Nov. 10 is the start of National Nurse Practitioner Week, and we’ve got some facts for you:
- NPs are trusted healthcare providers: There are more than 270,000 licensed nurse practitioners in the United States, and together they have about 1 billion patient visits per year.
- NPs are in control of their patients’ care: they have full practice authority in 22 states, including Washington, Idaho and Oregon. NPs in those states can diagnose illness, order and interpret tests and prescribe medications.
- The Spokane region is an especially good place to be a nurse practitioner: The metropolitan area is the third-highest-paying in the nation for NPs, with average annual pay of $148,440, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The job outlook for NPs is strong, with a projected 26% growth rate from 2018-28. (That’s compared with a 5% growth rate for all occupations).
- NP students have an impact even before they graduate: Students in the WSU College of Nursing’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program complete a final project to improve healthcare quality or translate evidence into practice in real-world situations.
- The WSU College of Nursing’s DNP program was just reaccredited for 10 years after a rigorous self-assessment and site visit from representatives of nursing programs around the country.
If being a nurse practitioner sounds like something you want to pursue, WSU can help make that a reality. The College of Nursing offers DNP degrees in three tracks: Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, and Population Health nurse.
Applications for the Fall 2020 class in the DNP degree program are due Nov. 15.
The DNP program is considered hybrid, with most instruction offered online and some required attendance in scheduled classroom time on the campus of registration. It’s offered at WSU Health Sciences Spokane, WSU Tri-Cities and WSU Vancouver.
Students can pursue a full- or part-time study option, allowing for maximum flexibility for working nurses.
WSU offers a range of scholarship and financial aid opportunities to help pay for a degree. One option is the Nurse Faculty Loan Program, which forgives up to 85% of a graduate nursing student’s loan in exchange for four years of full-time teaching. Another is WSU-ANEW-2, which offers financial support to full-time nurse practitioner students who are interested in working in rural areas or with underserved populations.
The DNP program’s successful 10-year reaccreditation – the longest term possible – from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education signifies the College of Nursing’s dedication to maintaining the excellence of the program, said DNP Program Director Anne Mason.
“The accreditation process is developed from the concept of continuous quality improvement,” Mason said. “This gave us an opportunity to conduct a systematic self-evaluation, which will be used to guide enhancements to the program. Though stressful, I was thrilled with the accreditation experience and grateful for the support we had within the college, university and the community.”
For more information, and to apply, visit https://nursing.wsu.edu/dnp
