Nurse Practitioners are advanced nurses who are trained to provide primary and specialized medical care in a variety of specialties such as pediatric, geriatric, family practice, cardiology, nephrology, psychiatry and many other such fields. They are responsible for the patient's overall assessment, developing strategies to provide optimal patient care, and prescribe treatments for quick recovery. With their premium service, Nurse Practitioners contribute to disease prevention, reduction of health risks, and health promotion.
If you have a passion to promote the health and well-being of a patient with your patient care service, you should opt for Nurse Practitioner (NP) in the healthcare sector. This requires a right resume focusing on your nursing skills and qualifications. We will help you in creating your perfect resume with this guide, and kick start your goal towards a successful Nurse Practitioner career.
Choose from three different types of resume format given below, and select the one that suits you best.
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Job Duties of a Nurse Practitioner
According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), NPs don’t reduce themselves to just being health care providers but also take up the roles of mentors, educators, researchers, and administrators. The duties and responsibilities of NPs are dependent on their specialization and state in which they practice. If you think you have the expertise to use your medical skills with more advanced practices, then you are on the right track. Here we have jotted down major duties of nurse practitioners.
The major duties of an NP include:
Diagnosing and conducting treatment of acute illness, infections, and injuries.
Updating patient records to maintain accuracy during their periodic check ups.
Recording patients medical histories and symptoms and conveying the same to doctors for devising the right treatment plan.
Interpreting the test data and determining the need for follow up for effectiveness of continued treatments and further treatment options.
Writing prescriptions with the right dosage and frequency of the medicine.
Educating patients about health management to avoid preventable diseases.
Conducting diagnostic tests, if needed.
Running thorough examination and recording the medical history, symptoms, and diagnosis of the patient.
Monitoring and operating health equipment to conduct basic procedures such as blood pressure measurement, heart rate, and pulse rate.
Educating patients about the side effects of the medication, and thus guiding them through the treatment process.
Engineering Project Managers Median Salary
According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median salary of nurse practitioners is $115,800 as of May 2019. The variations in the salary could happen depending on where you live and work, but it is anticipated that NPs will always be in high demand due to rapid increase in preemptive care and demand of healthcare services for aging patients.
Top Skills for Nurse Practitioners
If you want to become a successful nurse practitioner, you should first gain the knowledge of the skills which will lead you there. Be aware of the skills that recruiters look for in an NP, so that you can prepare yourself accordingly.
Below are the top skills required to become a leading NP:
- Expertise in laceration care: Nurse practitioners are the experienced nurses who hold the ability to operate the patient’s wounds and provide optimal care. Nurse practitioners should have expertise in laceration care. They should be able to assess the appropriate plan of care required for the wound such as through undermining/tunneling, anatomical structures, odor, stage, location and many other such aspects. They should be well versed in cleaning, preparing, and closing the wound for timely recovery. To gain hand-on skill experience in this, you can either work under a professional team or undertake a Laceration Repair Workshop Where you will learn and identify the crucial types of wounds and related aspects.
- Updated and well versed with geriratric treatments: Often nurse practitioners are assigned the role of treating older people. They understand and treat the complex physical and mental health of old people well. So, they should be well versed with geritric treatments so that they can help the old people to cope up with their physical and mental issues to stay independent and active for a long period. The nurse practitioners should be ready to deal with any serious problems such as depression, delirium, incontinence, vertigo, bone fractures, dementia, and many other. Some nurse practitioners can even choose to undergo Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam to hone their proficiency or other can undergo Training for Geriatricians. This will work as an added advantage for them.
- Adept in offering mental health care: As per the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the total number of nurse practitioners in the U.S is measured at 290,000 out of which 1.8% are certified as Psychiatric Mental Health Care Nurse Practitioners. Nurse practitioners are always in close relation with the patients right from diagnosing and conducting treatments to oenning down the final prescription. So, it’s necessary for nurse practitioners to be well adept in providing mental health care to their patients for the stability in their body. Also, the U.S Departments of Health and Human Service reports that the country has a shortage of nurse practitioners who can offer mental health care and requires 6500 practitioners to fulfill it.
- Effective providence of immunizations: Nurse practitioners play a key role in administration of vaccines through immunizations. During their core curriculum and training, they are often taught about the vaccines and immunizations which becomes a part of their role. They have the authority to prescribe the required vaccines based on the patients and their treatments. Therefore, they should have the right ability to provide immunization to patients. To hone their immunization skill and gain related information, they can easily go through the Immunization Training Guide offered by American Academy of Pediatrics.
- Proficiency in operating Automatic External Defibrillator: Usually, the team of nurses including nurse practitioners are the major frontline people to assist the patient in the case of an emergency. They should be able to provide CPR to patients and should be adept in using Automatic External Defibrillators during the time of Ventricular Tachycardia and Ventricular Fibrillation. They should be clear of the consistency in the shock and how to increase at every level. The nurse practitioners can easily gain hands-on experience either by working under professionals who are trained in it or through various Online AED courses to teach you from the beginning.
- Patient-centered to offer optimal care: As a nursing practitioner, developing a good bond with your patients is necessary. For this, it’s crucial to possess impeccable interactive skills. The message should be conveyed successfully to the patients and the same message of patients should be well conversed to the doctors even. Adding a compassionate tone to your talking will make the atmosphere more healthy and trustable. This will further enable the patients to recover fast and develop a sense of security.
