General Information
Qualification
Completion of Post-graduate certificate Nurse Practitioner program, with Master’s degree in Nursing or related field with primary focus on nursing, or Postmaster’s Nurse Practitioner program. As of January 1, 2005 all new Nurse Practitioner graduates must have a Masters Degree. National certification required after January 1, 2000. Continuing education is mandatory for recertification and for continuing regulatory recognition to practice in North Carolina.
What they do
While historically the Nurse Practitioner role began in rural primary care,Nurse Practitioners now practice in many settings such as Specialty Practices, Hospitals, Managed Care, Long-term Care, and Public Health. Nurse Practitioners manage a broad range of health issues, emphasizing primary care and health promotion. Nurse Practitioners provide preventive services, counsel individuals and families, conduct physical examinations and diagnostic evaluation of illness and injury, prescribe therapeutics including medications, and monitor health status over time.
Employment options
Salaried or self-employed. Nurse Practitioner services are reimbursable by insurance.
Who regulates
Nurse Practitioners are regulated by the Joint Subcommittee of the Medical Board and Board of Nursing.
