Tag: APRN

APRNs and PAs Ranked Among Highest Paying Jobs in Healthcare

Advanced practitioners are enjoying advanced wages, and two spots on a new top ten list of the highest paying jobs in healthcare.

Advanced practitioners, such as Physician Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, and Certified Nurse Midwives seem to be enjoying advanced salaries, according to a new top ten list of high paying jobs in healthcare from CNBC.

While the average annual wage for healthcare workers clocks in around $65,000—well above the median annual wage for all occupations in the U.S. of $37,690—advanced practitioners are seeing salaries upwards of $100k, landing them prime spots on the CNBC list.

Physician assistants ranked seventh, with a median annual wage of $104,860. Nurse anesthetists, midwives, and practitioners, collectively took fifth place, with a median annual wage of $110,930, and were outranked only by pharmacists, podiatrists, dentists, and physicians/surgeons, which took the top spot with salaries greater than or equal to $208,000.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.

APRNs Prove Vital to Improving SNF Care

New research has shown hiring APRNs to lead nursing home care teams can improve the way facilities handle “basic” needs such as mobility, hydration, medication management, and communication.

A new study conducted by researchers at the Sinclair School of Nursing at the University of Missouri has found that training APRNs to lead health care teams and coordinate care in nursing homes can lead to a decrease in hospitalizations for nursing home patients related to falls, dehydration, and other health issues. Given that the 65+ population is projected to double in size by the year 2050, according to the U.S. Census, this find is promising not only for elderly patients, but for APRNs themselves, as they fight for full practice authority, as well as for the healthcare industry, which continues to struggle against a shortage of providers.

The MU nursing research team, now in its fifth year of the Missouri Quality Initiative for Nursing Homes, had APRNs routinely document the actions they took to improve care in nursing homes, related to problem areas in “basic” care needs such as mobility, hydration, medication management, and communication.

Some of actions taken by APRNs that proved successful included:

  • Identifying fall risks and solutions to them through fall huddles with nursing home staff.
  • Implementing hydration stations throughout the nursing home to encourage family, friends, and staff to assist in keeping patients hydrated.
  • Monitoring blood pressure and adjusting medications as needed.
  • Working with licensed social workers to coordinate care procedures and discussions on end-of-life goals.

In total, 12 of the 16 facilities participating in the program reported reductions in hospitalization rates after hiring an APRN.

More on the researchers’ findings can be found in the July/September issue of the Journal of Nursing Care Quality.

Disclaimer: The viewpoint expressed in this article is the opinion of the author and is not necessarily the viewpoint of the owners or employees at Healthcare Staffing Innovations, LLC.