There is no better time to begin a career in acute care nursing. Find out if becoming an Acute Care Nurse is a good fit for you!
Quick Summary
Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (ANCP) provide urgent as well as primary care to those that suffer from short-term acute care conditions. Acute care nurses provide medical examinations, well women care, immunization vaccines, or even travel vaccines.
These highly specialized nurses uphold a high level of two-way communication with primary care healthcare professionals, families, and additional team members in regards to a patient’s condition. They also provide direct patient care to patients alongside a primary care medical doctor, medical experts, or physician’s assistant or practice autonomously within their private practice.
The degree you will need: The Bachelor of Science with a major in Nursing (BSN) as well as the required Master of Science with a major in Nursing (MSN).
Median annual salary: $102,670* or $49.36 per hour.
Certification: American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers certification for the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.
What does an Acute Nurse Care Practitioner (ANCP) do?
Acute care nurses provide the same medical treatment as physicians and provide continuous, comprehensive care to patients across the healthcare spectrum. They practice within the realm of medicine and nursing and hold licenses to practice autonomously as independent practitioners.
Their leaders within the nursing profession perform complete physical assessments, order and analyze patient labs, utilize advanced diagnostic tools and hold prescriptive authority in most states. Additionally, they perform wellness exams for young children, adult exams, and gynecological exams.
Typical duties of an Acute Nurse include:
They also provide advanced nursing care and perform direct patient care for patients that are acutely ill, critically, or display symptoms of chronic conditions. Such as infections, back pain injuries, ear infections, skin rashes, and high blood pressure with a holistic approach.
At other times, they assess patient medical conditions and utilize specialized medical equipment to diagnose manage and treat patient conditions.
Acute care nurses work in acute care settings such as community hospital units, critical care, acute care surgery, short-term stabilization, urgent and acute care surgery wards. ANCPs treat individuals to promote disease prevention and promote health and wellness.
What education will I need to become an Acute Care Nurse?
To become an Acute care nurse practitioner, you must first become a registered nurse (RN) within your state. You must obtain your registered nursing license before you can practice as an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN).
There are many kinds of training programs to make you eligible to take the national NCLEX-RN registered nursing exam. To take this examination the National Council State Board of Nursing states to become eligible you must have an Associates or Bachelor’s degree least one of the following degrees or diplomas:
By having one of the above three options, you will become eligible to take the national NCLEX-RN examination to become a registered nurse (RN).
To become an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner you will need to complete a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) is required. You will need to enroll in a nursing program specialized for acute care nurse practitioners. Within the ANCP nursing program, you will learn advanced technical skills, patient management, therapeutics, and state-of-the-art technology. The MSN degree typically takes 24 months to complete which can consist of 40 credit hours in addition to 500 clinical hours.
After you obtain your MSN degree, your nursing program has been finalized. You will need to become certified. Either completing your certification could be through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), or you can obtain your credentials through your State Board of Nursing.* To find out the exact eligibility testing requirements, please check with the ANCC or your state board of nursing.
Career Outlook
Acute care nurse practitioner plays a significant role in the healthcare delivery system, and the future for Acute care nurses future appears exceptionally bright. Employment for RNs is predicted to grow much faster than average for all nursing specialties throughout the next decade.
The future for adult nurse practitioners’ employment is expected to increase due to the high-quality, cost-effective medical treatment they provide and fill the demand of physician shortages throughout the U.S.
Read also – How to Become a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) Guide
Check out our other Nursing School Guides.
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