Demand for health care is great in the state of Mississippi. In 2008, the state ranked 50th out of 50 states for access to primary care. At that time, Mississippi had just 1875 primary care physicians, or 63.8 active primary care docs per 100,000 state residents. The state's 25000 nurse practitioners help fill the primary care gap.
NPs in Mississippi must have a collaborative agreement with a licensed physician. The Board of Nursing requires a detailed letter from the nurse practitioner and collaborating doctor that describes the NP's practice, including types of disease treated. If a nurse practitioner loses her collaborating physician for any reason, she has a 90-day grace period during which she can continue to practice while searching for another collaborator. As of 2011, NPs can apply for the right to prescribe controlled substances.
The average annual salary for nurse practitioners in Mississippi is $76,000 to $81,000, but the state's low cost of living enables most NPs to live a comfortable lifestyle.
Some of the top NP programs in Mississippi include:
- Alcorn State University. Located in Natchez, the School of Nursing at Alcorn State University offers Master's level nurse practitioner programs such as: Family Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Post-master's certificate programs are also available for practicing nurse practitioners.
- Delta State University. Delta State offers a Master's-level online Family Nurse Practitioner program. It also offers Gerontological Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs through the Mississippi Consortium for Specialized Advanced Practice Nursing.
- University of Mississippi Medical Center. Want a first-rate nursing education? The University of Mississippi Medical Center is located on the state's only academic health science campus, and includes the state's only Level 1 Trauma Center and children's hospital. Choose from Master's-level NP programs including: Family Nurse Practitioner, Gerontological Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
Accredited schools with NP programs in Mississippi:
