Nurse practitioners are one of the most valuable members of a healthcare team. With more responsibility and autonomy than a traditional RN or BSN, but still considered a nurse first and foremost, nurse practitioners strike a great balance between traditional medical doctors and more hands-on, focused care.

Because nurse practitioners are one step higher than registered nurses on the professional food chain, there are additional educational requirements. However, with these increased educational milestones come greater options in professional advancement as well as a higher rate of pay.

Steps to Becoming a Nurse Practitioner

Registered nurses (RNs) typically take on two levels of education: those with an Associate degree in Nursing (ADN) or those with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). In both cases, nurses must pass the NCLEX-RN in order to be licensed to work in the United States.

To advance beyond this level to become a nurse practitioner, it is necessary to get a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or even a doctorate. Almost all master’s-level programs require a BSN or a similar level of education to even get in. This means that nurses who only have an Associate degree may have to first get a higher degree before even considering a nurse practitioner program, which can mean up to six additional years of training. Nurses with a BSN or higher may only need two to four years in order to complete their degrees.

Nurse Practitioner Courses

The daily tasks of a nurse practitioner differ from a traditional RN in that these professionals are able to diagnose and treat a number of different conditions, as well as order tests, prescribe some types of medications, or even make referrals. In many cases, the nurse practitioner has a leadership role in the medical setting or the community as a whole, which involves taking on tasks related to health screening, disease education and prevention, and health counseling.

Because there is such a wide field of specialties open to a nurse practitioner, the education requirements are equally broad and taxing. Assuming the nurse has already reached the Bachelor’s level, and a particular area of specialty has been chosen, additional classes may include:

• Pathophysiology
• Pharmacology
• Medical Assessment and Diagnostics
• Integrative Practicums/Clinicals
• Nurse Educator
• Nurse Midwifery
• Nursing Administration
• Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
• Women’s Health
• Nurse-Anesthetist
• Health Care Management
• Health Informatics

Nurse practitioners are required to be licensed to perform just about anywhere in the United States. An exam and license through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) or American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) is typically required upon completion of an accredited nurse practitioner program.

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Almost everyone in the United States has heard about the nursing shortage, and how it impacts the level of care being offered in hospitals and clinics around the country. There are more nursing job openings than there are nurses to fill them, and the result is that many RNs, LPNs, and NPs are overworked.

The easy solution for this problem is to increase student attendance at nursing schools, and to provide more opportunities for earning degrees. However, one of the biggest challenges isn’t the number of students hoping to become nurses; it’s the number of nursing instructors qualified to teach in the field.

Nursing Instructor Requirements

Nursing instructors are the professionals who teach the college-level nursing courses, which range from basic science and anatomy classes to more hands-on clinical work. Because nursing instructors are both teachers and nurses, there is a very high educational requirement, often at the Master’s degree level or higher. State requirements vary, and can go as low as a BSN, particularly in schools where nursing instructors are in high demand. In some cases, years of experience may be used to determine your ability to function in an instructor capacity.

Different types of nursing schools also have their own requirements. Public universities and colleges may prefer part-time instructors with a Master’s degree, while private nursing schools might opt for full-time professors who carry a Ph.D. It all depends on the local laws and what the nursing school is hoping for in terms of its faculty.

Other Nursing Instructor Considerations

Nursing instructors almost always have to carry the same licensure they would need to function as a nurse within their respective states. This includes keeping all licenses up-to-date and taking the necessary continuing education courses.

However, all this work can pay off. Nursing instructors tend to pull in a higher salary than their nurse counterparts, and the hours and workload are often easier on both the mind and the body. Nurse educator salaries range from $44,000 to $63,000 per year, with higher rates of pay for those with doctorate degrees or considerable experience. Long-term job security is also fairly high, given the current ratio of nurse instructors to prospective students and the need for more qualified professionals in this field.

Of course, becoming a nursing instructor requires a love of teaching, as well as desire to enter the medical field. As a profession, teaching and nursing share many of the same characteristics, including an ability to communicate and a real desire to help others succeed. As long as you’re willing to make a commitment to your education, and you see yourself in a mentoring capacity, becoming a nursing instructor might be a great long-term career choice.

The unemployment rate in Texas is 7.1%, notably lower than the 9.4% national average. This may explain why hospitals in Texas are hiring, while most of the rest of the nation is in a hiring freeze. The nursing vacancy rate in Texas is also in the rise – from 10.2 percent in 2006 to 11.2 in 2008*. As the state’s population continues to rise, the need for nurses is expected to go even higher.

