Duties and responsibilities
A family practice nurse practitioner is qualified to diagnose and treat certain medical conditions without a physician’s direct supervision. They have the skills and knowledge to provide diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive care to all members of the family, regardless of their sex, age or problem. Their typical duties and responsibilities include:
- Recording a patients’ medical histories and symptoms
- Performing physical exams and observing patients of all ages and gender
- Creating patient care plans or contributing to existing plans
- Performing and ordering diagnostic tests
- Diagnosing various health problems
- Analyzing test results or changes in a patient’s condition
- Giving patients medicines and treatments and evaluating their response
- Consulting with doctors and other healthcare professionals
Qualifications
All nurse practitioner will need a bachelors degree in nursing, to achieve a registered nursing license and to complete a musters degree in nursing. After this, they will need to achieve licensure from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Both of these certifications require periodic renewal.
In addition, all nurse practitioners should aim to get a cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), basic life support (BLS), or advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) certification.
Skills and relevant work experience
As family practice nurse practitioners need skills such as:
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- Problem solving skills, as family practice nurse practitioners will have find out what is wrong with their patient and overcome issues in treatment programmes
- Attention to detail, as family practice nurse practitioners need to spot issues with patients during checkups and when providing care
- Compassion, as family practice nurse practitioners will will be faced with patients in great distress and pain. They must show the utmost understanding and compassion
- Written and verbal communication skills, as family practice nurse practitioners will need to communicate effectively with patients and with other healthcare providers. They also need t0 keep written documents up to date
Hours
Family practice nurse practitioners tend to work full time. However, there are part time opportunities available. They may also have to work nights or weekends to accommodate to their patients schedule.
Salary
According to salary.com, the average annual salary for a family practice nurse practitioner in the United States was $111,290 in 2020. The lowest 10% earned less than $95,968 and the highest 10% earned over $129,649.
Progression
Nurse practitioners have already progressed from registered nurses. Family practice nurse practitioners have also progressed further to become specialized. Once at a nurse practitioner position, the next progression for family practice nurses is to take a Ph.D and move into research or teaching roles.