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Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

APRN hISTORY
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NP CNM CRNA CNS

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What is a Nurse Practitioner? A nurse practitioner is a high-level nursing APRN professional. Nurse practitioners are DEFINITION licensed to examine and diagnose patients hISTORY and prescribe medications, tasks registered PHILOSOPHY nurses and licensed practical nurses cannot REQUIREMENTS perform SCOPE All Nurse Practitioners are Registered Nurses SETTINGS who have completed extensive additional PROS/CONS education, training, and have a dramatically POST-NOMINAL expanded scope of practice over the SALARY traditional RN role. home

The first Nurse Practitioner program was created by a nurse educator, Loretta Ford, EdD, RN, PNP, and a APRN physician, Henry Silver, MD, in 1965 at the University definition of Colorado as a non-degree certificate program. HISTORY In the late 1960s into the 1970s, continued predictions of a primary-care physician shortage PHILOSOPHY increased funding and attendance in various REQUIREMENTS certificate-based nurse practitioner programs.

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Then, during the 1980s Nurse Practitioner educational requirements were transitioned into SETTINGS graduate-level master's degree programs. However, PROS/CONS already established NPs with certificate-based education were grandfathered in. POST-NOMINAL There are changes presently in the field, and by 2015 SALARY all new NPs will need to be trained at the doctorate level as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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To become licensed/certified to practice, Nurse Practitioners hold national board certification in an area of specialty (such as family, women's health, pediatrics, adult, acute care, etc.), and are licensed or certified through the state nursing boards rather than medical boards.

The core philosophy of the field is individualized care.

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Bachelor of Science in Nursing Masters degree Experience candidate must pass a national board certification in their area of specialty Certification from American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

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Scope of practice
state-regulated

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Some nurse practitioners work independently of physicians while, in other states, a collaborative agreement with a physician is required for practice. The extent of this collaborative agreement, and the role, duties, responsibilities, medical treatments, pharmacologic prescriptions, etc. afford an NP to perform and prescribe again varies widely amongst states of licensure/certification. practice

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home APRN Diagnosing, treating, evaluating and managing acute and chronic illness and disease (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure) PHILOSOPHY Obtaining medical histories and conducting physical examinations REQUIREMENTS Ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic studies (e.g., SCOPE routine lab tests, bone x-rays, EKGs) SETTINGS Prescribing physical therapy and other rehabilitation treatments Prescribing drugs for acute and chronic illness (extent of PROS/CONS prescriptive authority varies by state regulations) hISTORY SALARY
definition

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Providing prenatal and family planning services definition Providing well-child care, including screening and hISTORY immunizations Providing primary and specialty care services, PHILOSOPHY health-maintenance care for adults, including REQUIREMENTS annual physicals Providing care for patients in acute and critical SCOPE care settings SETTINGS Performing or assisting in minor surgeries and PROS/CONS procedures (with additional training and/or under physician supervision in states where mandated; POST-NOMINAL e.g. dermatological biopsies, suturing, casting) SALARY Counseling and educating patients on health behaviors, self-care skills, and treatment options

APRN

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Community clinics, health centers, urgent care centers Health maintenance organizations (HMOs) Home health care agencies Hospitals and hospital clinics Hospice care Nurse practitioner practices/offices Nursing homes Nursing schools Private & public schools, universities and colleges Physician/private medical practices

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Physician offices Veteran's administration facilities Retail-based clinics Public health departments School/college clinics Walk-in clinics

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Cons: The job is diverse, ever-challenging, and ever-changing. The level of stress, especially for novice clinicians, can be very high, as a decision which you make may significantly impact a person's health and well-being. This can result in continuing high levels of anxiety. Pros: It is a position which requires a great deal of autonomy, decision-making ability, logical reasoning, and the ability to reach a conclusion on what to do under what may be difficult circumstances.

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Post-nominal initials NPs may use are regulated by the state in which they are licensed and include:

ACNP-BC (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - Board Certified; if certified by the ANCC) definition ACNPC (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certified) APRN-BC (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse - Board Certified; no hISTORY longer awarded, replaced with specialty-specific credentials by the ANCC) PHILOSOPHY ARNP (Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner) CAS (Certificate of Advanced Study) REQUIREMENTS CNP (Certified Nurse Practitioner) CPNP (Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner; if certified by the Pediatric SCOPE Nursing Certification Board PNCB) (Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care; if certified SETTINGS CPNP-AC by the PNCB ]) CPNP-PC (Certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care; if PROS/CONS certified by the PNCB) POST-NOMINAL CRNP (Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner; used primarily in Pennsylvania and Alabama) SALARY DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice; the terminal practice degree for NPs) DNSc (Doctor of Nursing Science; equivalent to Ph.D., most D.N.Sc. programs now converted to PhD programs)

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FAAN (Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing AANP) FAANP (Fellow of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners AANP) MA (Master of Arts in Nursing) MN (Master of Nursing) MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) NP-C (Nurse Practitioner - Certified; if certified by the AANP) PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) PMC (Post-Master's Certificate) RN (Registered Nurse) RN(EP) or NP (Registered Nurse - Extended Practice; Manitoba, Canada) RN(NP) (Registered Nurse - Nurse Practitioner; Saskatchewan, Canada)

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median annual salary of a nurse practitioner, as of February 2010,