Who is a nurse practitioner?
Nurse practitioners are healthcare providers trained to provide primary and specialty care services. They either work in hospitals or acute care clinics, usually under the supervision of a doctor. They are also called Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). A nurse practitioner holds more authority than a registered nurse.
Nurse practitioners are entitled to perform several duties, like gathering and maintaining patient history, diagnosing diseases and injuries, ordering lab work for diagnostic purposes, writing prescriptions, and performing medical tests such as a bone marrow biopsy, lumbar puncture, etc. They work not only in hospitals but also in schools, community clinics, and homes of patients. They are extensively needed in nephrology, emergency care, and psychiatry departments. A nurse practitioner is often considered a primary care professional in many medical and care facilities.
How do nurse practitioners differ from doctors?
At first glance, nurse practitioners and doctors have similar responsibilities. However, the following aspects set them apart:
- Education: Doctors train for longer than nurse practitioners. Becoming a nurse practitioner takes 6 to 8 years, while it takes 1014 years to become a licensed doctor.
- Scope of work: Prescribing medicines is essential to a doctor's duties. While nurse practitioners can also prescribe medications independently in some states, a doctor may have to oversee them in others. Additionally, doctors provide more elaborate care. On the other hand, nurse practitioners possess limited responsibilities like conducting routine physicals, administering vaccinations, etc.
- Nature of treatment: A doctor generally attends to the symptoms a patient is experiencing and tries to mitigate them. However, nurse practitioners try to reach the very root of the problem.
Typical specialties of nurse practitioners
Like any other physician, a nurse practitioner can specialize in several specialties. The most common of the lot are family nurse practitioners, who train to become primary care professionals.
The specialties in detail include the following:
- Family nurse practitioners: They act as primary care providers and cater to patients of all ages. They make up most of the nurse practitioners, accounting for nearly 70%, according to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Their roles and responsibilities include conducting health screenings and physical examinations, monitoring patient updates and records, and creating and adjusting treatment plans as needed.
- Adult nurse practitioners: They care for adults, and their responsibilities include conducting examinations and managing treatments and prescriptions. They can also educate patients about their conditions and help them manage their well-being.
- Pediatric nurse practitioners: They look after the medical needs of children (babies to teenagers). They also conduct exams, write prescriptions, diagnose health conditions, and offer treatments. Moreover, pediatric nurse practitioners educate parents about their child's health issues to ensure a healthy growing environment. They work in various settings, from public health centers to private practice. Those working in acute care focus on treating patients facing acute, chronic, complex, or critical issues. Hence, acute pediatric nurse practitioners often work in specialty-based clinics, emergency departments, and ICUs.
- Geriatric nurse practitioners: They care for older adults and typically administer care to nursing home residents. Their responsibilities include patient education and treating and managing those with age-related issues and other conditions like diabetes.
- Women's nurse practitioners: They provide reproductive and gynecological care and sexual health services and diagnose reproductive system disorders. You can visit a women's nurse practitioner near you in OB/GYN offices, hospitals, fertility clinics, or other settings.
- Neonatal nurse practitioners: They specialize in working with newborns in settings like neonatal intensive care units and labor and delivery units. They also provide counseling for new parents. Neonatal nurse practitioners work with other healthcare professionals to care for newborns born prematurely or with congenital disabilities, illnesses, or other health issues.
- Acute nurse practitioners: They specialize in tackling situations in emergency rooms or urgent care centers to treat and manage sudden or severe injuries and illnesses.
- Occupational health nurse practitioners: They focus on providing employee education and treating workplace injuries.
- Adult–gerontology nurse practitioners: They primarily serve teenage and adult patients. They can work in various settings, including nursing homes, hospitals, private practices, or patients' homes. Some adult–gerontology nurse practitioners also help older adults.
- Psychiatric nurse practitioners: They provide mental health care to patients by addressing their mental illnesses, substance abuse problems, or other disorders. They work in community mental health centers, schools, or private psychiatric practices.
Training and education of nurse practitioners
Aspirants must complete extensive education to become nurse practitioners and work in healthcare. A nurse practitioner usually holds a bachelor of science in nursing degree (around 3-4 years) or an associate degree in nursing. If they want to specialize in a specific nursing field, they will pursue a 2-3 year master of nursing science (MSN) degree or a 3-4 year doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. Lastly, aspirants must take a test administered by the National Council Licensure Examination to be certified for a registered nurse (RN) license and nurse practitioner license.
History of nurse practitioners in the United States of America
The history of nursing practice as a profession dates back to the 1960s.
In 1965, Loretta Ford, EdD, PNP, FAAN, and a physician, Henry Silver, designed the first ever nurse practitioner training program at the esteemed University of Colorado. This was a response to a shortage of primary care doctors arising from the expansion of Medicaid and Medicare coverage to include low-income women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
The American Nurses Association (ANA) founded the Council of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners in 1974 to help legitimize the role of NPs, creating an early description of an NP's duties. As the ANA felt a need to further standardize these duties, it began offering NP certification exams in 1977. By 1979, there were around 15,000 NPs practicing in the USA.
