Reasons to Become a Nurse Practitioner free essay sample

Lastly, it will include three articles from health journals that are associated with a Family Care Nurse Practitioner. General Nurse Practitioners first came about following World War II in response to a shortage of physicians. The first Nurse Practitioner program was started at Duke University in 1965 (Strekley, 2008). Duke University’s program focused on teaching the nurses’ health maintenance and illness prevention. A study carried out by Congress in 1986 stated that â€Å"Within their areas of competence, Nurse Practitioners were able to provide care whose quality is to that of care provided by physicians. In order to become a Family Care Nurse Practitioner, one would first become a Registered Nurse. There are several ways to obtain a Registered Nursing degree. One may earn an Associate’s degree, diploma, or a Bachelors degree of Nursing. Once the Registered Nursing degree is completed, it is then recommended that one work in the clinical field for at least a year before going back to earn a Master’s degree (Walsh, 2004). We will write a custom essay sample on Reasons to Become a Nurse Practitioner or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are a couple of different routes to earn your Master’s degree. One may go straight from a Registered Nursing degree to a Master’s degree. These are available by combining 1 year of an accelerated BSN program with 2 years of graduate study. In 2006, there were 149 RN-to-MSN programs (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1). The other option is to go from a Registered Nursing degree, then earn a Bachelor’s in Nursing, and then a Masters degree in Nursing. In 2006, there were 629 RN-to-BSN programs in the United States (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1). The Master’s Program for Family Care Nurse Practitioners last one to two years and provides advanced study in diagnostic skills, health assessment, pharmacology, clinical management, and research skills. The program focuses on general work in the beginning, and then focuses on specific Nurse Practitioner specialties later on in the program (Walsh, 2004). National certification is not required by all states, but it is highly recommended. Certifications are offered by the American Nurses Association or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (Goolsby, EdD, MSN, ANP, FAANP, 2009). Certification typically involves passing a written exam, and recertification includes completing certain amounts of continuing education. In order to be a nurse, all states require at least a state license to practice. To earn a license, all graduates of an approved nursing school must pass a national exam called the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) (NCLEXinfo. com, 1). The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners is a professional association that was developed specifically for Nurse Practitioners. The website provides quality information on nursing credentials, healthcare issues, research, conferences, publications, resources, and different certifications. They hold annual conferences to keep everyone up to date with any changes or topics that are currently happening.