Why is effective communication important in health and social care?
20 April, 2024
02 | May | 2024
What is a nurse practitioner? - How to become an NP in the UK?
What are the different types of nurse practitioners in the UK?
A nurse practitioner is a nurse who have graduate-level degree of education. Nurse Practitioners in UK have similar responsibilities as doctors. They check patients, diagnose illness and prescribe medicine. Nursing practitioners in UK require a higher level of education.
What is nursing practitioner in UK?
A nurse practitioner in UK has advanced education. Nursing Practitioners have extra training and skills. It will allow them to do more than regular nurses. They can do tasks like doctors.
A nurse practitioner provides different types of care like urgent and special care. Their abilities vary by state. In some states they work alone and prescribe medicine. They do procedures without a doctor overseeing them.
There are not enough regular doctors in rural areas. So, nurse practitioners can take on more work as main caregivers. They are also important in areas with not enough specialised doctors.
What are nurse practitioners responsible for?
Nurses practitioners in UK do similar tasks as registered nurses. They do tasks like asking about your health and giving medicine. But NPs have more responsibilities than RNs.
Nurse practitioners give high-level care for patients. They help stop health problems, find out what's wrong, and decide on a treatment plan.
They help patients who are sick, in hospital, injured, or having surgery. They care for patients from their arrival to the time when they are discharged.
Nurse practitioners focus on certain areas like bones, kids, cancer, or mental health. They find and treat illnesses in these areas and work with other healthcare workers.
What are the conditions treated by nurse practitioner?
Cardiac medicine
Family medicine
Gerontology
Adult gerontology acute care
Oncology
Orthopaedics
Paediatrics
Psychiatry and mental health
Women's health
Neonatal medicine
Gerontology
How can you become a nursing practitioner?
You need to first complete a bachelor’s degree to become a nurse practitioner. It will usually take about three years. This degree should be in nursing or related area. Most nursing programs cover subjects like biology and chemistry.
Becoming a licensed nurse is also an important step. You must finish your bachelor’s degree at an approved nursing school. You can register with the Nursing and Midwives Council later. You can register by online which is the fastest way to sign up. You register in NMC website.
Once you become a registered nurse you can start working in a clinic. You can also work in a similar place to gain experience. This job helps you learn the necessary skills for becoming a certified nursing practitioner. You will have the opportunity to work with experienced nurses.
Nurse practitioners should complete a master’s degree in nursing after finishing their bachelor’s degree. This master’s program lasts for one to two years. This program is important for developing your skills and knowledge in nursing.
In order to make a good CV start by looking at job ads for nurse practitioners. This will help you understand what skills and qualifications are required in your field. You can make a CV that showcases your skills and achievements.
Once you have your license and certification you can start looking for jobs. You can search nurse practitioner jobs in online. You can also look for referrals. When you find a potential job, you can send them you cover letter and CV. You must wait for a response.
Explain what are the different types of nurse practitioners?
Family nurse practitioner
Family nurse practitioners in UK help individuals of all ages from babies to adults. They treat sicknesses more than doing check-ups and give parents advice for raising healthy children. They build relationships with patients. Many people consider a family nurse practitioner as their main healthcare contact
Psychiatric nurse practitioner
A psychiatric nurse helps with mental health. They work with adults and families for treating mental health problems and substance use issues. They work in hospitals, clinics and mental health places. They team up with other health workers to keep patients mentally healthy.
Paediatric nurse practitioner
Paediatric nurse practitioners help children and teenagers. They treat sicknesses, prevent them and teach families how to handle common health issues. They do check-ups and treat both short-term and long-term sicknesses.
Neonatal nurse practitioner
A neonatal nurse in UK takes care of sick or prematurely born babies. They can figure the problem they are facing and can help them to get better. Sometimes they also help with delivering babies in certain places. Neonatal nurses work with their colleagues to ensure that babies get the right care. They help the families to understand the treatment. So, they need to be kind and should be good at talking to families.
Acute care nurse practitioner
An acute care nurse helps adults in urgent settings. They give short-term care for serious sicknesses or injuries. They might also help after surgery or accidents. They may treat grown-ups or kids, depending on where they work. These nurses need good decision-making skills because they make important choices.
Cardiac nurse practitioner
A cardiac nurse practitioner helps individuals with heart problems. They treat patients with issues like high blood pressure and cholesterol. They work at different places like hospitals and heart doctor's offices.
Oncology nurse practitioner
An Oncology nurse specialist helps people to treat cancer. They work with doctors and caregivers to give treatment and support. They work in places like cancer centres and hospitals They explain how to prevent and treat cancer. They help cancer doctors and other healthcare providers make plans for treatment and take care of people.
Gerontology nurse practitioner
Nurse specialists in gerontology mainly take care of older adults. They help prevent sickness and treat health problems. You can usually find them working in clinics, private offices, or places where people get treatment.
Wonderstaff is here to help people starting this important journey. We offer opportunities to individuals and also professional development.
Get in touch
