Delaware Nurse Practitioner Programs
Your nursing degree and career have likely given you lots of skills that make you indispensable to the health care community of Delaware. With your patient communication skills, your intrinsic knowledge of the medical field, and your ability to multitask, you can carry out many tasks as a nurse. Becoming a nurse practitioner in Delaware may be one way to do even more with your education.
As health care legislation takes hold across the United States, the need for medical professionals has increased accordingly. Delmarva Now reports that Delaware has seen a large uptick in its number of residents with health insurance.
In response to higher levels of health coverage, area employers are attempting to hire more primary care practitioners. The Trib Live reports that the Alle-Kiski Valley area in Delaware is considered medically underserved. The shortage is particularly bad in rural areas of the state, so nurse practitioners are especially valuable in less populated areas of Delaware.
This has created a large opening for nurse practitioners and other advanced nursing professionals. Delaware Works notes that nurse practitioners are in high demand throughout the state, with jobs expected to increase faster than average for several years to come.
If you are ready to take your place in the advanced nursing field in Delaware, contact the schools you see on our page to get program information.
Nurse Practitioner Program Curriculum in Delaware
Before you begin applying to different MSN programs in Delaware, you may want to verify that you meet the admissions requirements for this type of program. Unless you are applying to an RN-to-MSN program, you do need a Bachelor’s degree in nursing. The vast majority of nurse practitioner programs also require you to have quite a bit of experience in the field of registered nursing. At minimum, you may need one year of full-time work experience, although some programs require up to three years.
Your courses may start in summer or in fall, depending on which school you apply to. The core courses you may start with include Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing, Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Pathophysiology, and Statistics for Evidence-Based Nursing. Later courses in your curriculum may include Children’s Health Care, Women’s Health Care, Primary Care of the Adult, and Advanced Health Assessment. Throughout each of these courses, you may meet specific clinical requirements. By the end of your degree, you should have well over 500 clinical hours.
Delaware NP students may be able to apply for a wide range of scholarship opportunities. The Delaware Division of Public Health notes that there are many federal scholarships and grants available. The Rural Assistance Center awards scholarships to those who agree to work in a rural area after graduation. At a federal level, the Health Resources and Services Administration has the NURSE Corps Scholarship Program.
Working as a Nurse Practitioner in Delaware
Upon completion of your nurse practitioner degree, you must pursue a license through the Delaware Board of Nursing. They may first check to ensure that you have a valid RN license and then check your transcripts from your master’s degree program. From there, you must pass a certification exam and apply for your license.
Like in many other states, the job outlook in Delaware is promising. O*Net believes that job openings for nurse practitioners may increase by 21 percent through 2022. Their salary data shows that Delaware nurse practitioners earn an average of $92,100 per year (O*Net, 2013). This is very close to the national average salary for a nurse practitioner.
Are you ready to make a change in the nursing community of Delaware while taking your own career to a new level? If so, now may be the right time to contact nurse practitioner schools in Delaware.