1985 was the year when The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners came into existence, and it gained 100 members in its first year. In 1987, the federal government spent $100 million on NP education. NP leaders made efforts to create limited reimbursement for NPs. This was possible because of the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1989.
In 1993, the AANP formed the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program. From 1995 to 1999, the number of NPs increased from 40,000 to over 60,000, and the number of NP education programs outnumbered all other nursing specialties.
The National Nurse Practitioner Week, which was held annually in November, was recognized in a proclamation by the U.S. Congress in 2004. AANP celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010 and participated in a meeting with the White House Office of Health Reform to review the primary care perspective on preventive care, coordinated primary care, access, quality of care, payment, and the need to recognize all primary care providers as solutions to the healthcare crisis.
There were more than 270,000 NPs practicing in the USA until 2019. Today, NPs have full scope of practice in 21 American states and the District of Columbia. Additionally, the profession is believed to continue growing, with around 244,000 NPs practicing in the nation by 2025.
When should you see a nurse practitioner?
Nurse practitioners can undertake holistic care. You must see a nurse practitioner near you if you require any of the following:
- General health procedures: Vaccinations, pelvic exams, and neurological exams
- Lifestyle counseling: Suggestions for dietary changes and exercises
- Family planning: Prescription for birth control pills, insertion of intrauterine devices (IUD), and administration of hormone shots and patches
- Behavioral treatment: Counseling for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
What medical conditions do nurse practitioners treat?
Nurse practitioners can attend to a wide range of illnesses and injuries, which include:
- Chronic issues like high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, asthma, arthritis, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, and high cholesterol
- Digestive concerns such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), food poisoning, indigestion, and gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
- Skin concerns like acne, scarring, and hyperpigmentation
- Infections, including influenza, yeast infections, and fungal infections
- Minor injuries such as burns, small cuts, sprains, and fractures
- Urinary conditions like incontinence, urinary tract infections (UTI), and enlarged prostate
- Behavioral concerns, including depression, substance abuse, and eating disorders
- Sexual health concerns: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), erectile dysfunction, and menopause-related health conditions
How to find the best nurse practitioner near you in Indianapolis, Indiana
Looking for suitable healthcare experts in your vicinity is a challenging task. You must find the perfect specialist to receive the best care and service. Fret not; Zocdoc is here to make this process as easy and streamlined as possible. It is a platform with an extensive database of the top medical practitioners in the United States of America. You can quickly find the best nurse practitioners in your neighborhood with a few clicks.
To get started, create a free account on Zocdoc. Then, enter your details, such as the required specialty, symptoms or conditions, location and pin code, and preferred appointment date and time. Clicking on the search button will screen practitioners nationwide based on your criteria and present you with a list of experts matching your requirements.
You can also search for nurse practitioners who accept your insurance carrier and plan to save on medical expenses. When searching for a provider, choose your plan from the search bar. Accordingly, you can update your insurance information on your Zocdoc account to get refined search results. If you're searching from a smartphone or tablet, you can attach a picture of your insurance card to search for nurse practitioners within your network. Check out Zocdoc's insurance FAQs to learn more.
Additionally, you can view crucial details of every nurse practitioner near you on their dedicated profiles. These include their years of practice in the field, affiliations, licenses, certifications, gender, fluent languages, specialty areas, and more. Moreover, the authentic reviews left by real users on their profiles will assist you in making the right decision. Once you find the perfect nurse practitioner who sits right with all your needs, you can book an online or in-person appointment to take things further. All bookings on Zocdoc are simple, secure, and 100% free!
Statistics on nurse practitioners in Indianapolis and the United States of America
According to a report published in 2020 by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), nursing is the second fastest-growing career in healthcare. More than 290,000 nurse practitioners are currently working in the United States of America. According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, most of these nurse practitioners work in physicians' offices. The same source also suggests a nearly 40% increase in the job prospects for nurse practitioners from 2021 to 2031.
According to a 2021 report by the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is an epidemic in the United States. It affects over 34 million Americans and about 640,435 people in Indiana, or 12.3% of Indiana's adult population. Moreover, approximately 146,000 people in Indiana have diabetes but don't know it, significantly increasing their health risk. Some severe health complications of diabetes include stroke, end-stage kidney disease, heart disease, blindness, amputation—and even death. Therefore, it is imperative to consult a primary care provider, like a nurse practitioner, to screen and identify diabetes at its earliest stages.
According to Incredible Health, nurse practitioners' employment will grow to about 29.4% between 2018 and 2028, which means that the number of jobs available for nurse practitioners shall increase from around 4,930 to almost 6,400. This rise in demand for nurse practitioners is directly proportional to the rapid increase in outpatient facilities. Additionally, Indiana has a large urban and rural population, and the citizens continuously need primary, secondary, and tertiary medical attention.
Sources
Incredible Health
NursingProcess.org
Healthline
MedlinePlus
healthgrades
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
ITM Group of Institutions
ANA Enterprise
Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses
