In Connecticut, nurse practitioners are licensed as "advanced practice registered nurses" and are recognized as primary care providers. The more than 3000 NPs in Connecticut must work in collaboration with a physician to diagnose, treat and prescribe medication to patients. Nurse practitioners in Connecticut may have hospital privileges.
Demand for nurse practitioners in Connecticut may be increasing. A 2009 survey of primary care physicians indicated that 23 percent of surveyed primary care physicians are no longer accepting new patients. Existing patients of primary care physicians often face wait times of almost two weeks for routine office visits. Demand for primary care is greatest in the urban and rural areas of the state.
According to salary.com, the average annual salary for a nurse practitioner in Connecticut is $99,000 to $103,000. The Connecticut Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Society is Connecticut's professional organization for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists and nurse midwives.
Top NP programs in Connecticut include:
- Sacred Heart University. The second-largest Catholic university in New England, Sacred Heart, located in Fairfield, Connecticut, offers a master's level family nurse practitioner program both online and on campus. The University also offers a DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) degree with a Clinical Practice in Health Care track.
- Southern Connecticut University. Located near New Haven, Southern Connecticut University offers a Master's level family nurse practitioner program.
- Yale University. Want an Ivy League education? Yale offers both Registered Nurses and college grads with no previous nursing education the opportunity to become nurse practitioners via a master's level program. Specialty tracks within the NP program include adult and gerontological nurse practitioner, family nurse practitioner, women's health nurse practitioner/adult nurse practitioner and pediatric nurse practitioner.
