Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) are integral to the healthcare system. These primary care providers provide comprehensive care to patients of all ages, from newborns to the elderly. FNPs are trained to diagnose and treat acute and chronic conditions and provide preventive care services. They also work closely with patients to develop treatment plans tailored to their needs.
FNPs are an essential part of healthcare, and their contributions are invaluable. The combination of nursing and medical knowledge FNPs possess gives them the unique ability to provide high-quality, cost-effective patient care. FNPs are valuable to healthcare teams and serve as a bridge between patients and their medical providers. They provide compassionate, patient-centered care and focus on preventative measures to help keep patients healthy and safe.
What is a Family Nurse Practitioner?
A family nurse practitioner (FNP) is a registered nurse with advanced qualifications who provides primary healthcare care to patients of all ages. Generally, FNPs see their patients more than once and have careers in which they are directly involved with the health of their patients and, at the same time, enjoy their well-paid jobs.
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As the name implies, their range of practice includes the family, i.e., from young infants to seniors and all ages in between. A family nurse practitioner is trained to handle general family practice situations, as well as improve the health habits of family members, educate them on health, and practice health promotion within their daily practice. FNPs can work alone or as part of a team, so their communication and teamwork skills are indispensable.
What Are the Typical Job Duties of FNPs?
- Diagnosing patients' health conditions.
- Perform physical examinations and prescribe tests and labs for a more accurate diagnosis.
- Prescribe treatment plans, medications, and other therapies, without necessarily having to ask for a physician's opinion (except if the physician is part of the team treating the patient).
- Assist and accompany minor surgeries.
- Make referrals when necessary.
- Practice health prevention and education of patients and their families.
In general, all of these duties performed by FNPs are advanced and require a higher degree of training and clinical experience. This is why to become an FNP; registered nurses need a great deal of training programs. Mostly, FNPs will be doing the same tasks a physician does, so the training is quite difficult.
Generally, to become an FNP, in addition to completing a bachelor of science in nursing, they'll need to have a minimum of 2 or 3 years of experience and obtain a master's degree in nursing or a DNP (doctor of nursing practice), which takes another 2 or 3 years in one of the family nurse practitioner programs. Most FNPs take 8-10 years to finish their education, but most FNPs consider it worth it.
Workspaces for FNPs
There are many places and spaces where FNPs can work; some of these are:
- Healthcare centers
- Hospitals
- Government and government sectors
- Hospice centers
- Outpatient care centers
- Private practices and private offices
- School clinics
- Emergency centers
- Outpatient care centers
Overall, FNPs can get jobs in many healthcare facilities and positions unrelated to healthcare facilities. They can often have positions in administration, education, and rural areas where physicians do not reach directly; in these places, the work of FNPs is highly rewarding and rewarded.
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Family Nurse Practitioner Salary
The average salary that FNPs earn at the national level is $123,780 per year. Still, this salary depends a lot on the cost of living in each region, being that in the regions where FNPs earn the most, the salary is around $200,000 per year, and in states that have a lower cost of living it is around $79,780 per year.
FNPs can also work in private practice, which has the potential to improve their salary if they manage their practice well, or they can work in fixed contract or casual jobs where they earn more per hour, such as PRN (pro re nata) jobs, where the hourly pay is usually higher and the hours are more flexible. Given that the work of FNPs is quite specialized and the training they need is extensive, family nurse practitioner jobs are easy to come by.
Some advantages of getting PRN jobs (which are also called per diem jobs or per diem shifts) are that FNPs have some interesting possibilities, for example:
- Choose their own schedules. Given that they have to find their own shifts, FNPs can choose what hours they work and where they work. This is one of the best advantages as they can spend quality time with their friends and family more often.
- Potentially better hourly earnings. The salaries of PRN shifts tend to be better paid due to the urgency of facilities to hire staff.
- Have more independence in their job search and in the time they want to have off.
- Turn down work when they feel overwhelmed or tired.
- Gain more work experience by having different jobs in different settings and environments.
Whatever the path FNPs choose, the family nurse practitioner career is worth pursuing, as the rewards are financial, professional, and personal. Family nurse practitioners are highly valued in their work settings and inspire other nurses to move forward with their careers.