- Flexible nurse practitioner: Working in the healthcare field means to work on flexible hours. You should never sway away from your responsibilities and should be willing to take up the duty any time. Flexible working also means to work effortlessly with patients of any age or background. Your flexibility can allow the patients to recover fast and develop a mutual understanding. Be ready to work even in the odd hours for your patients.
- Strong-headed to deal with serious circumstances: Your patient is your responsibility. It is your duty to make a genuine treatment plan for the patient after the diagnosis. The well-being of the patient is in your hands. So you should be confident and self-assured about your decisions. You can’t let yourself down in any conduction such as during the time of critical condition or rapid decision making time. You should be ready and strong headed to face the challenges thrown at you and provide the right solution for the patient’s recovery.
Educational Requirements for Nurse Practitioners
A Degree
The first step is to acquire a licence as a registered nurse. With this you will have to further proceed with your advanced nursing education. If you have your bachelor's degree in nursing, then you can apply for your Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). This is the minimum qualification to become a nurse practitioner. The bachelor’s degree is a four year program including elective, general, and other programs along with internships.
There are various universities that are offering Master of Science in Nursing such as Walden University, Norwich University, Bradley University, and University of St Augustine. You can enroll in such universities without an entrance exam, but BSN or ADN is necessary.
If you have an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), then you can apply for special MSN programs known as bridge programs. Nowadays the standard education expected to become a NP is to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Universities offering DNP are University of Washington, University of Pittsburgh, Purdue University, and The University of Texas at Arlington. These programs take three year for its completion and provide advanced knowledge and theory on the related courses such as Chronic Illness issues, Health care policy, evidence inquiries and many more.Certification
To qualify and hone your skills in the field of nursing, there are various certifications offered by association, universities, colleges, online organizations, and non-profit organizations.- Member Associations:The national NP certification for aspiring candidates can be obtained from organizations like, American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and National Certification Corporation (NCC) etc. You should take care to earn a certification in the area of your speciality. All NPs are required to specialize in any of the fields such as emergency care, mental health, pediatrics, gerontology, and many others.
- Non-profit organizations:There are various non-profit organizations such as The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Journal, National University, and NCC which offer various nursing programs in different fields. These programs will demonstrate your expertise in the field and foster on the abilities that are required by nurse practitioners.
- For-profit educational companies:here are many companies like Alison which offer a nurse practitioner certification in nursing and patient care. This course will teach you with all the skills required to provide patient care to elders and important steps for physical examination. Other than this, Udemy also offers a certification on how to become a nurse practitioner which will cover all the minute details related to the course.
Licensure
With the above degrees and certifications, you should obtain your nurse practitioner license from your state to keep working as a Nurse Practitioner. The licence is usually provided by the Board of Nursing according to the state in which the NP will practice. But before that you should be a registered nurse whose license is gained by passing the National Council Licensure Examination- Registered Nurse. Passing the NCLEX examination defines the nurses as well qualified and gives the authority to practice as a professional.
Periodic renewal of the licence is mandatory, and the Nurse Practitioners should maintain the licence provided throughout their practicing career.
Nurse Practitioner Resume-Writing Tips
With the right skills in your pocket, you will still need to impress the recruiter with your resume to achieve your dream job. Writing a well structured resume is different from writing a resume that suits your needs. To craft a resume that will grab the attention of the recruiter, you should sound unique and authentic in presenting yourself.
Use these four simple tips to build a unique and engaging resume:
- Show your relevance to the nurse practitioner position: You need to convince the recruiter that you are the right person he/she is looking for. For this, your skills should sound relevant to the job they are looking for. While writing your resume, read carefully through the job description and put the right skills required for the post such as patient m . Simply adding the skills won't get you the job, you should sound genuine and authentic with every word you add to your resume.
- Present a blend of experience and skills: In the healthcare field, your experience may rate your skills as a professional. Make sure that you highlight your years of work experience along with the skills that you acquired over those years. Using a combination resume format will be perfect for you, if you have the confidence to put emphasis on both your skills and experience.
- Avoid complex terms specific to the nursing industry: While writing a resume in the healthcare field, you may be tempted to use jargon to convey certain messages. But it is always advisable to avoid such usages and keep your resume simple and understandable. The use of lengthy phrases may distract the recruiter, and may lead to the loss of interest in your resume. Making your resume short and precise, without compromising to add the relevant details, is another trick to engage the recruiter.
- Include details relevant to the Nursing Practitioner Position: Make sure to add the details that are relevant to your job title. Showing off the skills that are not required for the post you are applying for, will only make the recruiter skip your resume. The idea is to be specific with your content, and target the right requirements.
FAQ
Is a nurse practitioner as good as a doctor?
In terms of primary care delivery and patient outcomes, they are as good as doctors. A nurse practitioner is licensed to prescribe medication and treat the patients in the same way as a doctor. Even though special cases might need the attention of a doctor, almost every illness can be diagnosed and treated by a NP.
What does a nurse practitioner do?
They have the advanced clinical training to diagnose illnesses, prepare and execute treatment plans, and educate the patients about their illnesses to prevent it in the future. They guide the patients throughout the treatment process by examining the medical history of the patient and ordering for certain diagnostic tests after a thorough physical examination.
Where do nurse practitioners work?
A wide range of healthcare fields actively hire nurse practitioners. They work in healthcare centers, community clinics, physicians offices, nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare institutes. The work of a nurse practitioner is not limited to hospitals alone, they are needed in any institution that requires medical attention. Their skills are apt for almost every medical setting.