Advanced Practice Nurse Overview

If you are interested in advancing your career and expanding your knowledge in the nursing field, you should consider pursuing an advanced degree in nursing and becoming an advanced practice nurse (APN). According to the Advanced Practice Nurse Council of Delaware, an advanced practice nurse is a general term that includes nurse practitioners (NP), clinical nurse specialists (CNS), certified nurse-midwives (CNM), and nurse anesthetists (CRNA). All are registered nurses with advanced training and education, most with Master's degrees in nursing. An Advanced Practice Nurse must pass national licensing exams in order to practice and must maintain their licenses through ongoing educational activities and testing.

The Advanced Practice Nurse Council also says that advance practice nurses work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, nursing homes, businesses, and private practices, HMOs, schools, and community centers. Some APNs have their own practices, but most work in collaboration with a physician. Many advanced practice nurses can prescribe medications, order and evaluate laboratory, x-ray and other diagnostic tests. They can refer to specialists and other community resources.

APNs have the option to practice in several health arenas including Family Practice, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Oncology, Cardiology, Midwifery, and Anesthesia. One type of APRN, a nurse practitioner (NP), can evaluate and treat people with acute illness, (such as pneumonia, ear and sinus infections, or acute back pain), chronic conditions (such as diabetes, hypertension, and depression), and provide preventative health care services (such as physicals and immunizations). A nurse practitioner focuses on prevention, wellness and education. Helping people stay well is a primary goal of NPs. Prevention screening for diseases such as elevated cholesterol, asthma, and cancer are another focus of nurse practitioners.

Nursing Today

Today's advanced practice nurses perform tasks once reserved for medical doctors. They assist other medical professionals and manage patient care, and some specialize in fields such as pediatrics (working with children and teens) and oncology (working with cancer patients). More than 240,000 advanced practice registered nurses -- and their numbers are growing -- are carving out a new role in delivering timely, cost-effective, quality health care, especially to chronically underserved populations such as the elderly, the poor, and those in rural areas.

As an APN, you will communicate daily with attending physicians, house staff, social workers, anticoagulation coordinators, physical therapists, dieticians, discharge planners, home care nurses, and the registered nurse responsible for the patient?s daily care. An APN is the key link in collaborating the health care team members to facilitate a smooth hospital stay.
To be a successful Advanced Practice Nurse, you should be adaptable, compassionate and caring. Additionally, you should have excellent leadership, communication and organizational skills. It is also important to have the desire to pursue additional academic and clinical training. Excellent clinical skills gained through education and experience lay the groundwork for advanced practice. At the minimum, APNs must have a master?s degree.

Career Opportunities & Salary Expectations

If you are interested in taking a few extra years of postgraduate study in a specialty field and can pass a specialty test and the National Council Licensure Exam, you are ready to become an Advanced Practice Nurse. With this designation, you will be able to examine and counsel patients, diagnose health problems, write prescriptions, and possibly start your own practice.

There is a strong demand for nurses today. Career prospects are good, and job possibilities are plentiful. Nurses are needed not only in hospitals, but in home health agencies, long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, managed care centers, and in community health. Educating patients and their families in preventive care is highly important.

In addition to great job potential, the salary expectations for Advanced Practice Nurses can be very promising.According to the ADVANCE for Nurse Practitioners journal, the average annual salary of full-time nurse practitioners was $74,812 in its 2005 salary survey. Nurse practitioners with their own practices earn the most at $90,574.

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