If you love the idea of being a nurse, but you want to do more — such as make diagnosis and handle treatment plans autonomously — then you may want to think about becoming a family nurse practitioner (FNP). You’ll need to become a registered nurse (RN) first, and complete at least a master’s degree to gain that expanded scope of training you’ll need to practice. This is an exciting field that is helping the health community deal with the growing shortage of general practitioners (GPs). Plus, you can go on to earn a doctoral degree, create your own practice, and make more money in the process. There are plenty more reasons to become an FNP, and we’ve included twenty of them here. Many of these reasons include links to newspaper articles to show you how NPs are making a difference. Continue reading
20 Reasons to Become a Family Nurse Practitioner
Top 50 Mommybloggers for Family Health Tips
One of the most important things a health care professional can do for patients is to encourage them to live healthier lifestyles. Happily, there are a number of resources that can aid in living healthier lives, as individuals and as families. There are also a number knowledgeable mommybloggers who can help you find interesting ideas for encouraging family health. No matter your education level, it is possible to learn something from the experiences of ordinary moms who are trying to raise healthy families. Here are 50 mommybloggers offering insights into family health:
21 Educational Open Courseware Classes for FNPs
Family nurse practitioners are gaining more and more responsibility in the medical field. As baby boomers age, and more healthcare is needed; many towns and cities are finding that there is a shortage of healthcare professionals dedicated to family practice. Family nurse practitioners are filling this gap, by being able to handle many of the practitioner duties once held only by doctors. This is a growing field, with lots of opportunity coming in the future. If you’re interested in the family nurse practitioner field, here are 21 open courseware classes you might want to consider. They can give you a great jumpstart on the education required for this promising field of medicine. It’s pretty amazing how much knowledge you can gain for free using open courseware on the web.
The Ultimate Guide to Free Online Medical Tools
Online medical tools allow patients to have immediate access to clinical information about thousands of prescriptions, drugs, symptoms, and health advice. However, these tools should only be used with informational intent. Some of the popular and free online medical tools are provided below.
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Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
FNP programs are open and readily available for all those interested in taking their nursing careers to the next level and consequently increase their earning ability. These programs are highly specialized as the nurse works with the physician to provide the best health care for the patients.
To begin with the nurse must have an associate degree under their belt. The only way one can get this is by putting in a minimum of 70 semester hours either online or at a college or campus of their choice. In order to get the necessary certification, the nurse must then obtain a license after they have passed the National Council Licensure Examination. This gives the nurse the legal platform to carry out all that their course entails though they are still far from being a family nurse practitioner. The next step is to earn a Bachelor of Science degree form an accredited institution.
There are numerous programs under this category and they include pharmacology, nursing, community and family health. The right course should be chosen before the nurse in waiting can proceed. From here the next step is to earn yourself masters in the relevant field then the nurse now has an upper hand with regards to salary potential and employment opportunities. The masters should however be in the family medicine category because the more the nurse specializes then the better. This is an interesting career option and the opportunities it affords all those that take it on are almost limitless regardless of the environment they operate in across the globe. The FNP can work in both private and state funded health care system with the only driving force behind this career choice being the health and well being of the patient.
Once the FNP in waiting has completed their masters than it is time to get all the necessary certification from all the relevant boards. To begin with there is the American Academy Of Nurse Practitioners that asserts that the nurse is indeed qualified and in a position to carry out all the procedures they have been taught in school. Then there is the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This is the next step for all those interested in taking their career further and the only thing that the nurse needs is to pass their certification exam and they are finally a fully fledged Family Nurse Practitioner. All these credentials must be acquired from the relevant organizations though in some cases they tend to vary from state to state.
The minute all the necessary paper work is in the bag so to speak then the nurse is on a higher platform with regard to career options and salary increments. The FNP is a career that is in high demand and as with any other the more specialized one is then the better. This may sound like a difficult career option but it is highly rewarding and the salary is just as good.