13 Reasons to Pursue a Career as a Family Nurse Practitioner

If you are considering progressing in your nursing career by qualifying to become a Family Nurse Practitioner, then you have come to the right place.

Whatever your concerns or questions you have about pursuing a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner, will be answered below. From why you should bite the bullet and start studying to be an FNP, to any possible hurdles you may experience along the way and how to overcome these obstacles.

Becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner is an exciting and positive experience that you should embrace with open arms. Plus, the perks when you qualify and actually start working in the field are not too shabby either.

Keep reading to discover the top thirteen reasons why you should start your journey in becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner today, and you will definitely thank yourself tomorrow.

1. You can improve your career while still focusing on patient care

Chances are the reason you became a nurse in the first place is that you wanted to help people. Most likely, you want to continue to be able to do this even as you progress in your career.

Training to become a Family Nurse Practitioner allows you to become more qualified in your profession, but at the same time, you are still able to work directly with patients and make a real difference in their lives.

2. You will have flexibility in your career

FNP's will see the biggest growth in the upcoming years out of all nursing roles.

What does this mean?

In a nutshell, as a qualified Family Nurse Practitioner, you will be in demand. This translates to you being able to pick and choose where you want to work, who you want to work with, and even to some extent, what hours you want to work.

3. You will earn significantly more money

If you are currently an RN who is looking to become an FNP, you can expect to get a substantial pay rise once you have completed your studies and gained the necessary qualifications.

To be more specific;

A registered nurse earns, on average $73, 550 per year, whereas an FNP earns around $109,021.

Even if you are not considering becoming an FNP for the money, this is still a pretty impressive incentive.

4. You will enjoy a varied career

If you want a nursing job that is the full package, then a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner is the one for you.

It is highly unlikely that any one day will be the same with some of the tasks you may be carrying out, including;

• Conducting physical exams
• Diagnosing and treating health problems
• Pre-natal work
• Adult care check-ups
• Child check-ups
• Managing trauma
• Prescribing medications
• Promoting overall good health
• Disease prevention

5. You can study to become an FNP while you continue working

The life of a registered nurse is a full and busy one, especially if you are trying to juggle family commitments with your fulltime nursing job. However, if you think this means that you cannot study to become an FNP, you are wrong.

Carson-Newman offers online nursing degree programs. You can enroll in an online RN to MSN-FNP program that will allow you to gain the qualification you need to become an FNP while you continue to work as an RN.

The benefits of this program include:

• Having flexibility when it comes to your studying
• 100% of the coursework can be completed online
• Clinical placements in your local area
• Small classes so more student-tutor engagement
• Affordability
• Free transcript evaluations

6. You can help your local community

FNP's are able to make a real difference within the communities that they work in. For example, seeing the same families time and time again, building up strong relationships, and offering unrivaled support and advice.

The role of an FNP is just as much about preventative care as it is about prescribing medicines, so by working in this role, you will actively be able to see the long-term effect that your care as individuals. You will be helping them lead longer and healthier lives.

7. You could become a spokesmen for reform

If there is a particular aspect of nursing that you feel strongly about, or feel that you could change, as a qualified Family Nurse Practitioner, there is no reason why you could not become a spokesmen for that political issue. You are no longer an RN, but a highly qualified and skilled nurse practitioner with experience who is confident enough to take a stand for what you believe in; and people will sit up and listen to you.

8. You will become a valued member of your community

FNP's are respected and well-liked within a community. You are not as rushed off your feet and time-poor as a registered nurse, and at the same time, you are not as elusive and unrelatable as a doctor. Basically, you will have the best of both worlds.

You are highly qualified, and therefore, people respect your opinions, but at the same time, you are relatable and are still able to connect with your patients and become a trusted source of medical advice.

It's a win-win situation.

9. You will interact with people from all walks of life

If you love meeting new people, and hopefully you do, seeing as you work in the nursing profession, then you will love being a Family Nurse Practitioner. Although you will predominantly be working with the underserved members of a community, you will be caring for people of all ages, races, and genders.

One day you could be helping a new mom learn how to nurse her baby, and the next day you could be helping an elderly gentleman recover from a hip operation.

Many FNP's find this element of the job the most satisfying one as you can gain experience of treating and caring for so many different types of people.

10. You can move around if you want to

As the demand for Family Nurse Practitioners increases, as it is predicted to, you will have the opportunity to work in lots of different geographical areas – if you want to, of course.

Whether you want to work from a large hospital in a built-up city or whether you would prefer a more rural and remote location, you will be able to find work as an FNP. There is no doubt about that.

11. You can work independently

If as a registered nurse you wish you had the opportunity to make more of your own decisions without having to consult a doctor or physician, then a career as an FNP could be perfect for you.

With the healthcare system already stretched to the max, you are expected to work independently.

In fact, at least 33 states currently allow Nurse Practitioners to work without a supervising physician, and this is only set to increase as more and more citizens are needing ongoing healthcare.

12. You will gain more respect

It's a sad fact, but RN's are often not given the recognition they deserve for their undevoted and ongoing hard work in the healthcare profession. Fortunately, this is not the case for FNP's. Once you have qualified, you will be instantly acknowledged on a professional basis and will be respected by your colleagues, peers and your patients.

You may find this difficult to deal with initially, depending on your personality type, but you should learn to accept and enjoy it. You worked hard to get where you are today, and you deserve to be recognized for your efforts.

 13.You can draw on your past experience

You may have been working as a registered nurse for many years before you thought about training to become a Family Nurse Practitioner, and nobody would want to just say goodbye to all those years of blood, sweat, and tears. Thankfully, you won't have to.

Arguably one of the greatest aspects of becoming an FNP is that it is a natural career progression for those who have been working as a hands-on nurse for many years.

You already have patience, the desire to care for others, the ability to work under stress, and an underlining passion for healthcare. Therefore, being able to learn new skills as well as draw on your previous nursing experiences, means you will make an amazing Family Nurse Practitioner that will be a strong asset to whatever community or field you choose to work in.

So, do you think a career as an FNP is for you? Let's take a quick recap:

Do you want to earn more money?

Do you still want a patient-centric job?

Do you want an exciting and varied daily work schedule?

Do you want to be respected and well-liked both within your community and with your peers?

Do you want to achieve all of the above while still being able to carry out your current role as a nurse?

If yes, then you definitely should look into enrolling in an online nursing program to become a Family Nurse Practitioner; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.