Before you go rushing down to Texas with resume and nursing reference letters in hand, make sure you consider these caveats. As is true for applicants across the country right now, job searching requires preparation, a competitive spirit and above all, perseverance.  And, although nursing jobs in Texas are available, hospitals there are admitting that preferential treatment is given in certain situations.

New nursing grads with prior work experience at a facility (in any capacity but consider working as a CNA for an extra edge) appear to have an advantage when applying for RN positions. Also, some Texas medical centers have revealed that they are more inclined to hire a new grad from a local college or university who knows their way around from doing their clinical work at the facility. For those still in the process of applying to nursing schools, consider Texas as a place to earn your degree and later work.

Consider researching the following five nursing programs in particular, which have all reported a high rate of new grad placement in hospitals following graduation: UT Arlington, Texas Christian University, Tarrant County College, Weatherford College and Southwestern Adventist University. There are also scores of other accredited nursing programs throughout the Lone Star state to investigate. The time to start doing your homework, has arrived.

*Texas Center for Nursing Workforce Studies

These are all excellent reasons to enter the field. But, it’s easy to forget the undercurrents and noble intentions that have driven the nursing profession for over 150 years. As the world moves ahead at warp speed, this seems like a good time to pause, take a breath and remember some other reasons for considering a career as a nurse.

While all professions are honorable in their own way, there is something special about being able to say you are a nurse, when asked what you do for a living. When you receive that golden pin on graduation day from nursing school, after four (or more) long years where at times the light at the end of the tunnel seemed dim and distant, it truly feels like an achievement of the lifetime. Not only are you ensuring a different level of job security than a regular diploma can offer, but you are also being recognized as a qualified caregiver of human beings.

This is too special for anyone to ever take away from you, no matter how you choose to use your nursing license and for how long. You have put in the time in countless clinical rotations, learning valuable medical skills, as well as some pretty arduous book learning time. Becoming a nurse is a notable accomplishment in every sense of the word.

So, as you watch the cut and dry employment numbers for nursing flash across the news screen, as they fluctuate up and down, affecting your statistical probability of getting your dream nursing job, do not lose hope. Remember the strength, tenacity, perseverance and compassion of one of the founding mothers of nursing, Florence Nightingale.

When she arrived at the military hospitals during the Crimean War, she looked around and saw death, infection and despair all around her. The odds were against her too but she listened to her heart, listened to her call for duty, and carried on.

First, let me give you a little reality check about your options as a new nurse. For new grads, especially in this tougher than usual job market for nurses (not for long by all predictions), it might not be a matter of choosing between day shift and night shift.

When I first graduated from nursing school, my options were a night shift at this nursing home or a night shift at a different nursing home down the street. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since my biorhythms seem to point toward the moon more than the sun.  Here are the pros and cons of the night shift.

Night Shift: Pros

• Time is on your Side: As a new grad, the slower pace and lessened urgency of the night shift provides an excellent opportunity to get your feet wet as a nurse (hopefully not literally but be prepared for anything). You can take the time to learn the fundamentals and finer details of your new profession.
• Personal Time: Do your daytime errands on the way home instead of stressing out with the rest of the “9-5” world, trying to squeeze everything in between five and six and standing in long lines to do it.
• Show me the Money: Night shift salaries typically run higher than day shift ones. And since you are sleeping during all those prime “shopping spree” hours, this could make for a double benefit to your savings account.
• Fewer Office Politics: Sometimes it may be just you and another nurse or you and a couple nurse’s aides on duty, as darkness falls with only the faint blinking of IV monitors lighting patient rooms.

Night Shift: Cons

• Biorhythms: Teaching your body to sleep during the day can be tricky. However, most hospitals now schedule nurses in 12 hour shifts, therefore if you accept a 7pm-7am shift, you will only have to make this transition a few times per week.
• Attention Parents: Working the night shift and still being available (not necessarily alert, but conscious nevertheless) to manage your children’s school and extracurricular activities, even with the help of your significant other, can be a tricky balancing act.
• Morning People: If you are less of a vampire and more of a sun bather… you might want to keep hunting for that elusive day shift job.

Stay tuned for the same comparison in regards to the nursing day shift. Happy job hunting!

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