Becoming a nurse practitioner is one of the smartest career moves you can make in the modern healthcare field.
A nurse practitioner or NP is one of the most in demand advanced practice registered nurses. They serve mostly as primary care providers, doing many of the same jobs as physicians.
With job demand for nurse practitioners set to soar by 35% by 2024, now is a fantastic time to obtain your education in this growing and exciting field.
After you complete your graduate education and become an APN nurse, you can choose from many rewarding specialities and occupations, including these 20:
#1 Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
This type of APN nurse is a generalist who most often works in a family practice or in a hospital. They conduct physical examinations, do preventative care, do check ups, treat minor and more serious illnesses, order lab tests and prescribe many of the same medications that doctors do.
Primary care NPs are one of the most important front line health care professionals in the US today. Many NPs are being used in place of doctors due to reducing health care costs. This makes primary care NPs one of the most in demand health care professions in the country.
Estimated salary range: $85,000-$98,000
#2 Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
This type of advanced practice registered nurse specializes in young children, older children or neonates. They work with these young patients from infancy to young adulthood and diagnose illnesses, conduct examinations and prescribe medication. A pediatric NP may work beside a pediatrician in a doctor’s office or hospital, but some NPs will run their own private practice.
Estimated salary range: $65,000-$85,000
#3 Geriatric Nurse Practitioner
A geriatric NP works with elderly patient populations to diagnose their illnesses, conduct exams, and prescribe medication. Many geriatric NPs will work in nursing homes and elderly care facilities, while others will work in hospitals. Others will work in hospices and deal with end of life issues, while some will run their own private practice.
Another important duty for this NP is to work with family to help them deal with their loved one’s health issues, and also some NPs will develop an appropriate exercise program for the elderly patient.
Estimated salary range: $63,000-$85,000
#4 Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
This type of advanced practice nurse also may be referred to as a mental health nurse practitioner. They perform many of the same duties as a psychiatrist does, which includes diagnosing mental illnesses and prescribing medications. This NP also performs as a therapist and helps patients who struggle with depression and anxiety. You also will teach the patient’s family about the condition of their loved one and how to deal with it.
Estimated salary range: $66,000-$85,000
#5 Oncology Nurse Practitioner
This is an advanced practice nurse professional who provides advanced care for cancer patients. Oncology NPs usually work in medical facilities and hospitals that specialize in advanced cancer treatments. You will help patients get various types of cancer treatments, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy. You also will help to prep them for any surgeries that are going to be performed.
Oncology NPs usually require several years of specialized training after they earn their master’s degree in nursing.
Estimated salary range: $64,000-$87,000
#6 Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
Neonatal patients are newborns, many of whom are premature. They require very specialized care for them to remain viable outside of the womb. NPs in this speciality have training in specialty classes in pediatric health, pharmacology and nursing care for newborns at high risk. This is one of the top-paying NP specialties in the US, given the specialized nature of the training.
Estimated salary range: $74,000-$91,000
#7 Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner
A women’s health NP delivers primary health care to women from adolescence to their childbearing years and beyond. In addition to providing well woman care, this type of NP provides prenatal management, family planning, fertility screening and uro-gynecology care. The focus is on disease prevention, health care management and health promotion.
Estimated salary range: $63,000-$81,000
#8 Gastroenterology Nurse Practitioner
This type of very specialized NP diagnoses and treats problems of the digestive system. This NP role may involve working with in-patients and out-patients who have gastrointestinal problems. You will administer medications, refer patients for more advanced therapies and also will diagnose gastrointestinal disorders.
Salary range: $70,000-$85,000
#9 Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner
This NP may be a general practice or specialized practice nurse practitioner who works i health care facilities of various types. Your job duties will be similar to that of other NPs, including examining patients, diagnosing medical problems, recommending and prescribing medications, educating patients and families, and referring patients to other health care professionals. These NPs may also teach classes that promote prevention of diseases.
Estimated salary range: $71,000-$85,000
#10 Cardiovascular Nurse Practitioner
This type of NP has advanced training in cardiovascular life support and also basic life support. They tend to work in tandem with cardiologists either in a hospital or in a doctor’s office. You will work directly with cardiovascular patients, assess new patients and develop advanced care plans to help them to recover from their heart condition.
