Nurse Practitioner Programs in Illinois

Nurse practitioners (Advanced Practical Registered Nurses) are the supervising skilled medical assistants above the Registered Nurse and other nursing staff. Nurse practitioners can opt for a particular specialization field. There are various options available such as pediatrics, neonatal, psychology, gerontology, acute care, family nurse, maternity, midwife nursing program and many more such programs.Nurse Practitioner Programs in Illinois

The basic duties of a Nurse Practitioner are similar to a physician assistant. They perform physical exams and tests; assess clinical and other patients of the patient etc. Nurse practitioners are allowed to medicate patients and they can recommend medical plans and strategies also. Nurse practitioners check the recovery status of the patients and order further medical diagnosis and prepare the medical recovery report. NBPNPA (National Board of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Associates) is one of the major medical councils in the state. Illinois Department of Professional Regulation (IDPR) for certified Nurse Practice looks after the rules and regulations and checks on the various training programs that are running in the state.

The various eligibility conditions before enrollment in a training program are as under:-

· You must be 21 years older.

· A minimum of 2 years of clinical experience is required.

· You must hold a completed Registered Nurse certification and active license.

· Computer literacy and proficiency in reading, writing and speaking English language.

· 2-3 letters of recommendation and a physical assessment test is conducted.

· Your graduation GPA must be 3.0 or above.

· A GRE/MAT test is mandatory. (Some training schools allow exceptions for the candidate having brilliant GPA, more than 3.2, in previous graduation programs)

· A background/ felony check is also done. Criminal activists are not allowed to enroll for the training programs. There is a specified clause for background check in the state nursing board rule book.

The training programs are 2-3 years in duration and provide intense internship including both classroom and clinical lab training. The average salary of a nurse practitioner in Illinois is more than $96000 per year. The salary may vary in various regions and according to the specialization field of nurse practitioner. After completion of the training program a license is issued for duration of 5 years and then a renewal and recertification is required. You can opt for an online course as well in case you haven’t got your favorite field. These training programs are rather cheaper than the campus driven training programs but do have lesser certificate examination passing percentage.

Here is the list of various training schools that you can find in the Illinois state for online and campus driven master’s degree program:-

· Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago

· DePaul University, Chicago

· North Park University, Chicago

· Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

· Illinois State University, Normal

· McKendree University, Lebanon

· Northern Illinois University, DeKalb

· Rush University, Chicago

· St. Xavier University, Chicago

· University of Illinois, Chicago

· Bradley University, Peoria

· Aurora University

· Lewis University, Romeoville