Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
ACNPs are experts in the care of acutely ill patients with multiple complex problems. They provide quality care, decrease length of stay, and improve patient and family satisfaction. They work in several care settings, including the emergency department, intensive care unit, specialty labs, acute care wards, specialty clinics, or any combination of the above. The ACNP can legally diagnose and treat medical conditions.

Administration
Advanced practice nurses often assume management and administration positions in settings that range from inpatient and outpatient care delivery to health maintenance, health insurance, disease management, healthcare consulting, and healthcare technology organizations. Salaries often range between $100,000 and $180,000.

Adult Nurse Practitioner
ANPs are advanced practice nurses who diagnose and manage common primary care problems for adults. They work in a variety of community-based practice settings, including community health clinics, health maintenance organizations, specialty clinics, correctional facilities, and private medical practices. Many ANPs specialize in an area of interest, such as HIV/AIDS, pulmonary care, or integrated and complementary health.

Cardiovascular Nursing
Advanced practice cardiovascular nurses assume a variety of positions. Clinical Nurse Specialists work in hospitals and medical centers, often combining expert clinical practice with education, research, consultation and clinical leadership. In addition, cardiovascular advanced practice nurses find work as case managers, educators in hospitals or colleges, and middle managers or administrators in clinical or health plan settings.

Advanced Community Health and International Nursing
Advanced practice nurses in this specialty understand the complex exchange between cultural diversity, underserved populations, and healthcare delivery. They take leadership roles in positions that include health education, program development, consulting, research, administration, and public policy. They work in public health departments, schools, faith-based programs, and a variety of public and private agencies in local, state, national and international settings.

Critical Care/Trauma Nursing
Advanced practice nurses that provide and coordinate care in emergency rooms, trauma, critical care, and intensive care units. They bring clinical expertise to acute care across a variety of health care settings, and lead the care management processes that are essential in today's health care environment. Many also play a vital teaching and research role; from the front lines they lend a unique and essential perspective to understanding a range of issues confronting nurses.

Family Nurse Practitioner
Family--in its broadest definition--influences nearly every aspect of a person's health.
A family nurse practitioner meets the health care needs of the family by providing health assessments, direct care, and guidance, teaching, or counseling as appropriate, particularly around family self-care. The FNP typically works collaboratively with family primary care physicians and other professionals within the health care system. In addition to conventional practice in an office, clinic, or ambulatory care center, the FNP may follow families in a variety of settings, such as school, home, work place, or hospital, dependent upon client need.

Gerontological Nursing
Gerontological Clinical Nurse Specialists care for older adults in a variety of settings, including Adult Day Health Care facilities, home health agencies, hospitals, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, or private physician offices. Some gerontological nurse specialists also work in research, administration, and education; others pursue an entrepreneurial path by becoming case managers or consultants. Gerontological Nurse Practitioners provide primary care for older adults. They practice in hospital-based and freestanding clinics, home care, community agencies such as Adult Day Health Centers, private physician offices, nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and long-term care institutions.

Health Policy Nursing
Nurses with policy expertise are assuming leadership roles in advocacy, research, analysis, and policy development, implementation and evaluation. They work in health services research firms, legislative and regulatory offices, health maintenance organizations, advocacy organizations, or health care provider associations. Some hold elective office.

Nurse-Midwifery
Certified nurse-midwives provide support and assistance in childbirth. Nurse-midwives provide primary care to childbearing women in a variety of inpatient and outpatient settings including hospitals, homes, and birth centers. They provide that care from a core belief that birth is not a medical event, but a very normal physiologic process.

Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
Advanced practice occupational and environmental health nurses help manage and prevent disabling, work-related injuries and illnesses. Occupational Health Nurse Practitioners focus on direct patient care, the theory and practice of adult health maintenance, and the assessment and management of common ailments facing working adults, including occupational injuries and illnesses. Occupational and Environmental Health Specialists focus on programs to prevent occupational illnesses and injuries and to manage disability; consultation with employers, employees and others; and worker education and training. This role preparation provides a streamlined MS program for those who seek specialization in occupational and environmental health nursing without a direct patient care component. Occupational and Environmental Health Clinical Nurse Specialists focus on the same roles of program management, consultation, and education/training as the above OEH specialist role, with the added component of advanced direct patient care skills.

Oncology Nursing
Advanced practice nurses play critical roles in cancer prevention and detection, as well as in the planning implementing, and evaluating of new ways to care for adults with cancer. Clinical Nurse Specialists and Advanced Practice Oncology/Genomics Nurses work in leadership positions in clinical practice (adult cancer control or acute and chronic oncology care), case management, research, and education. Settings include outpatient clinics, hospitals, homecare, and hospice. Oncology/Gerontology Nurse Practitioners provide direct patient care to older adults with cancer, in settings that include outpatient clinics and skilled nursing facilities, hospitals, homecare, and hospice.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Advanced practice pediatric and neonatal nurses deliver health care to infants, children, and adolescents in home, ambulatory, community-based, and hospital settings. The goal of nursing practice is to assist the child and family in achieving growth, development, mental well-being, prevention of injury or illness, and management of acute or chronic conditions.

Perinatal Nursing
Perinatal clinical nurse specialists help meet the essential maternal and fetal health needs during this crucial time for the family's long-term health and well being. Perinatal clinical nurse specialists work in both inpatient and outpatient settings, assisting in fetal surgery and in the treatment of conditions typically associated with high-risk pregnancies. They also work with new parents about concerns they may have that include breastfeeding, parenting, and stress related to their new role. In hospitals, clinical nurse specialists are often responsible as well for in-service education, new staff orientation, updating protocols, implementing changes in practice, and translating research into practice.

Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing
Advanced practice psychiatric/mental health nurses work as either clinical nurse specialists or nurse practitioners in settings that include inpatient and emergency psychiatric services, outpatient mental health clinics, psychiatric home care and substance abuse treatment. Both assess and diagnose health and psychiatric disorders and provide psychotherapy. But typically the nurse practitioner has a greater focus on psychiatric diagnosis, including the differential diagnosis of medical disorders with psychiatric symptoms, and on medication treatment for psychiatric disorders. In contrast, the clinical nurse specialist may focus on providing leadership to others in the mental health workforce, including functions such as staff education and training, and program development and quality improvement. A clinical nurse specialist may also focus on individual, group or family psychotherapy.

Credits to the UCSF School of Nursing website: http://nurseweb.ucsf.edu/www/ix-ms.shtml
For more listings of nursing specialties, please visit: http://www.discovernursing.com/outside.aspx