Nursing (NP) in North Carolina, Rutherford College
A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced academic and clinical experience in diagnosing and managing most common acute and chronic illnesses either independently or in collaboration with a physician. more
Duties of Nursing.Receipt of a License for a NP
The NP is allowed to provide a broad range of health care services, which may include:
Diagnosing conditions, treating, and managing diseases;
Writing prescriptions and coordinating referrals;
Taking patients for health problems,
Performing a physical examination,
Prescribe laboratory tests and procedures;
Evaluate patients for improvement.
Providing handouts on disease prevention and healthy lifestyles;
Performing certain procedures, such as a bone marrow biopsy or lumbar puncture.
Nurse practitioners usually work in conjunction with a doctors and with a joint health care team. Scope their of practice depends on state laws.
Like many other professions, nurse practitioners are regulated at two different levels. They are licensed through a process that takes place at the state level under state laws. They are also certified through national organizations, with consistent professional practice standards across all states.
Types of Nurse Practitioners
Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner - focus on musculoskeletal conditions, conducting physical examinations on patients, treating their ailments and analyzing the outcomes of their treatments.
Cardiac Nurse Practitioner - work with patients dealing with heart failure, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and arrhythmias.
Neonatal Nurse Practitioner - care for young children for the first few years of their lives. These nurse practitioners are well equipped to care for high-risk and pre-term newborns and often work independently.
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - provide care for infants and children up to 21 years old.
Adult Nurse Practitioner - focus on preventive care to keep adults healthy as they age through patient education.
Gerontological Nurse Practitioner - treat older adults, as well as adults of all ages.
Family Nurse Practitioner - often work in private practice to offer primary care to families, as well as wide variety of illnesses and educate their patients, childbirth, newborn care, cholesterol and stress management, and aging.
Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner - offer mental health care to patients in mental health centers, psychiatric facilities, correctional facilities and schools.
Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - treat children with acute, critical and chronic illnesses from infancy until age 21 or beyond.
Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner - provide advanced care to adults and older, all the way up to elderly care.
Oncology Nurse Practitioner - work with cancer patients to diagnose and treat cancer with a team of health care workers.
Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner - provide care to women of all ages, including adolescents going through puberty, pregnant mothers and women going through menopause.
A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is a registered nurse with advanced academic and clinical experience in diagnosing and managing most common acute and chronic illnesses either independently or in collaboration with a physician. 
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