The nursing profession is one that is known for having professionals who are hardworking and dedicated. Not surprisingly, many nursing are looking to advance further in their career.
Advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) or nurse practitioners (NP), that also have a master’s degree, are eligible to enroll in a post-master’s nurse practitioner certificate program. Enrolling in this certification can help deepen their knowledge in specialized area of nursing.
This article discusses 5 of those nursing specialties that are available when pursuing a post-master’s nurse practitioner certification.
What is a nurse practitioner post master’s certificate?
According to Online Education, a post-master’s certificate in nursing is an academic program that provides Registered Nurses (RNs) who hold a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing with advanced-practice training and instruction in a new nursing specialization. The certification provides people in the nursing profession with a way to learn more about a specialized area of nursing without having to complete an entirely new degree. Complete degrees could take an upwards of 2 to 4 years to complete depending on the program.
Many people confuse the nurse practitioner post master’s certificate with a Doctor of Nursing practice (DNP) degree. According to Teach.com, the main difference between these two degrees is that a DNP is a terminal degree in the field of nursing and an NP is a nursing occupation or career. This is not to say that the DNP degree can also be a great way to enhance your overall knowledge in the nursing field.
However, if you choose to receive an online post master’s nurse practitioner certification, it gives you a more individualized opportunity to specialize in a more focused area of nursing. This gives many nursing professionals the opportunity to study something other than what their degree was for, or to switch to the area of nursing that they are more passionate about.
This gives advanced nurses more experience in a more specific and individualized area that they feel passionate about. If someone would like to make the most of their nursing education, they could always start with receiving the DNP degree first, and then move on to the post master’s NP certificate afterwards.
One of the great benefits of a nurse practitioner post master’s certificate is that it doesn’t take very long to complete compared to most other advanced nursing degrees or programs. Typically, with most programs, receiving your post master’s nurse practitioner certification only takes 1 to 2 years.
Another benefit of this program is that many educational institutions provide a post master’s NP certificate online. Online post master’s nurse practitioner certifications are great options for nursing professionals who need to juggle a current career, family life, and pursuing their career all at once. Trying to juggle different professional and personal parts of your life at once can be overwhelming and sometimes be the reason why people hold off on continuing their education.
The online aspect of the certification allows for flexibility and better time management with a more chaotic schedule. If you are hesitant about going back to school to pursue your nursing education, enrolling in a post master’s NP certificate online might be your best option for balancing your current professional and personal life with your future nursing career aspirations.
Pursuing an NP certificate online can help advanced nursing professionals to move up in the industry and earn more money as well. By specializing in a few key niche areas in this industry, the opportunities can lead to increased pay. Something to consider though, is with more specialized fields and higher pay, this also means more competition for positions.
Some of the most common specialized areas of focus for people who pursue an online post master’s nurse practitioner certification are areas of Gerontology, Pediatrics, Midwifery, Mental Health, and Neonatal units. According to Maryville University, these specialized fields can hold a salary of anywhere from $90,000 for those specializing in Gerontology, to $112,000 for mental health nurse practitioners.
Earning an online post master’s nurse practitioner certification can open doors for nursing professionals to higher pay, opportunities to strengthen their capabilities, and finding a focused specialty to be passionate about. Aside from the specialties mentioned above, you can also study concentrations in being a clinical nurse leader, forensic nursing, and nursing informatics.
Once you decide to devote the time and enroll in an online post master’s nurse practitioner certification, the next step is finding exactly what program is best for you among the many educational institutions. Wherever you choose to enroll, the options are endless when pursuing a post master’s nurse practitioner certification.
