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Fitzgerald Health Education Associates, Inc., May 2015 fhea.com
NP Firsts Certification Q&A;
How will holding a graduate degree influence the
salary I am offered?
You likely needed to earn a Master of Science (MS),
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), or postgraduate
certificate during your NP education. You probably
assume that the salary offered should reflect your
educational achievement; however, the market-
place often views graduate studies
simply as a vehicle for NP prepara-
tion. Identify the subset of valuable
skills that are acquired in graduate
education. These skills include the
following:
• Grant writing and program pro-
posal development skills: These
were no doubt gained during
the development of your thesis,
scholarly project, or other cap-
stone project.
• Teaching skills: Remember all the
presentations from your graduate
program? Did you teach or tutor
undergraduate nursing students?
Did you work with families? You
most likely have considerable
teaching experience, even if you have never held
a faculty position.
• Design and development of community and patient
education programs and materials.
What do I know about my state's requirements
for NP practice?
The educational preparation needed for entry into ad-
vanced practice nursing, as well as the NP's scope of
practice and prescriptive authority, is determined at
the state level. Prior to applying for any position, be
prepared to answer questions about your state's re-
quirements for advanced practice. You can find more
information at
NCSBN .
Also, become well-versed about your ability to
obtain a federal Drug Enforcement Administration
(DEA) number, which is needed to prescribe con-
trolled substances. To find out the scope of NP
controlled substance authority, and to learn more
about controlled substances schedules, visit
Drug
Enforcement Administration, Office of Diversion
Control .
To access the appropriate application materials,
visit
Office of Diversion Control, Application for Regis-
tration
.
Learn about the
Affordable Care
Act and research Medicare , Medicaid ,
and other insurances and their poli-
cies regarding reimbursement to
NPs. Find out how to obtain your
National Provider Identifier (NPI) .
Have a plan in place to become
nationally certified as an NP. Many
employers require this as a condi-
tion of employment, and most
states require this as a condition of
obtaining an advanced practice
nursing license. Acquire the neces-
sary paperwork and organize your
documents so that you can pro-
ceed with certification in an expe-
ditious manner.
How can I explain to others what the NP role is?
By the end of these exercises, you should be able to
briefly explain your view of the NP role. Having a
print resource on hand can also be very helpful,
particularly when dealing with a practice that has
no NPs currently on staff.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners
has helpful documents on its website, including an
NP Scope of Practice Statement and NP Fact Sheet .
These items will be valuable if you are attempt-
ing to create the first NP position in a practice.
Now that you have completed your time of re-
flection, it is time to launch your new career. All
of us at Fitzgerald Health Education Associates
wish you great success. Welcome to the best work
on Earth!
•
C
ontinued from page 11
You probably assume
that the
salary
offered should reflect
your educational
achievement; however,
the marketplace often
views graduate studies
simply as a vehicle for
NP preparation.