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Featured Program: Various Degrees in Nursing & Health Care
Nursing is one of the world’s most respected occupations, and advanced positions in the nursing field are among the best paid. Nursing is more diverse than people realize. It offers a wide variety of avenues for those looking to make their mark in the field.
A Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) is among the best options for nurses looking to advance their careers and earn more. To earn a DNP degree, students must possess a master’s or a bachelor’s in nursing. The DNP is comparable to a Ph.D., except that it is practice oriented, rather than theory oriented.
DNP Degree Job Paths
Here are the 11 top paying DNP jobs that are available today.
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist – Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) assist in the administration of anesthesia to patients prior to and during surgery and other medical procedures. They set up IVs, monitor patients, and perform other tasks as needed. This is one of the best-paid jobs in the medical field, and demand for it is increasing steadily as the population grows.
- Nurse Researcher- Generally, a DNP degree qualifies a person for a practical position while Ph.Ds are used to fill research roles. In some instances, however, persons with a DNP have become Nurse Researchers for a variety of reasons. Nurse researchers accumulate data and use it to understand various health related problems and issues. They then develop programs and initiatives designed to improve public or private health.
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner – These nursing professionals work closely with psychiatrists, helping to diagnose and treat psychiatric patients. They assist in developing a diagnosis and provide direction and education to patients and their families. Psychiatric nurse practitioners may work in hospitals, private practices, mental health facilities, and more.
- Certified Nurse Midwife –Certified nursing midwives provide care for pregnant mothers from the early stages of pregnancy till, and after, birth. They deliver babies, provide medical care, run tests, and advise mothers on prenatal care and more. They may work for health organizations but often operate their own clinics. They frequently work with OBGYN physicians to provide the highest level of care to patients.
- Pediatric Endocrinology Nurse – These professionals have mastered two specific medical specialties. They focus on children up to age 18, and also have a specialized focus on issues and diseases related to the health of the endocrine system. Pediatric endocrinology nurses usually work in hospital systems or pediatric clinics. Their specialized training moves many of them to start private practices of their own as well.
- General Nurse Practitioner – The advanced designation of general nurse practitioner, or GNP, more often than not means that professionals so trained are likely to perform much of the same types of work that they performed using the Registered Nurse (RN) license and certification. The difference is that a general nurse practitioner may choose to open her or his own independent private practice. There, the GNPs advanced skills will allow these professionals to offer more services to their patients and their families- and they will enjoy a much better earning potential.
- Gerontological Nurse Practitioner – Elderly and aging patients with unique sets of health conditions and issues require the specialized health care that a gerontological nurse practitioner, (GNP) is best trained to provide. These professionals are uniquely suited to caring for hospice patients, nursing home residents, and those with the signs and symptoms associated with the onset of advanced age. Registered Nurses who prefer to work with the elderly need look no further than to pursue a gerontological nurse practitioner course of training.
- Pain Management Nurse – A Pain Management Nurse (PMN) is tasked with helping to manage the pain that patients tend to experience after a surgical procedure. A PMN may also work with patients who have a documented history of experiencing chronic pain issues and debilitating effects of such conditions. These professional caregivers work with a team of health care experts to help ascertain the cause of the pain that the patient is experiencing and to determine the best and proper method of treatment. A PMN will also commonly apply his or her skills to educating their patients and peers about the best practices of pain management so that patients can be relieved of their suffering and also to avoid the patient’s developing an addiction disorder or unhealthy dependence on the medication.
- Public Health Office Administrator – Many experienced doctorate-level registered nurses, at some stage in their careers opt to become expert in the direction and promotion of the public health. As an RN, you already possess a degree of education and training that seeking to advance in this direction may be an outstanding way to put your skill and expertise to work. These professionals are in an ideal position to influence policymakers concerned with public health issues as well as health officials. Taking this career path, you will help to craft effective, evidence-based solutions to common health issues.
- Family Nurse Practitioner – Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) may be the one type of nursing career with duties and responsibilities that are most similar to those of a General Practitioner (GP) doctor available within the sphere of nursing. An FNP will typically perform a wide array of treatments, functions, and patient services that an MD, working in a public or private medical office such as a hospital, nursing facility, or clinic would do. Chief among their many responsibilities includes consultations with patients, health assessments, the prescription of medications and implementing treatments, and more.
- Nurse Educator – At some point in their careers, many advanced nurses come to a place where they decide that teaching the next generation of nursing professionals would be the most rewarding next step. In the course of becoming a nurse educator, you may wish to transition directly from your role in patient care into nurse education, or you may wish to follow a course of education directly into teaching- although a great deal of clinical experience will need to be a large part of that education. If teaching aspiring nurses, training them to care for persons with health care needs appeals to you- this may be your calling.
