Become a Family Nurse Practitioner

Among the many significant benefits of their career, FNPs enjoy a high level of autonomy and the chance to develop long-term patient relationships. Their general job duties range from conducting exams to educating patients on healthy life style habits. A typical day for an FNP might involve these tasks:

• Diagnosing and treating non-life threatening acute and chronic conditions
• Ordering and analyzing lab tests
• Prescribing medications, physical therapy or other treatments
• Delivering prenatal, well-child or specialty adult care services
• Counseling patients on treatment options based on their individual cases

Family nurse practitioners often collaborate with other health care professionals in an effort to ensure the best health outcomes. Along with their knowledge of a patient's condition, understanding patients as people helps FNPs give voice to an individual's greatest concerns and wishes when it comes to their treatment plan.

Family nurse practitioners work in a variety of health care settings, each of which offers its own unique advantages when it comes to job prospects and salary.

• Physicians' offices
• Clinics
• Hospitals
• Outpatient care centers
• Nurse-managed health centers
• Schools
• Home health care

Although the job market remains strong for FNPs in general, the BLS indicates that some health care settings promise higher levels of growth for RNs than others, including the offices of physicians, home health care and outpatient care.

According to PayScale.com's 2011 report, salaries across all employer types remain highly competitive. Of course, experience and credentials will play a key role in an FNP's earning potential. 

To learn more about nursing salaries, visit our Nursing Salaries and Career Opportunities page.

^{Sources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009
PayScale.com, 2011}