Wyoming Nurse Practitioner Programs
In many states, nurse practitioners make up a large part of the healthcare system. This is especially true in states like Wyoming, where the population is spread out and not concentrated in large cities. Want to find out if you could be a fit for a nurse practitioner program? Keep reading and learn more about degree options, graduation requirements and job outlook data. Then, search for programs in your area with the search bar above and contact featured nurse practitioner programs in Wyoming below.
If you’ve ever considered becoming a nurse practitioner, this is the time to learn more about nurse practitioner schooling and take your career further.
How Can I Become a Nurse Practitioner in Wyoming?
While many states have been impacted by the national healthcare shortage, rural states like Wyoming have been hit the hardest. Patients in rural communities often go weeks or months without getting the care they need, due to the shortage of care providers and the distance they must travel to see their care providers.
Keep reading to learn more about family nurse practitioner programs and other specialized programs that may be available to you in Wyoming.
Average Master’s Degree Requirements in Wyoming
- Credit hours required: 45 credit hours
- Average cost: $500 per credit hour
- Clinical hours required: No fewer than 500 hours
- Timeframe: Three years
Average Doctoral Requirements in Wyoming
- Credit hours required: 85 credit hours
- Clinical hours required: No fewer than 1,000 hours
- Timeframe: Five years
Nurse Practitioner Degree Options in Wyoming
As an aspiring nurse practitioner, you have to decide how you would like to complete your education. If you’re going to continue working full-time as a registered nurse, consider the benefits of attending nurse practitioner programs online.
These online programs cover the same techniques, theories, and issues as conventional programs, but they give you more freedom in when you complete your tests, assignments, and readings. You can work with a local healthcare institution to meet or exceed your clinical requirements. Students who learn best in conventional settings may prefer in-person programs.
Regardless of how you learn best, you should choose a program that fits your long-term career goals. In Wyoming, you may be able to advance your education in specialties like family care and psychiatric care.
Common Course Options for APRNs in Wyoming
- Foundations of Integrative Advanced Practice Nursing
- Evidence-Based Practice for Advanced Practice Nursing
- Health Behavior Change
- Primary Prevention and Wellness
- Pharmacotherapy for Advanced Nurses
- Advanced Health Assessment
- Wellness for Adults in Primary Care
- Health Communication and Informatics
- Primary Care for Children, Adolescents, and Families
Even if you have years and years of experience working as a registered nurse, you must still meet the clinical requirements of your nurse practitioner program.
The tasks you are responsible for as a nurse practitioner can be completely different from what you do as a registered nurse, and you need time to adjust to more challenging expectations and schedules.
How Can I Pay for Nurse Practitioner School in Wyoming?
- Back to School Nursing Scholarship: This program has four application cycles per year, so you always have the chance to apply for a scholarship. Students earning RN and NP degrees can apply for $2500 scholarships.
- NHSC Loan Repayment Program: If you have substantial student debt from your undergraduate or graduate degree, you may have up to $50,000 repaid through this program. It requires a two-year commitment in an approved location.
- NURSE Corps Scholarship Program: This federal scholarship program awards substantial scholarships. To avoid repaying these scholarships, applicants must work in a Health Professional Shortage Area for at least two years after graduation.
Licensing and Practice Requirements for NPs in Wyoming
Once students earn their nurse practitioner degrees, Wyoming requires that they earn an advanced practice nursing license before working independently. The Wyoming State Board of Nursing needs proof of a current nursing license, national certification, and a graduate degree.
Those who work in Wyoming enjoy full practice rights (AANP, 2016).
Nurse Practitioner Careers in Wyoming
Your career options depend largely upon the type of degree you earn. For example, those who graduate from FNP programs can work with patients of all ages, so they may look for openings in clinics, hospitals, and urgent care centers. Those who go into psychiatric nursing may work in psychiatric hospitals, state-owned mental health centers, and psychiatric wings in clinics or hospitals.
The future looks bright for new and aspiring nurse practitioners. O*Net expects a 37% increase in job openings by the year 2024 (2016). On average, nurse practitioners earn $101,440 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).
There are many nurse practitioner schooling options in Wyoming. Your next step is finding the right option for your needs.
Get in touch with Wyoming schools below for more information.
- University of Wyoming. Located in Laramie, the University of Wyoming offers a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program with Family and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner track with an emphasis on rural primary care. The DNP program is slated to start in the summer of 2012.
- Georgetown University. Though located in Washington, D.C., Georgetown University offers online NP programs that are accessible to nurses in Wyoming. Students can select either a Family Nurse Practitioner program or the Nurse Midwifery/Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner program. Classes are web-based, and Georgetown faculty work with students to arrange clinical experiences close to home.
- Drexel University. Based in Philadelphia, Drexel University offers a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner program online. Adult Acute Care and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs are also available online, but both of those programs require visits to the Philadelphia campus.