You also may coordinate ambulatory services, educate patients about heart and lung conditions, and even make home visits to some patients.
Estimated salary range: $77,000-$91,000
#11 Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
You are responsible for promoting patient health and providing acute care, which means you are treating acute conditions that require immediate care. You will be in charge of administering all types of acute care medicine, assessing patient needs and performing advanced treatments.
You will document the patient’s plan of care using advanced diagnoses, follow the doctor’s instructions and administrative recommendations to treat the acute condition successfully.
Further, you may provide doctors with assistance during surgical procedures and other complex medical procedures.
Estimated salary range: $77,000-$91,000
#12 Hematology Nurse Practitioner
This type of advanced nurse practitioner works with patients who suffer from cancer and blood disorders. This NP speciality is closely related to oncology nursing, so a hematology NP will work with oncology nurses, hematologists and cancer doctors. A hematology NP may work with either adult or pediatric patients or both. Many of them will be facing terminal illnesses such as hemophilia, sickle cell anemia and leukemia.
Estimated salary range: $79,000-$93,000
#13 Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner
Orthopedic nurse practitioners are highly specialized NPs that focus on patients with arthritis, athletes and workers who have various repetitive stress injuries, as well as patients who have broken bones. These NPs often work in the office of an orthopedic surgeon, while others may work in emergency rooms or critical care centers at hospitals.
Estimated salary range: $62,000-$87,000
#14 Pediatric Endocrinology Nurse Practitioner
This type of NP works with children who have endocrine system]m related diseases, especially diabetes. They help the young patient and their families to understand the disease and to treat it.
Estimated salary range: $70,000-$90,000
#15 Burn Nurse Practitioner
Nutes include teaching the patient and family about how to deal with burns and treat them, and coordinating patient care in burn units. To get into this type of position, you will need acute care experience as well as intensive care unit experience.
Estimated salary range: $72,000-$92,000
#16 Nurse Nutrition Practitioner
Many nurse practitioners work in gastroenterology and oncology departments, as well as primary care. There is a strong demand for NPs who have training in nutrition as well. This type of NP provides expert guidance, training and counseling to patients with serious medical conditions who need nutrition support.
Estimated salary range: $62,000-$77,000
#17 Emergency Nurse Practitioner
The care that is needed in ERs across the country is very broad, and that is why ER NPs have to first learn all of the areas of primary care before they can specialize in this type of urgent care environment. Job duties in this role are to provide life-saving and stabilizing care to patients in emergency situations.
Estimated salary range: $76,000-$94,000
#18 Rehabilitation Nurse Practitioner
NPs and clinical nurse specialists can enter the subspecialty of rehabilitation NP and work with patients who have some sort of temporary or permanent disability that limits their ability to function in normal life. This type of nurse may work in a rehab team which may include a primary doctor, a physical therapist and other health professionals.
This NP may work with people who have had a joint replacement or have suffered a stroke.
Estimated salary range: $68,000-$89,000
#19 Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
This type of NP also may be referred to as a psychiatric nurse practitioner. They do many of the same roles as psychiatrists and psychologists. You would help people as a therapist and also aid patients that are dealing with serious mental problems, anxiety and depression.
Estimated salary range: $66,000-$85,000
#20 Pain Management Nurse Practitioner
As an NP in this role, you will care for patients who are experiencing either acute or chronic care. You will assess the source of the pain and will work with other health care professionals to coordinate treatment and care. You also will be a teacher, as you show the patient how to manage pain, their medications and other options to relieve pain. .
Estimated salary range: $71,000-$91,000
Whatever your specialty interest, there is likely an advanced practice nurse practitioner concentration that will attract your interest.
Additional Resources
- BSN vs MSN Degree Which is Best?
- How to Choose a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Degree
- Best Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Degree?
- How to Choose the Best Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Degree?
- a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Degree?
- Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Degree
- How to Choose an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Degree
- 4 Types of Advanced Practice Nursing Degrees
