One of the ways to advance in your career as a registered nurse is to become a nurse practitioner. To because certified as a nurse practitioner, you must complete at least a master’s degree in nursing (in most states). You can also go on to get your doctoral degree in nursing, which qualified you for even higher-paying jobs in the nursing field. But as a nurse practitioner, how exactly will your role in the workforce change?

Certification

As a nurse practitioner, you can specialize in one area of nursing in order to be certified in that field. Many nurse practitioners choose to become family nurse practitioners (FNP), but other options include pediatrics, oncology, women’s health, occupational therapy, mental health, and emergency medicine. Your certification area will dictate some of your daily tasks.

Registered Nurse Duties

As a nurse practitioner, many of your duties will be the same as registered nurses without a master’s degree, especially if you work as a family nurse practitioner. However, with your advanced education, you’ll qualify for a higher salary based, in part, on the fact that you’ll need less direction and have fewer questions when completing these tasks. You’ll still perform tasks like taking a patient’s history, placing orders for tests, performing basic physical exams, and prepping the patient for exams, but your employers will often have a higher level of trust in your work, which can make your job more rewarding.

Advanced Nursing Duties

Becoming a nurse practitioner means that you’ll be legally allowed to perform advanced duties. In many hospitals and other facilities, nurse practitioners are replacing doctors for treatment of non-life-threatening illnesses and medical conditions. The duties for which you qualify depend on the state where you live and are practicing, but some of them may include diagnosing and treating lacerations and fractures, running your own practice independent of a doctor, writing prescriptions, ordering therapy and other treatments, providing annual physicals, and immunizing children.

With advanced training, nurse practitioners may also assist during surgery, though this is done under supervision of a doctor and usually for common procedures like biopsies. In addition, as a nurse practitioner, you could choose to go into the education field, teaching what you know to others in the nursing field.

Where You’ll Work

The place where you’ll work as a nurse practitioner depends on your specialty. Hospitals and private practices are the largest employers of nurses nationwide, but you could also find work at nursing home, hospice facilities, health management organizations, government health departments, schools, and clinics. As a nurse practitioner, you can also choose to start your own practice. In some states, you can do this on your own, while in other states, you must work in conjunction with a doctor or a hospital.

No matter where you work, one thing is certain – as a nurse practitioner, you’ll make more money and have a more fulfilling job with higher levels of responsibility. Since many employers will pay for you to get your degree and there are tons of nursing scholarships and grants available, so there’s really no reason not to go back to school to become a nurse practitioner.

To become a family nurse practitioner (FNP), one will need a master's-level degree in nursing. Numerous online colleges offer such degrees, and often times offer specializations within the degree programs. Depending on the school, specializations can include informatics, leadership, education, midwifery, adult care, and more. Below are the top online colleges that offer MS in nursing degree programs, suitable for FNPs.

Top Online FNP Degree Programs

MSN - Nurse Practitioner RN to MSN - Informatics MSN - Education RN to MSN - Leadership	Walden University — For the aspiring family nurse practitioner, Walden University offers several master's-level degree programs in nursing. All MSN nursing degrees from Walden are available as fast-track programs for active registered nurses who have already completed some nurse schooling.
MSN - Nurse Practitioner General MSN MSN - Health Education MSN - Health Informatics	University of Phoenix — The College of Nursing at the University of Phoenix offers several Master of Science in nursing degree programs with different specializations for aspiring nurse practitioners. Within the programs, subjects of study will include nursing, finance, management, and leadership.
MSN - Nurse Practitioner MSN - Nurse Education MSN - Nurse Leadership	Gonzaga University — U.S. News & World Report perennially recognizes Gonzaga University as one of the nation's top regional universities. Known for its small class sizes and personal attention given to each individual student, Gonzaga truly is a top tier university. Gonzaga offers several graduate level nursing degree programs, all accredited by NASC.
MSN - Family Nursing MSN - Adult Nursing MSN - Nurse Midwifery More programs...	University of Cincinnati — The MSN with a specialization in family nursing offered by the University of Cincinnati is designed specifically for licensed registered nurses with BSN degrees who are seeking expert training on family health issues. Cincinnati also offers several other advanced nurse practitioner degree programs, as listed on the left.
MSN - Acute Care	Liberty University — Liberty University offers a Master of Science in nursing degree program for students interested in pursuing careers in acute care nursing. Students of this program are expertly trained to obtain licensure as clinical nursing specialists (CNS) in acute care.
MS in Nursing	Benedictine University — The MS degree in nursing from Benedictine University will give you academic preparation in areas of leadership education, administration, and global healthcare. As baby boomers begin to age, the demand for health care will continue to rise. This has become a major area of interest enabling students to learn how to care for the needs of others while in family nursing facilities.
MSN - Nurse Educator MSN - Educator Bridge	Capella University — For those individuals aspiring to become educational leaders in the field of nursing, Capella University offers two degrees: the first is a regular MSN program in nursing education for those who already practice nursing and have earned a BSN degree. They also offer an MSN bridge program that accepts non-nurse students with bachelor's degrees.
MSN - Nurse Educator	Graceland University — Individuals seeking careers as nurse practitioners should have a look at Graceland University's MSN in nurse education online program. Graduates of this regionally accredited degree program will be prepared to resume their careers as educational instructors to other nurses who wish to pursue careers in medical care, nursing, family nursing, and more.
MSN - Nurse Education MSN - Nurse Leadership MSN/MBA - Leadership	Grand Canyon University — Well known as one of the most renowned Christian universities in the United States, Grand Canyon University offers a variety of master's degree nursing programs. Each of the programs listed on the left integrates the values and ideals of Chistianity into the teachings so as to provide students will a well-rounded education in the Christian spirit.
MSN - Nurse Practitioner	Kaplan University — With its main campus in Davenport, Iowa, Kaplan University is one of the largest online colleges in the nation. Kaplan's online MSN degree for nurse practitioners allows licensed RNs with bachelor's degrees to advance their careers with flexibility and affordability in mind.
MS in Nursing	Chamberlain College of Nursing — Once called the Deaconess College of Nursing, today the Chamberlain College of Nursing offers a Master of Science degree in nursing that will prepare any current registered nurse to advane into a nurse practitioner career. Two separate tracks are offered within this program: the MSN Executive Track and the MSN Educator track.
MSN - Nurse Practitioner	South University — For working healthare professionals with busy career schedules, the flexibility offered by the South University master's degree program in nursing may be an ideal fit. Individuals looking to advance their careers within the healthcare industry will find that graduating from this program will surely open doors to new opportunities.
MSN - Adult Acute Care MSN - Adult Psych Care MSN - Nurse Leadership	Drexel University — Individuals aspiring to begin or advance a career working in a professional nursing practice with acutely ill patients may wish to learn more about Drexel's master's degree programs in nursing. Graduates of these programs typically find work in all types of healthcare settings, including hospitals, research labs, ICUs, and more.
MSN - Clinical Leadership	Saint Xavier University — Founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, Saint Xavier is a Chicago-based, Catholic university. The MSN degree offered through their online program is designed for nurses aspiring to higher-level leadership positions within clinical patient care settings.
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