Monday, August 22, 2011

A Look at 4 Advanced Practice Nurse Programs


One of many ways RNs may specialize is by taking advanced practice nurse programs. When doing this, they have 4 options to choose from. The 4 different kinds of advanced practice nurse you can train to be in the United States are certified nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and certified registered nurse anesthetists.

Advanced practice nurses do a wide variety of preliminary health services, especially in areas of screening as well as preventive health care. Within these 4 distinct types, individuals specialize in fields like:

OB/GYN
Rehab Services/Long Term Care
Coronary Care
Pulmonary Care
Emergency and Trauma Care
Surgical Specialties
Community Health

This listing is in no way a full list. Various advanced practice nurse programs offer a variety of specialized areas in which one can train.It doesn't matter which kind of advanced practice nurse someone decides to be, they will need to fulfill fairly strict training and certification requirements, combined with taking continuing education on a regular basis to keep their certification up to date. These kinds of experts have very high standards, which are monitored by organizations like the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists.

Let's have a look at nurse practitioners first. The schooling and licensing these medical professionals receive let them do a variety of things that registered nurses simply aren't certified to perform. As an example, nurse practitioners are trained to examine and diagnose patients and may also prescribe medications.

Most individuals who are planning to follow this particular career path will become a registered nurse and will then return to school to either obtain a master's degree, or a doctorate in nursing. Nurse practitioner programs primarily target one specialty area like adult, women's health, acute care, pediatrics. In addition to being licensed by the nursing board in their state, nurse practitioners hold a certificate within their specialty areas.

Another career field requiring advanced practice nurse programs is the occupation of clinical nurse specialist. Clinical nurse specialists are found in roles like consulting, teaching, research, clinical practice and management. Just like other advanced practice nurses, they must get a Master's degree in nursing.

There are two accrediting organizations providing appropriate accreditation for this specific purpose; they are the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the National League for Nursing Accreditation Commission. Any advanced practice training curriculum that's accredited by one of these  organizations is appropriate.

The third type is certified nurse midwives, these nurses provide primary health care to women as well as infants. In addition to giving primary care, certified nurse midwives perform treatment, evaluation, referral and assessment.
Certified nurse midwives will have to be RNs before they're able to enter an approved program and get either a certificate or a Master's degree. Upon finishing all of the educational prerequisites, candidates will need to pass a written exam administered by the American College of Nurse Midwives.

The last kind of nurse we are going to be taking a brief look at will be the certified registered nurse anesthetist.  Before signing up for an accredited program, the prospect will need to be an RN. After completing their training with one of the many advanced practice nurse programs, these trained professionals will be nationally certified.

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