Massachusetts is currently suffering a severe shortage of family practice physicians, as well as a critical shortage of internal med docs. In most parts of the state, a new patient will have to wait 50 days for an appointment with an internist, and 30 days for an appointment with a family physician. Massachusetts' physician shortage and strong demand for healthcare - the state was the first in the Union to implement universal healthcare coverage - translates into lots of opportunity for family nurse practitioners and adult health nurse practitioners.
Massachusetts's 6300 plus nurse practitioners work in collaboration with the state's physicians. A collaborative agreement with a Massachusetts physician is required to diagnose and treat patients; a collaborative agreement is also required before NPs can prescribe medication.
Massachusetts nurse practitioners enjoy higher-than-average salaries. In 2011, the average annual salary for a nurse practitioner in Massachusetts ranged from $94,000 in Lowell to $100,000 in Boston, according to Salary.com.
NP programs for Massachusetts nurses include online programs (such as the one offered by Georgetown University) and in-state programs such as:
- University of Massachusetts - Medical School. UMass Med School offers a variety of different paths to a master's degree which prepare grads to practice as nurse practitioners. A Graduate Entry Pathway is for students who have a baccalaureate in a field other than nursing; the Pre-master's pathway is for nurses who have a bachelor's degree in something other than nursing. The school also offers some interesting dual-focus programs, including the opportunity to add a geriatric specialization to the adult primary care or acute/critical care NP programs.
- Boston College. Like UMass, Boston College offers a multitude of pathways for nurses and non-nurses alike to pursue NP education. NP students can choose to specialize in adult gerontological health, family nursing, pediatrics, palliative care, pediatric palliative care, psych/mental health nursing or women's health.
- MGH Institute of Health Professions. MGH recently began offering Doctoral-level NP programs for BSN-prepared nurses who wish to become nurse practitioners. Students can specialize in acute care, adult primary care, family care, pediatrics and adult psych/mental health. Dual specialization programs - adult/gerontology and adult/women's health - are also available.
Accredited schools with NP programs in Massachusetts:
