Are you currently looking for work or eager to explore new opportunities for leveraging your training and experience as an Advanced Practice Nurse? If you're ready to fast-track your healthcare career, we're here to help pave the way to lucrative, rewarding prospects, around the country or in your own neighborhood.
From hospital positions to private clinics to home care, hardworking Advanced Practice Nurses (Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Nurse Anesthetists) can find employment in virtually every medical specialization. And there's no shortage of jobs for qualified candidates: according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are currently over 2.6 million openings in the U.S. alone. But out of all those available positions, how can you ensure that you find an Advanced Practice Nurse job suited to your qualifications and skill set, with a location and schedule that accommodates your lifestyle?
About Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)
APRNs have advanced clinical education, knowledge and scope of practice. They define a level of nursing practice that utilizes expanded skills, experience and knowledge in assessment, planning, implementation, diagnosis and evaluation of the care required. Nurses practicing at this level are educationally prepared at post-graduate level and may work in a specialist or generalist capacity. However, the basis of advanced practice is the high degree of knowledge, skill and experience that is applied within the nurse-patient/client relationship to achieve optimal outcomes through critical analysis, problem solving, and evidenced based decision-making.
APRN forms the basis for the role of Nurse Practitioner. The Nurse Practitioner role is an expanded form of advanced practice nursing which is specifically regulated by legislation and by professional regulation. Legislation may allow prescribing and referral, in addition to admitting privileges to health care facilities.
About Physician Assistants (PAs)
Physician Assistants are medical clinicians licensed to practice medicine with supervision of a licensed physician. A PA is concerned with preventing, maintaining and treating human illness and injury by providing a broad range of healthcare services that are traditionally performed by a physician. PAs conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel on preventive health care, assist in surgery and write prescriptions.
PAs exercise autonomy in medical decision-making as determined by their supervising physician. They are educated in the medical model designed to complement physician training. PAs are not to be confused with Medical Assistants, who perform administrative and simple clinical tasks with limited college-level education in hospitals and clinics under the direct supervision of Registered Nurses, Nurse Practitioners or Physician Assistants. PAs must graduate from an accredited, two-year program and pass the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination to become a certified Physician Assistant (PA-C).