An APRN is a licensed registered nurse (RN) who has had advanced education at the graduate level, including many hours of clinical training. While there are different roles for APRNS, you are probably most familiar with nurse practitioners (NPs). There are more than 4,000 NPs in Louisiana, providing health care to patients in every part of the state.
NPs provide health care for all types of health problems in patients of all ages, depending on the area of certification. NPs diagnose and treat health problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, infections, or injuries. They also stress health maintenance and promotion. NPs perform physical examinations, order tests and x-rays, prescribe medications, counsel patients, consult with or refer to other health care providers, and provide end-of-life care. Because they are nurses, NPs combine nursing and medical care to give their patients excellent health care and help them make better health care decisions. NPs have a holistic approach – that is, they look at the whole person, not just the person’s illness or injury.
NPs must have either a master’s or doctoral degree before they can become licensed, and they must also have national certification in their area of specialty. Many who enter graduate and post-graduate programs have decades of experience in the healthcare field as a Registered Nurse (RN). APRN students are required to have between 500 and 1500 clinical (clock) hours to graduate and must sit for a rigorous national certification exam to ensure competency in the role and population focus. NPs are board certified in such areas as family, adult, acute care, pediatrics, gerontology, psychiatry, and women’s health.
Nurse practitioners work in all health care settings. NPs are in private health care practices, clinics, hospitals, schools, nursing homes, student or employee health centers, and everywhere patients receive health care.
“Since March 2020, NPs have been allowed to work to the fullest extent of their education and training to better serve the people of Louisiana. The Governor’s Emergency Order lifting barriers to practice allowed NPs to freely move to locations where they were most needed so more patients could access care during this critical time.”
