APRN Guides

Pursuing an advanced nursing career is challenging, but there is a wealth of scholarship opportunities, professional associations, salary guides, and more to help aspiring APRNs. Check out our authoritative resource guides below.

NC-SARA and Online Nurse Practitioner Programs: What to Know

December 1, 2023 – Kimmy Gustafson

Standardizing education to ensure a minimum level of quality has been a huge problem as the number of institutions offering higher education increases. Over the past decade, institutions have been in the news for scamming students with programs that provide little value and saddle them with costly loans. Thankfully, several public and nonprofit organizations are established to help regulate higher education.

APRNs in Retail-Based Clinics – What to Know

November 30, 2023 – Nina Chamlou

Retail-based clinics (also known as convenient care clinics, retail clinics, and limited services clinics) provide basic care services in pharmacies, grocery stores, and “big box” stores, such as Target and Walmart.

Gift Guide for Nurse Practitioner School Graduates

November 8, 2023 – Becca Brewer, MEd

The best gifts you can give are those that demonstrate the same level of thought, care, and kindness that NP grads will practice with their patients on a daily basis. This gift list is designed to help give you thoughtful, useful, and needful gifts that will help an NP graduate to celebrate and to succeed in the career they have worked so hard to advance through their schooling efforts.

Student Loan Forgiveness Programs for Nurse Practitioners: What to Know

November 7, 2023 – Becca Brewer, MEd

With three out of every four NPs staring down a debt horizon, understanding student loan forgiveness may spell the difference between a career that feels like indentured servitude and one that feels like a career choice made freely.

A Guide to Electronic Health Records for Nurse Practitioners

November 3, 2023 – Sophia Khawly, MSN

EHRs have become an indispensable tool in today’s healthcare practice. The benefit of an EHR is not only in the data it contains but how it is shared. Health information has become instantly available to authorized clinicians across health organizations, allowing them to coordinate care efficiently.

Workplace Violence in Nursing on the Rise

October 20, 2023 – Kimmy Gustafson

Workplace violence and aggression are increasingly becoming an issue in the healthcare industry. Nurses, a vital component of the healthcare system, are particularly at risk when it comes to verbal or physical abuse from either patients or family members. The National Nurses United’s (NNU) 2022 survey of 2,500 nurses found that nearly half of respondents reported increased workplace violence.

Analysis: Nurse Practitioners With Doctorates Sue to Gain the Title “Doctor” in California

October 17, 2023 – Douglas Mark

Can a nurse practitioner with a doctoral degree call themselves “Doctor?” Arguing that they have civil rights under the U.S. Constitution to do just that, three California nurse practitioners with doctorates filed a June 2023 lawsuit against the state’s attorney general. Defendants also included officials from the Medical Board of California and the California Board of Registered Nursing.

Top Blogs for Nurse Practitioners & Students (2023-2024)

October 11, 2023 – Matt Zbrog

The journey to becoming a nurse practitioner can sometimes seem overwhelming, but the best nurse practitioner blogs make you feel less alone and more equipped to take the first steps.

What is the APRN Compact for Multistate Licensure? Challenges & Opportunities

October 4, 2023 – Kimmy Gustafson

The key benefits listed for the APRN compact include easier access to care, the ability to provide telehealth services, ease in providing disaster and pandemic relief, flexibility for military families, simpler online nursing education, and a lower cost since APRNs need to maintain only one license.

Prescribing Controlled Substances – What to Know

September 22, 2023 – Sophia Khawly, MSN

In their practice, NPs should create a controlled substance agreement and implement it with their patients receiving these medications. They should also utilize the PDMP of their state before each prescription, and order urine drug screens routinely. Lastly, NPs ought to e-prescribe controlled medications to prevent fraud.