It’s no wonder that NPs are in higher demand than ever before, given the ever-increasing demand for healthcare. In addition to the job market and other considerations like location and experience level, specialty plays a significant effect in deciding the income of a nurse practitioner. So, what are the most in-demand nurse practitioner specialties?
1. FNPs (Family Nurse Practitioners)
FNPs (Family Nurse Practitioners) have the opportunity to form long-term relationships with their patients and see them through both happy and bad times. Because of their intimate, ongoing work with patients, FNPs frequently collaborate with primary care physicians, making them a welcome and known figure in their communities.
Nurse practitioners in some areas can run their own family clinics and even prescribe prohibited medications, giving them a lot of power. A typical visit with an FNP may include consultation, assessments, and a review of medications, depending on where you live. Nurses of all specialties are in high demand right now, but nurse practitioners are likely to find a particularly favorable job market due to their strong demand.
Hospitals, clinics, standalone ambulatory facilities, urgent cares, and staffing agencies are among the employers.
2. GNPs (Gerontological Nurse Practitioners)
Do you feel compelled to work with the elderly? Many nurses do, and becoming a gerontological nurse practitioner is a lucrative alternative for them. Because of the magnitude of the baby boomer demographic and the increase in average lifespan, GNPs are in great demand. In the future years, the number of senior patients will continue to rise.
You could work at a nursing home, hospital, or clinic if you chose to pursue a career as a gerontological nurse practitioner. The elderly have unique health requirements that necessitate specialized nursing care. Caring for geriatric patients is exceptionally fulfilling for many nurses because of their abundance of wisdom and life experience.
Potential employers are hospitals, clinics, urgent care, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, retirement communities, and staffing agencies.
3. Pediatric Nurses
As you might expect, the first criterion for being a pediatric nurse is that you must enjoy working with children. Although no undergraduate programs specialize in pediatric nurses, you can gain experience by working in a pediatric rehabilitation unit, pediatric critical care unit, or another clinical setting that caters to children. Pediatric nurses can take an exam to become Certified Pediatric Nurse after having experience working with children as a registered nurse (CPN).
4. CNMs (Certified Nurse Midwife)
A career as a certified nurse-midwife (CNM) can be lucrative. CNMs have a special bond with their patients. How many people can boast that they assist in the birth of healthy, fresh life every day?
Nurse-midwives help women navigate the joys and challenges of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. They deliver babies and collaborate with obstetricians throughout a pregnancy. Not only do they give patients with competent medical treatment, but midwives are also typically a pillar of emotional support through the process of childbearing for many women.
As a certified nurse-midwife (CNM), you can earn a lot of money. CNMs have a special relationship with their patients. How many people can say that they help to bring new life into the world every day?
Nurse-midwives assist women through the joys and difficulties of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. During pregnancy, they deliver babies and collaborate with obstetricians. Not only can midwives provide skilled medical care to their patients, but they are also a source of emotional support for many women during the childbearing process.
Hospitals, freestanding birthing clinics, private practice clinics, and staffing agencies are among the employers.
5. PMHNPs (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners)
Patients with a variety of psychiatric and mental health problems and behavioral issues are treated by Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNPs).
Psychiatric care offers its own set of benefits, even if it differs from the other issues that most nurse practitioners deal with. Psychiatric nurse practitioners can have a life-changing, positive impact by providing medical treatment, counseling, and other emotional comforts to patients.
In psychiatric treatment, nurse practitioners provide daily physiological, mental, emotional, and even spiritual support. They also assist patients in avoiding isolation, poverty, and other negative consequences that can emerge from these illnesses. PMHNPs can work in a variety of situations, including individual, family, and group settings. A career as a psychiatric nurse practitioner may be ideal for you if you’re empathic and collaborative in times of crisis and continuing mental therapy.
Leading employers include hospitals, mental health units, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, outpatient clinics, and staffing firms.
6. CCNs (Critical Care Nurses)
Critical care nurses, often known as intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, must be able to act swiftly and make sound decisions under duress. If you envision yourself as a life-saving nurse who intervenes in critical moments in a patient’s health, this specialization will be ideal for you.
When events provide a high-risk factor, ICU nurses must remain calm under pressure and reason. Critical care nurses must execute surgeries, manage wounds, provide IV fluids, and converse with patients’ families in addition to measuring vitals. It means that a CCN’s strong, autonomous leadership and nuanced communication abilities are valuable assets.
Hospitals, managed care facilities, research committees, outpatient surgical centers, emergency departments, administration, cardiac catheter labs, post-anesthesia care units, cardiac centers, urgent care clinics, short-term stay hospitals, and staffing agencies are institutions and healthcare facilities that employ CCN nurses. Adult, pediatric, and geriatric critical care are all options for CCN nurses.
Conclusion
When you learn a little more about each of these high-paying nursing specializations, you’ll realize that they all need the necessary qualifications. While there aren’t many more specializations on this list, most high-paying career routes require a registered nurse license, a Bachelor of Science, a master’s, or even a doctorate.
Whether you want to further your education and get your BSN, MSN, or DNP, or you’re just getting started in the medical industry, nursing has a lot to offer. To become a specialty nurse in one of these high-paying sectors, you’ll need a lot of knowledge, as well as a desire to help others and the willingness to change as populations change.