Kansas Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
Working as a family nurse practitioner in Kansas is a great way to provide affordable, evidence-based health care to patients of varying ages. By completing a Master’s or Doctorate level program in nursing with a family nurse practitioner track, you can earn yourself a fulfilling and rewarding career path, while simultaneously increasing your earning potential and maintaining your role in patient care.
As a Family Nurse Practitioner in Kansas, you can look forward to being compensated for your advanced education, with the average annual salary coming in at $82,700 in Kansas, according to O*Net. With experience, and depending upon practice settings, it is possible to earn up to $107,300 per year as a Nurse Practitioner in the state, allowing for a comfortable living as a result of furthering your nursing education. (O*Net, 2012).
Working in Kansas gives you a considerable amount of freedom in how you work as a nurse practitioner. While you cannot work independently without the oversight of a physician, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners reports that you need a collaborative agreement with a physician in order to perform your duties. However, it is worth noting that the Kansas State Nurses Association is actively engaged in legislative efforts to amend this practice provision in order to expand the scope of practice of Nurse Practitioners in the state.
As a family nurse practitioner, you may have a variety of responsibilities. This includes seeing patients, diagnosing various ailments, prescribing needed medications, and supervising nurses and nursing assistants. Your courses in an accredited nurse practitioner program can prepare you for the various tasks required of you as a nurse practitioner. As the country adopts the Affordable Care Act, the need for affordable, evidence-based care is being met by a combination of physicians and nurse practitioners.
To begin the process, select the schools on this page that you are interested in learning more about and request information from each.
Family Nurse Practitioner Program Curriculum
The first step to becoming a family nurse practitioner is choosing a Master’s degree program in the field. There are many different programs in Kansas, including those that offer online classes or evening classes. You can choose the program that best fits your schedule and needs.
Many of the classes required in a nurse practitioner program are advanced versions of Bachelor-level classes. For instance, you may be expected to take Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Pathophysiology, and Nursing Leadership. In order to prepare for these classes, you may want to study your NCLEX review material and your books from when you completed your BSN degree.
Equally as important as your courses are your clinical hours. Clinical requirements vary between programs, but in general, you need to complete 550 to 700 clinical hours. During your clinical rotations, you often see and treat patients of varying ages and health care needs.
The amount of time you’ll spend in school depends on whether you go part-time or full-time. Generally speaking, you can expect to spend between two and four years in a nurse practitioner program. You may have to take summer courses in order to complete your degree on time.
Financing your Family Nurse Practitioner Program in Kansas
Earning scholarships can help lower the amount that you have to pay for your education. In Kansas, the Kansas Regents offer annual scholarships to nursing students. These scholarships are typically $2,500, which can significantly lower how much you spend on school.
Career Information for Family Nurse Practitioners in Kansas
Since you already have a Bachelor’s degree in nursing, your nursing license should still be active upon graduating from a Master’s degree program. You can seek your advanced practice license from the Kansas State Board of Nursing. You have to renew your license every two years. It will expire on the last day of the month in which you were born; licenses expire on either odd-numbered or even-numbered years, depending on which year you were born.
As long as you have a collaborative agreement with a physician, you can work in almost any health care setting. Many family nurse practitioners choose to work in a quick care setting, which often requires evening or weekend hours. There are also openings at clinics and hospitals, giving you the freedom to work a variety of hours. Some of the biggest nurse practitioner employers in Kansas are Take Care Health System, Conmed Inc, Amedisys, Delta Healthcare, and Elite Physical Medicine.
You may already be part of the Kansas State Nurses Association if you worked as a nurse prior to graduate school. However, if you weren’t a member before, you should consider joining as a nurse practitioner. You can get access to legislative updates, continuing education offerings, and employment listings.
