Take Up These 4 Specializations For Advanced Practice Nursing

If you have a bachelor's degree in hand, and also possess a Registered Nurse (RN) license

, then you can use these credentials along with your acquired experience and skill to take up one of the specializations to become an Advanced Practice Nurse (APN). Besides the obvious advantage of higher salaries, being an APN can allow you to work in a specialized field of your particular interest and also give you more freedom to move into other areas.

*Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA): As the name suggests, CRNAs have to administer anesthesia during any surgeries or childbirth. But your role will start well before and extend till much after the process. It includes patient assessment, pre-operative education, preparation and administration of anesthesia, monitoring and ensuring patient comfort, and following up with the patient's recovery post surgery. Also you will have to respond to emergency situations. As a CRNA you can work at any setting that requires anesthesia. And accredited program and national certificate exam are required to be a CRNA.

*Certified Nurse-midwife (CNM): The focus of a CNM is the healthcare of women, and encompasses family planning, pregnancy, child birth, newborn care and any gynecology-related needs. Being a CNM also authorizes you to write prescriptions in about fifty states. Being an RN is a must to be eligible for a CNM program, and on successful completion you can get a masters or doctoral degree.

*Nurse Practitioner (NP): With a NP designation you can conduct physical examinations, diagnose, and even treat common ailments and injuries. In addition you can also interpret tests and x-rays. In most cases you will be working along with physicians, but there are a certain number of states where you can practice independently and also prescribe medicines. Your primary focus will however be prevention and maintaining health. However, you must be an RN with substantial experience to take a NP program.

*Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS): As a CSN you can specialize in a number of areas, like critical care, child psychology, adult psychiatry and community health to name a few. Besides working in a health care setup, you can also use your advanced training to take up roles in educational and consultancy fields. A baccalaureate degree is a must to enroll for a CNS program, which covers theory and training at an advanced level.

After you get a master's degree for any one of the above specializations, you can proceed to obtain a doctorate degree and move into research, teaching and administration areas.

by: Susan Bean

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