Nurse practitioners cover a whole range of nursing responsibilities including general medical care, behaviour change and health promotion. A nurse practitioner has to hold an advanced degree from a nursing college and can work in a variety of medical facilities such as health centres and clinics.
The job requires good organizational skills as patients’ records?needed by the physician?are a responsibility of the practitioner, who takes down histories, evaluates and interprets diagnostics, and compiles appropriate health-care programs. A nurse practitioner is also licensed to perform a variety of medical tasks including some minor operations under the guidance of a doctor. They are also often permitted to write prescriptions for patients.
Job prospects are excellent and depending on regulations, a practitioner may be allowed to set up their own practice. Practitioners may also decide to specialize in certain areas, for example, paediatrics.
A practitioner can expect to earn around C
$70,000 at entry level, rising to over C
$90,000 with experience.