the job outlook of nurse practitioner will see as much as 26% growth in the United States over the next decade. This is typically attributed to the fact that there is going to be a lack of qualified doctors able to work in specific areas and regions over the coming years. Since nurse practitioners are licensed to work independently of physicians, they can fill the void created by this lack of doctors.

Becoming a nurse practitioner is an understandably difficult process. With so much responsibility that one is expected to manage, anyone who wants to step into this role must ensure that they are as prepared to face the challenges ahead as possible. Even though online nurse practitioner programs make it a bit easier to earn your degree, the road is still a long and demanding one.

If you are considering taking your career in the direction of becoming a nurse practitioner, here is some key information that you will want to bear in mind.

How to Become a Nurse Practitioner

The first thing you will want to understand is how exactly you might become a nurse practitioner. The process isn’t a short one and it will require an investment of time, money, and energy on your part. The path that you choose is going to depend greatly on where you are in your career when you make the decision to become a nurse practitioner.

Firstly, you will need to become a registered nurse (RN). This can be done either through first earning a two-year Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN) or by going right to a four-year degree program in order to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree (BSN). While other options will allow you to become a practicing RN, you will need to compete your BSN at some point if you wish to go on to become a nurse practitioner.

If you choose to first earn an ADN, you can then enter an accelerated program that will help you complete your BSN sooner. Many nurses opt to take this route because it allows them to enter the workforce as an RN faster and then complete their BSN while still working full time. However, if you are able to earn your BSN right off the bat, then you might find that your overall journey to becoming a nurse practitioner is quicker in the long run.

The next step in your career progression will ultimately depend upon a few key factors. The first thing that will come into play has to do with whether you are ready and able to pursue an advanced degree immediately following your graduation from your BSN program. Many nurses need a few years to become acclimated to their new career in the field of nursing and to save up a bit of money to fund their next degree.

The next thing that you will need to take into consideration is the level of clinical experience that you have under your belt. Many in the field of nursing feel that it is important for anyone who becomes an advanced practice nurse or an independently practicing nurse to first have a few years of clinical experience working in direct patient care before going back to school. While there are many opinions on the matter, the consideration that you will have to make is whether you feel that the experience you already have is enough to make you the best nurse practitioner you can be.

When you do decide the time is right, you will need to earn a Master of Science in Nursing degree (MSN). Since you will very likely need to continue working as an RN for the duration of your degree program, it is worth considering online nurse practitioner programs. Such online nurse practitioner programs are designed in such a way as to allow nurses to earn their MSN degree without skipping a beat when it comes to their active career.

The next step in your journey to becoming a nurse practitioner will involve obtaining the appropriate licensing as dictated by the state in which you are seeking to work. While most states tend to have similar licensing and certification processes, there are some differences that exist among them. You will need to check in with your state’s board and the applicable professional organizations to learn exactly what is required in the certification process.

Once you have your license, you will be free to practice as a fully qualified nurse practitioner. Even though the years of study and participating in online nurse practitioner programs undoubtedly made for a hectic schedule, you will have emerged in the end with the ability to practice medicine independent of a physician. You might later decide, like many other nurse practitioners, that you want to specialize in a certain field of medicine. If so, you will be able to find other online nurse practitioner programs that can help you in this endeavor. However, the career that you have chosen will be incredibly rewarding regardless of what specialty you work in.

The Job of a Nurse Practitioner

Just like nursing in general, the job of a nurse practitioner is pretty much what you decide to make of it. You can opt to pursue a particular specialty, or you might wish to set up your own family practice. Your degrees and certifications will permit you to do a number of different things with your career.

As a nurse practitioner, you would essentially be a type of Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). This ultimately means that you are able to administer advanced care that an RN is not licensed to do. You are given more flexibility with your career options and can pursue fields of medicine that nurses with less experience and education aren’t able to.

Some of the main areas that nurse practitioners tend to work in include pediatrics, geriatrics, mental health, midwifery, and adult care. There is no limit to the age range that a nurse practitioner can choose to work with. Depending on what state you are practicing in, you are also able to diagnose injuries and illnesses independent of a physician. Some states also permit nurse practitioners to prescribe medications as well. While the type of medications that a nurse practitioner can prescribe might be limited in certain states, other states do not place limitations of this kind.

A nurse practitioner might also choose to become a nurse anesthetist. This is a type of APRN who administers anesthesia for surgical procedures. They also monitor patients who are under anesthesia and make sure that all is as it should be for the duration of the surgery and in post-op. It is a commonly known fact that nurse anesthetists earn the highest salary on average that a nurse can earn. In some states, a nurse anesthetist can earn around $160,000 per year.

Another route that a nurse practitioner might wish to take, and that is seeing a great deal of job growth in recent years, is that of the nurse midwife. As the need for qualified OB-GYNs continues to increase, many nurse practitioners are deciding to take on the task of aiding expectant mothers throughout the pregnancies all the way through labor and delivery. As advanced practice nurses, nurse midwifes are fully qualified to administer this type of healthcare and do so in some states without being under the supervision of a physician.

Family practice nurse practitioners tend to be given the most freedom to practice in more states. This is a type of nursing wherein the nurse practitioner acts pretty much in place of a family practice physician. They are able to see patients on a regular basis and diagnose any conditions, illnesses, or injuries that they might have and then recommend a course of treatment. While the prescribing of medication remains a bit restricted in most states, some give nurse practitioners the independence that they require in order to fully care for their patients. This is because the experience that nurse practitioners have, and the knowledge they acquire through online nurse practitioner programs, gives them the ability to make such important decisions in their practice.

No matter what type of nurse practitioner that you aspire to be, you will surely be able to find a number of excellent online nurse practitioner programs that will help you get to the place in your career that you want to. Through your clinical work prior to earning your degree, you might find that you have a passion for a certain specialization. With so many quality online nurse practitioner programs to choose from, you can easily find one that will help you follow your passion.

Qualities of a Nurse Practitioner

Anyone who has ever worked in the field of nursing will be able to tell you that having the right degrees and experience will only get you so far. It is also important that you seek to develop the key qualities of a nurse practitioner if you hope to be successful in your future career. Some of these qualities might come naturally to you while others might take work to develop. Ultimately, though, these are the qualities that you will want to strengthen as you progress in your journey to becoming a nurse practitioner.

Excellent communication skills are the first thing that you will want to work on and develop. As a nurse practitioner, you will be acting as a leader in certain instances, especially when you choose to practice independently of a physician. You will need to have the ability to communicate a diagnosis to a patient in an effective and clear manner. You might also be responsible for managing staff members. If you are unable to communicate well with those working under you, then you won’t be able to act as an effective nurse practitioner.

Critical thinking is also an incredibly important quality that you will need to possess as a nurse practitioner. While some of the courses that are included in most online nurse practitioner programs seek to develop one’s critical thinking skills, this is still something that you will want to take the time to hone for yourself. A nurse practitioner needs to be able to recall pertinent knowledge at a moment’s notice so as to act effectively and make the right decisions pertaining to their patients’ healthcare.

Empathy is another key quality that every nurse practitioner, and every healthcare professional for that matter, should look to have. When you see the same sort of medical conditions and cases day in and day out, it can be easy to become desensitized. However, you should always bear in mind that your patients are not desensitized and need the empathy and understanding of a compassionate healthcare provider.