Nurse Practitioners & Patient Education
Nurse practitioners are an important part of the health care community. These medical professionals are registered nurses who have advanced education, experience and training in the diagnosis, treatment and management of common illnesses. Nurse practitioners are frequently called upon to diagnose and control chronic diseases and conditions. In some cases they may function as the patient's primary health care provider.
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Identification
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According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), nurse practitioners belong to a category of the health care community known as advanced practice nurses. The BLS notes that all registered nurses, including nurse practitioners, are involved with treating patients, providing emotional support to family members and providing medical advice and education about medical conditions to both the patient and the public.
Function
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Nurse practitioners are highly educated. Most possess at least a master's degree and many have earned doctorates in a specialized nursing discipline. An important part of a nurse practitioner's responsibility is to educate her patients, the patients' families and their caregivers regarding continuing care in a way that they can understand. This requires nurse practitioners to be able to convert medical jargon into everyday language.
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Features
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Nurse practitioners may consult with physicians and other health care professionals in order to develop an appropriate health care regimen for their patients. It is then the nurse practitioner's responsibility to counsel and educate his patients on self care, healthy behaviors and appropriate treatment options. In many states nurse practitioners are able to prescribe medications, so an important part of their job is instructing their patients on the proper method of taking prescription medications as well as educating them on possible side effects.
Environment
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Nurse practitioners may work in a variety of environments including hospitals, schools, private doctors' offices, public health clinics, government facilities and many others. In all these environments nurse practitioners have a responsibility to the community they serve to provide information and education regarding nutrition, the outbreak of infectious diseases, basic cleanliness as it relates to health care and preventative health care measures that may protect the community from outbreaks of diseases.
Benefits
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Salary.com places the median expected annual salary for nurse practitioners in the United States at a little more than $82,000 as of November 2009. Additional benefits--including employer contributions to government and private retirement programs, health care and disability insurance and paid time off--bring total average compensation to approximately $120,000 per year.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit nursing duties image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
