NURSE PRACTITIONERS By: Elizabeth

NATURE OF THE WORK Between a nurse and a physician Interacting with patients Diagnosing illnesses Prescribing treatments and medications Analyze patients including their histories, symptoms, physical findings, and diagnostic information Educate patients about illnesses and treatment options Orders, performs, and interprets tests Develop treatment plans

TO BE A NURSE PRACTITIONER… 1.Become a registered nurse (RN) 2.Earn a master’s degree in a specialty role such as pediatrics or family I will attend Georgia College & State University for pre-nursing for two years. Then I will apply for the nursing program at GCSU, as well as other schools such as KSU and GRU. After the two-year RN program I will be a registered nurse with a bachelors degree in nursing. I will stay in school for two more years to earn a masters degree in family nursing and become a family nurse practitioner. While I’m in college I will in a program at a local hospital working with nurses; this is the only training required.

WHERE TO WORK Facilities Hospital Private practice Area of Country There will always be a need for medical professionals so I could work anywhere For a few years, I want to work in a third world country doing medical missionary work

SALARY Starting annual salary: $53, 600 Starting hourly wage: $25.77 Experienced annual salary: $120, 590 Experienced hourly wage: $57.98 Average annual salary: $90, 490 Average hourly wage: $43.50

LONG TERM TURNOVER RATE The need for Nurse Practitioners is increasing as the demand for healthcare services increases and as nurse practitioners are being allowed to perform more services In Georgia, the annual growth rate is about 54% The national growth rate is 33.7% There will always be a need for Nurse Practitioners The turnover rate is increasing and is around 13% due to improvements in the economy. More nurse practitioners feel comfortable retiring. In addition, because there is such a high demand for nurse practitioners, they can easily relocate and find a job.

WORKING CONDITIONS Advantages Helping others High compensation Variety and flexibility in schedule High employment demand Lifelong learning Portable Making a difference Disadvantages Lots of walking and standing Use of protective items (safety shows, glasses, gloves, etc.) Exposure to diseases, pollutants, fumes, etc. Indoors Rotating schedule Weekend work

RELATED OCCUPATIONS Registered Nurse Associate's degree (vs. master’s degree): less education Work in hospitals and surgical settings (vs. private practices and community clinics) Lower salaries Less flexible schedules Physician Assistant Attends a medical school (vs. nursing school) Bachelors degree in biology or chemistry (vs. nursing) Disease-centered (vs. Patient-centered) Generalized education but can specialize in areas (vs. working in many different and diverse areas) Work under at physician at all times (vs. working independently)

FUN FACTS If needed, you can go back to becoming a RN and work part-time In the US, there’s about 150,000 nurse practitioners in practice Follow a patient-centered model: focus on disease prevention and health education Don’t have to have a physican oversight There is about 0.1 nurses per 100,000 persons in poor countries There are 8 patron Saints of nurses: Agatha of Sicily, Alexius of Rome, Camillus of Lellis, Catherine of Alexandria, Catherine of Seina, John of God, Margaret of Antioch, and Raphael the Archangel