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What Doctor of Nursing Practice Specialties are There?

What Doctor of Nursing Practice Specialties are There?

Nursing Nurse OMTimes

If you are considering going back to school for a nursing specialty, one of the first things you will notice is how many options that are available online.

Choosing a Doctor of Nursing Practice Specialty

One of the biggest benefits of nursing is the many career pathways that are available for registered nurses who want to specialize in a certain area or try something new. To help you decide which Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) specialty is right for you, let’s look at what choices are available, based on leading programs.

 

Executive Nurse Leadership

For those who want to take a leadership role, becoming a Nurse Leader is an obvious option. It is the highest level of nursing, a Doctor of Nursing Practice – Executive Nurse Leadership program can provide you with the experience and training to master this role.

Of course, not every university is the same, so choose online BSN to DNP programs from one of the many recognized universities to ensure you get a quality education. An online university offers a range of DNP programs so that you can pick the specialty that fits you well and have the flexibility of an online experience.

As a nursing leader, you can expect to work in roles like medical and health services managers. With higher education comes the potential to earn more money annually, as well. Use your new skills to further the healthcare field and advance solutions that put positive patient outcomes first.

 

Nurse-Midwifery Track

Another specialty is a Nurse Midwife. This nursing leader focuses on female-first care, helping moms through pregnancy, labor, and in the time following childbirth. While many people assume that the role stops at birth, the nurse-midwife can help with issues for mom or baby in the first two years afterward, too, with the goal to improve their health.

Getting the education to pursue this DNP track is essential as it will provide you with the competency to help vulnerable populations in the hospital, private practice, and other settings. This program only takes three years depending on which school you choose, and you will emerge with the tools to help families in a deeply rewarding way.

The learning environment is where you will begin to understand how to transform women’s care. If you are passionate about this field, then becoming a Nurse Midwife is likely a good fit for you. While the salary is not your primary reason for seeking this specialty, it is good to know that you can expect to earn about $92,000 annually as a Certified Nurse Midwife.

 

Family Nurse Practitioner

By taking a DNP Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program, you can specialize as a primary care provider. Being able to help families, including individuals of a range of ages, is an incredible job role.

Not only can you help kids, parents, and grandparents, but you will likely also form connections with them that impact you for years to come. Knowing you help people daily in the family unit is a great feeling.

Furthermore, your care will take you to underserved communities that do not often get proper healthcare. Remote communities are one example. When you help these families, you will help create a better future for them and potentially extending their lives, not to mention helping their moods. Baylor University offers both BSN to DNP and Post-Master’s DNP entry options for its FNP program.

 

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner

When your passion is helping infants in distress, it is a noble calling. You will take a leadership role in helping high-risk neonates when you graduate from a DNP program with a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) specialty.

The holistic skills you have upon graduation from the DNP program will help you to make a positive difference in the first two years of infants. These newborns have issues with breathing, their heart, and more, so they need your experience and knowledge base, as do their anxious parents.

In addition to learning practical ways to provide care at the moment to the young patients, you will also learn critical thinking skills while in school and program planning and how to manage systems effectively. The vulnerable populations you serve as an NNP can be in numerous settings, such as private practice and medical centers.

 

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

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Meeting the healthcare needs of kids and adolescents is what you will do as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. You can expect to do so at hospitals, in emergency rooms, and intensive care units.

The advanced knowledge you gain at a school will prepare you to meet the primary healthcare needs of youngsters through patient-and-family-centered care. Among the courses you will take, there are Advanced Pediatric Health Care Management I: Primary Care and Advanced Pediatric Health Care Management II: Acute and Common Health Needs.

For kids who do not have access to a pediatrician, your work is crucial. The healthcare work can improve population outcomes, both locally and nationally. The effects can even be seen on a global scale.

 

Helping the Future of Healthcare

Clearly, there are several specialties in the nursing field. The DNP specialties provided above all have their important place in shaping the future of healthcare.

Which one you choose will depend on your interests and who you want to help, whether it is focusing on kids, newborns, families, or leading a team. Your work will likely take you to many different healthcare settings over the years, and you might decide to switch specialties at some point too.

When you go back to school for a DNP program, you open the opportunities to help others and provide top-quality patient care. By upholding nursing values and ethics, your actions can better the community and have further-reaching effects than you realize.

The number of lives you will touch throughout your career is numerous, and you can be proud of the work you do. Whichever specialty you choose, do it to the best of your ability and help those in need by using the skills and experience you gained while at school.

 



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