Earning your master’s to become a nurse practitioner

Health care in general is a thriving field. We already noted the estimated 15% increase through 2029 for positions in the health care sector, and nursing has even brighter prospects. The BLS projected nurse practitioners, anesthetists, and midwives will see employment increase by 45% during the same time period. That’s an additional 117,700 positions on top of the 263,400 already available in 2019.

Nurse practitioners are in especially high demand even compared to other types of nurses. Among the top nursing roles that take longer than to fill, nearly half are NP positions that require postgraduate education and specialized skills developed through a concentration:

NPs just starting out in the field also benefit from strong demand and salaries that are at least double the national median annual wage for all workers, which was $39,810 as of May 2019, according to the BLS. As a recently graduated NP, you can be confident that you will be well compensated for your work once you secure a position. It’s also important to note that the vast majority of job postings for common NP roles seek candidates at the master’s degree level as opposed to the doctoral level.

Market for entry-level candidates:

 

As an NP, you can enjoy a rare combination of a lucrative, personally rewarding, and highly in-demand career path that directly improves the lives of others, from your first day on the job to your last. And, because health care will always be a significant need, long-term prospects are strong.

Core courses

The master’s degree curricula builds on existing nursing knowledge, introduces valuable new concepts, and provides options for aspiring NPs to develop expertise in their chosen specialty. Course examples include:

• Adolescent care
• Care for pregnant mothers
• Evidence-based practice
• Gerontological care
• Primary care
• Pediatric care
• Psychiatric care
• Pharmacology
• Neonatal care
• Nursing science
• Statistics

Advanced skills

Students develop relevant and valuable skills through NP curricula, practicums, opportunities to put nursing skills to use, and through seeing current NPs in action. Along with technical knowledge of nursing, your educational experience will help you build competency in the following in-demand general soft skill areas:

• Communication
• Planning
• Research
• Teamwork and collaboration
• Microsoft Excel

It’s important to note that technology skills are a growing, although still limited, desire among employers for certain NP roles. NPs who seek out emerging hybrid positions that combine practice and technology will be well-served to develop proficiency in areas related to programming languages, databases, and analytics, such as:

• SQL
• SAS
• R
• Microsoft Excel
• Python

Note that Microsoft Excel is the only skill to cross over onto both lists. These lists were assembled by Burning Glass Technologies based on job postings for graduates with a nursing degree in traditional and hybrid technology roles that requested specific skills. No matter what type of NP path you decide to take, familiarity with this common spreadsheet application can help you stand out when applying for a new role.

In terms of nursing- and health care-specific abilities, skills increasingly referenced in job descriptions posted for nurses and physician’s assistants include:

• Onboarding and employee training
• Clinical care nursing
• Ensuring patient comfort
• Catheterization laboratory
• Medication management
• Cardiology telemetry
• Patient monitoring
• Urgent care
• Spreadsheets
• Handling of crisis and emergency situations
• Interactions with patients and fellow medical personnel

Typical concentrations

You will have the opportunity to focus on an area of practice that appeals to your individual interests through concentrations. The AANP noted the most common specialization certifications as:

Family primary care — Providing health care services to infants, children, adolescents, adults, and elderly people

Adult primary care — Focusing on health issues, treatment, and wellness specifically related to adults

Adult-gerontology primary care — Addressing the unique health care needs of adults and elderly people

Acute care — Emphasizing secondary care for individuals currently facing severe injury or illness, or recovering from an operation

Pediatrics-primary care — Specializing in the health care needs of children

Other, less common yet fully recognized areas of specialization range from family psychiatric and mental health to palliative and hospice care. You can focus on your chosen specialization when you start your master’s degree.

Just as you needed to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) before working in an RN role, you must successfully complete an NP-level national exam. With several certifying bodies in operation, be sure you select one that offers an exam in line with your desired specialty. The AANP listed five current accredited certifying bodies:

• The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB), offering adult-gerontology primary care, family care, and emergency certifications
• The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation, emphasizing acute care
• The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Certification Corporation, providing many different options for certification across the spectrum of NP specializations
• The Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB), giving NPs the opportunity to earn a certification in primary and acute pediatric care
• The National Certification Corporation (NCC), featuring certifications for neonatal and women’s health care

You will also need to be licensed on the state level to work as an NP. While this doesn’t require passing an exam, it is a critical step in working as an NP no matter your specialization.

While not required, you can also join one of the many professional organizations that either include RNs or are exclusively open to them, such as the AANP and the American Nurses Association (ANA). There are organizations in nearly every state, as well as national and international groups. Membership can help you network with fellow nurses and NPs to discuss trends in the field, identify new job opportunities, and more. They can also help you find options for completing the state-level continuing education requirements needed to keep your license in good standing.