A growing new field of advancement in medicine and healthcare today is that of a nurse practitioner. With nurse practitioner duties and responsibilities similar to those of a doctor, anyone wishing to pursue their Masters degree or their Doctorate in Nursing Studies will find a wide open field for them to explore in their new career.

1. What kind of nurse
practitioner duties
and responsibilities
can I expect?

2. A growing new field of advancement in
medicine and healthcare today is that of
a nurse practitioner.
With nurse practitioner duties and
responsibilities similar to those of a
doctor, anyone wishing to pursue their
Master’s degree or their Doctorate in
Nursing Studies will find a wide open field
for them to explore in their new career.

3. From private practice possibilities to a
career as an oncology researcher or a
neonatal nurse practitioner
or a clinical nurse specialist, there is no
shortage today of openings, or needs for
such highly educated and caring nursing
professionals.

4. What kind of education must be
pursued?

Generally, a nurse practitioner will have
at minimum a Master’s degree in
Nursing, which will allow them to pursue
a career similar to that of a doctor. They
will have gained training in how to
diagnose and treat a wide range of
common illnesses, including physical
therapies and prevention education for
their patients.

5. Those who wish to pursue a Doctorate
degree can also specialize in specific
illnesses to treat, and will have to also
take on training as a specialist in those
areas, much like medical students do
when pursuing their doctor’s licenses.

6. How does nurse practitioner duties
and responsibilities differ?
 When comparing a nurse practitioner to
a registered nurse, for example, a nurse
practitioner can diagnose, and create
treatment plans for their
patients, without having to get
permission from a charge doctor or
treating physician.

7. A registered nurse can administer
medicine, with a doctor’s permission, but
a nurse practitioner can prescribe
medicine for a patient, depending on
their licensing restrictions.

8. With duties and responsibilities similar to
that of doctors, a nurse practitioner can
operate completely on their own, as a
general practitioner in a clinic, or even
open their own clinic, should they be able
to get the funding.
You will see a lot of them at work in
obstetrics and
neonatology, concentrating on work in
women’s clinics, and overseeing births in
home settings, as well as in the more
traditional medical environments.

9. Are they licensed medical
professionals?
 Yes, in much the same way as doctors.
Currently, licensing for nurse
practitioners is in the control of each
state, and any restrictions on their
practice are dictated by that same entity.


10. Depending on the state, nurse
practitioners with the right training can
even perform surgery, and will often
work side by side with doctors in
diagnostic clinics or surgical hospitals.
Some prefer to work as family
counselors, as well, helping families work
through the impact of the illness on their
loved one.

11. The main benefit in seeing a nurse
practitioner as opposed to a doctor in
some situations is that while they can
prescribe medicines in the same way as
doctors can, most nurse practitioners
today subscribe to a more holistic
method of treatment for their patients.

12. It is very rare that expensive tests and
treatments will be authorized by a nurse
practitioner today.
This may be because of the years of
experience they have working with
patients, and their families, and
understand the toll such treatments can
have.
 http://www.nursepractitionercareerinformation.com