What Are the Benefits of Becoming a Nurse Practitioner?

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Once you have become a registered nurse, you might be ready to take some time off from studying for a while. This is sensible, and focusing on building more practical skills and getting more comfortable working as a nurse can be greatly beneficial in the long term. However, eventually, you might start thinking about where you would like your nursing career to go, and there are certainly plenty of options to choose from. One role that you might be interested in is that of nurse practitioner, and this is a role that is attractive to a lot of qualified nurses. There are a few reasons listed below why you may want to consider this as your career path.

More Responsibility

When people move up the career ladder, having more responsibility might be one of the main things they are looking for. You want to be able to prove that you can take on bigger challenges, and also have the opportunity to do different things so that your job stays interesting. Well, as a nurse practitioner, you will be getting the chance to take on more duties, including things like giving physical exams, writing prescriptions, ordering tests, and giving diagnoses. This can be a big step for a nurse who is looking for bigger challenges and wants to have more involvement in patient care.

The Chance to Return to Education

If you do want to become a nurse practitioner, you will need to pursue a master’s degree in this field or an equivalent qualification. For nurses who do thrive when they are studying and would like the chance to gain additional degrees, this role will certainly be suitable for that. You can even look at courses like the TWU online FNP program if you want something that will be more flexible to fit your current job role.

Better Working Hours

When you first started your nursing career, you might have found yourself gaining employment in a more fast-paced and high-pressure environment like a hospital. It is not uncommon for both student nurses and recent graduates to find themselves in these workspaces, as it can be ideal for immersing yourself in healthcare and having to develop your professional skills quickly. Although there are benefits to working in hospitals and other intensive healthcare settings, after a while, you might want to work in a space that is calmer and can perhaps offer better working hours. You can still work as a nurse practitioner in hospitals, but you could also find employment at a GP’s office or a smaller healthcare clinic, too. These environments can offer you a different pace of working, and usually working hours that follow a Monday-to-Friday routine.

Increase in Salary

Finally, you will also find that becoming a nurse practitioner can also offer an increase in your salary. How much more you will earn can depend on where you work, but there are opportunities to boost your income in this role which can make things more comfortable for you at home.

If you are considering which career path to take as a nurse, for these reasons and more, think about becoming a nurse practitioner.