Home Health Nurse Practitioner Career
What Do You Do in This Career?
Home health nurse practitioners (NPs) work with patients and their families at their homes to provide health care and advice on how to maintain healthy lifestyles. They travel to patients’ homes when they are ill or unable to travel, often serving the elderly and disabled. Part of the job is also to help at-risk families across age groups. Other types of patients may include those recovering from illnesses or accidents, cancer patients, and women who have recently given birth. In addition to providing primary care, these NPs may also supervise and train home health aides, provide preventative care, and help families create plans for diet, exercise, and medication.
Salary and Career Information
- Salary: Average salaries range from $58,112 and $100,562. This can very widely depending on your location, education, experience, and services provided. Some employers may even offer bonus incentives for some positions.
- Home Health NP Requirements: Before you can practice as an NP, you must be a licensed registered nurse (RN), obtain either a master’s or doctoral degree, and pass a certification exam depending on where you want to practice. States vary in their licensing requirements. Some specialties have their own exams as well.
- Work Environment: This can vary immensely depending on the care you provide. Many home health NPs will spend most of their time traveling to patients’ homes or nursing homes, and sometimes even other heal care facilities. Other work settings may include hospitals, clinics, and other health care centers.
What Kind of Coursework Can You Expect in This Program?
As NPs who serve a variety of patients, home health nurses must have a general education in subjects from nutrition to psychology to physical rehabilitation to geriatric care. They need to have a thorough understanding of medical interactions, and interactions between diet and medicine, as well as be able to teach families how to care for one another. Coursework not only covers the regular nurse practitioner material, but also provides insight on how to work with families, recovering patients, children, and the elderly with all their individual concerns.
Earn an Online Nurse Practitioner Degree
A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse who holds a graduate-level degree. While in most states RNs currently need only a Master of Science in nursing (MSN) degree to become nurse practitioners, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has proposed that the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) be the minimum requirement for all advanced practice nurses by 2015. Listed below are the best online colleges offering accredited MSN and DNP degrees.
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Georgetown University — The Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies offers two online Master of Science in nursing degrees. The MS in family nurse practitioner program prepares students for careers as family nurses. The MS in midwifery / women's health nurse practitioner program perpares students for careers as nurse practitioners who specialize as midwives and caring for female patients. |
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Kaplan University — The MSN nurse administration, nurse education, and nurse informatics degree programs from Kaplan allows nurses with bachelor's degrees to take their careers to the next level. Students of these programs will learn advanced nursing theory, health policy, evidence-based decision making, financing, and more. |
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University of Phoenix — The Master of Science in nursing for nurse practitioners from the University of Phoenix is a flexible online program from an accredited school. Students will learn advanced nursing skills, finance, change management, and evidence-based nursing research. Upon completion, graduates will be well prepared to advance their nursing careers. MSN specialties are offered in health education and health informatics. Dual degrees (MSN + MBA and MSN + MHA) are also available. |
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American Sentinel University — American Sentinel University offers a basic RN to MSN degree, as well as several specializations within this program, including case management, infection prevention and control, management and organizational leadership, and nursing informatics. Graduates of these programs will all have a fundamental understanding of health and illness and will be able to provide direct care to individuals, families, and groups with a variety of health needs. |
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University of Cincinnati — The MS in nursing degree program with a specialization in women's health practice offered online by the University of Cincinnati is geared toward nursing students wanting to receive expert training on women's health issues. Cincinnati also offers many other nurse practitioner degree programs, including MSN specialties in clinical nursing, nurse midwifery, and psychiatric & mental health nursing. |
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