Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor, or are nurse practitioners called doctors? and the answer is relatively simple. Both of them are two different job positions, and they come with their own requirements and remuneration. You can even compare the nurse practitioner vs. doctor salary to see the difference between the payment as per the requirement. The healthcare sector offers a number of alluring job prospects, right from doctors and assistant practitioners to a nurse practitioners. One may also visit our page online medical school for more information related to medical school criteria, admission process, benefits.
So, is being a nurse practitioner an excellent job? Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor? Definitely, as a profession, it demands your whole-hearted contribution to the medical fraternity. It does not involve as much risk as a doctor or surgeon’s career does. Additionally, the payment is almost at par, leaving no major aspect at stake. To get all your answers about being a nurse practitioner, read on! But first, we will understand what is a nurse practitioner?
Is A Nurse Practitioner As Good As A Doctor– Basic Concept
Nurse practitioners are autonomous but licensed clinicians who manage the healthcare of people and help prevent diseases, according to the definition by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). They mostly specialize in pediatrics, women’s health, and adult-gerontology according to the patient’s population. Sub-specializations like oncology, cardiovascular system care, and dermatology are also growing.
To understand the basic concept of Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor? Statistics speak out loud for the popularity of the job of a nurse practitioner. According to the 2015 survey of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the requirement of a nurse practitioner’s requirement is expected to grow by 35 percent between 2014 and 2024. Over 916 million annual visits are made to the nurse practitioners in America itself. This demand will result in a worldwide addition of 44,700 nurse practitioners.
Are nurse practitioners called doctors
If you are wondering should I be a doctor or nurse practitioner? or Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor? Then you must know that with rigorous training and a high skill set, nurse practitioners are very competent in a lot of medical environments. A nurse practitioner’s job roles can change as per their specialization and the elected field, but there are some common tasks that they perform, like:
- Record the medical history of patients.
- Ensure that the patient has only consumed prescribed and over-the-counter medications for their past ailments, symptoms, and maintenance.
- Perform the intake responsibility to collect other useful information from the patient as well as the family or caregivers.
- Be the primary caregiver for rural areas from time to time and give them medications and perform routine checkups.
- Recommend diagnostic tests and be capable of handling different medical equipment as per the requirement.
- Evaluate the test results for a detailed analysis of the patient’s health and underlying physiological reasons for their symptoms.
- Diagnose the necessary medical conditions and suggest treatment plans to alleviate pain and try to curb the progress of diseases in them.
- Supervise hospital nurses and other staff’s activities to make sure that the patients receive the best healthcare facilities.
- Tell the patients and their families about medical expenses and treatment plans.
- Collaborate with other medical professionals and create an environment of knowledge sharing if you detect any unusual symptom or any novelty in the medical field.
- Perform specific scientific procedures using cell cultures and different biological elements.
- Collect the biological samples, too, from the patients.
Nurse Practitioner – Specializations and sub-specialties
Your answer to the question Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor is simple. A nurse practitioner is a licensed healthcare provider with a Master‘s or Doctorate degree in the field. They can also be recognized with a state license. But, nurse practitioners also go for specializations to enhance their skills and have more relevant knowledge about a specific healthcare sector.
According to AANP, the most popular specialization is of a family nurse practitioner who comprises about 55.1% of all nurse practitioners. To follow this, adult-gerontology nurse practitioners make 20.8% of the fraternity, and they focus on problems occurring due to old age.
Neonatal nurse practitioners, pediatric nurse practitioners, women’s health nurse practitioners, and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners are also common specializations.
In addition to these, there is a wide range of sub-specialties that focus on a particular clinical environment, a typical population, or specific health conditions. Most common specialties for nurse practitioners are listed as follows:
- Allergy & immunology
- Cardiac
- Dermatology
- Geriatric
- Emergency room
- Endocrinology
- Holistic
- Hospice
- Gastroenterology
- Pediatric oncology
- Surgical
- Neurology
- Occupational health
- Orthopedics
- Pulmonology & respiratory
- Sports medicine
- Travel
- Urology
How to become a nurse practitioner?
If you aspire to be a nurse practitioner, and thinking about Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor here are some important steps that you must cover:
- Enroll in a degree program like Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN). ADN programs are for 2 years while BSN can take up to 4 years.
- Once you finish your Bachelor’s degree, gain some experience as a nurse. By taking this route, you can also save up for further education while making contacts in the healthcare sector.
- Get a Master’s degree in Nursing or even a Doctorate in Nursing Practice (DNP). With this, you can open your career horizons to wider prospects. Some courses also offer in-depth coursework into anatomy, pharmacology, and other specialized studies.
- If you are all paid up for your education, that’s excellent. But if you have any student loans, consider refinancing them at a lower interest rate to save some money.
- Search for the procedure to get a nurse practitioner certification in your state. If there are any qualification exams to undertake, prepare for them.
- Once you are certified, you can start working as a nurse practitioner and get a job in nursing homes, hospitals, or other medical facilities.
The problem with nurse practitioners
The problem with nurse practitioners is that the entire process of being a nurse practitioner can take any time between three to nine years, and the completion rate depends on the individual. To get the educational and license requirements, the aspirants must strive hard to streamline the process for themselves. However, even after being a nurse practitioner, you have to display certain skills to achieve success, like:
- Stay updated with all the latest research and development in the field of healthcare and medicine.
- Have efficient communication skills to get all the patients and their family members’ relevant information while recording and using that data accurately.
- Display compassion and empathy towards everyone so that they feel safe even in times of adversity.
- Pay strong attention to every minute detail and use the analytical skills to comprehend them.
On certain levels, leadership skills are also required as nurse practitioners are often required to supervise other clinical staff and nurses. They also need to be receptive to knowledge, all the time.
Salary of a nurse practitioner
According to the data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2018, a nurse practitioner can earn about $140,000 per annum or $53 per hour. This was a slight increase from the records of 2017 that showed an income of $108,000 per year. You should also remember that the salary varies from state to state, depending on the specialization and increases over time, with experience.
The top-paying states for nurse practitioners are Alaska, California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and New York with the annual wage ranging from $118,000 to $127,000. On the flip side, the lowest pay is recorded in Alabama, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, with salaries between $95,000 to $96,000.
Should I see a nurse practitioner or a doctor – Differences
If this question is coming into your mind why become a doctor instead of a nurse, then understand the basic concepts of both of that. Apart from the similarity of the medium, nothing is particularly uniform for both nurse practitioners and doctors. The common question is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor, particularly has no ground of comparison. There are wide differences in the two professions, which can be summed up as:
- Different philosophical focuses
- Different ways of starting the career
- Different ways of getting the degree
- Different specialties and specializations
- Different governing regulations
Should I see a nurse practitioner or a doctor depends upon, based on the above categories, the entire meaning of being a nurse practitioner and a doctor stands apart. Doctors, in their core spirits, are scientists who study the diseases and try to cure them. On the other hand, nurse practitioners are healers who treat ailing patients with utmost care and compassion.
The doctors can take up to 12 years to finish their education and internship, while nurse practitioners can complete their degrees in much lesser time. Nurse practitioners also avail of the specializations of their field while earning their degrees. But doctors need to invest two or three years to gain a high level of expertise required to specialize in an area like oncology or gastronomy. Overall, nurse practitioners are great at providing primary care while doctors aim at treating the diseases from the core.
Nurse Practitioner vs Doctor Salary
We have already seen the detailed salary description of a nurse practitioner. In comparison, doctors earn about $294,000/year on an average, while the nurse practitioners earn $140,000/year. While the variation in salary may seem stark, it is justified by the difference in job roles and responsibilities.
Right from the difference in time taken to be a successful professional to the experience required, everything needs proper consideration. Nurse practitioners have full practice authority in 20 states of America, which means that they do not need any supervising doctor to work under. As here we have had a clear idea on nurse practitioner vs doctor salary. On detailed analysis, a nurse practitioner’s job seems to be ideal for those who wish to work dedicatedly for the healthcare sector. To get a detailed idea on Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor? You may visit to our website at https://onlineschoolsnearme.com
