There are many choices available to professionals who decide to become certified NPs. However, these options may not be quite right for you. If the path of an NP isn’t in your future, consider becoming a different type of advanced practice registered nurse.
Like NPs, other types of APRNs are authorized to tackle more responsibilities in healthcare settings than registered nurses. The other types of advanced practice registered nurses are as follows:
- Clinical nurse specialist (CNS)
- Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA)
- Certified nurse midwife (CNM)
Here’s a closer look at what to expect from each of these career paths.
Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS)
Clinical nurse specialists have a rather unique role. Not only do they provide quality, patient-focused care, but they also act as consultants to effect positive change within the healthcare organization. In essence, a CNS is a consultant, expert clinician, medical researcher and patient educator whose primary goal is to improve patient outcomes.
Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)
The job of a certified registered nurse anesthetist is to work with patients who are undergoing emergency or planned surgeries. CRNAs must consider the likelihood of an adverse reaction to medications, administer the precise dose of anesthetic needed and monitor the patient both during and after the surgery to ensure the patient’s safety. They also often counsel patients after surgeries, administer other medications for pain management and provide a limited range of emergency services, such as airway management.
Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM)
A certified nurse midwife typically works in a hospital’s birthing department, at a standalone birthing center or for a public health agency. They may provide care within healthcare settings as well as in patients’ homes. It’s often thought that CNMs only help women deliver babies, but in fact they have quite a broad scope of care that includes family planning, obstetric and postpartum care and care of newborns.
