Are you interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry that specializes in patient care? You may choose to become a nurse or nurse practitioner, as both careers are integral parts of the healthcare industry. At first glance, you may not think that there is a significant difference between these two fields. However, the differences are significant between the two in terms of duties, educational requirements and salary. Let’s take a closer look at how these two career paths diverge.

A registered nurse can expect to aid patients by preparing a plan of action, administer treatments, record patient observations for doctors’ evaluations and educate patients. Prospective nurses have a few different paths available to them to reach their ultimate goal. If you are interested in becoming a nurse, you can pursue an associate’s degree in nursing. Upon graduation, you can secure an entry-level position as a nurse. You may instead choose to earn Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which last four years. A BSN will expose you to both nursing classes as well as general educational and humanities courses. Graduates of both pathways can take the required National Council Licensure Exam. The average salary for a nurse is roughly $66,000 in the United States. Geography, training and experience do play a significant role in determining salaries for nurses.

Unlike registered nurses, nurse practitioners have the capacity to prescribe medicine. Nurse practitioners have more abilities and flexibility than nurses in they can perform diagnostic tests and X-rays, treat conditions like diabetes and infections and provide significant counseling to patients. If you aspire to become a nurse practitioner, the educational requirements are much stricter and tighter. You must complete a master’s degree in nursing and it is recommended that you complete a BSN prior to that. A bachelor’s degree is required to complete a master’s degree in nursing. Becoming a nurse practitioner requires more education than becoming a registered nurse does and the resulting salary number reflects the benefit of this. The average salary for a nurse practitioner is roughly $78,000.

If you are interested in pursuing a career in the healthcare industry that specializes in patient care and you are willing to complete advanced education, you may want to become a nurse practitioner. In comparison to registered nurses, nurse practitioners have more abilities and can expect a much higher salary.