Nurse Practitioner Programs in Ohio
(found programs from 14 schools)

Interested in working as a nurse practitioner in Ohio? Consider specializing in primary and/or rural healthcare. Currently, only 35 percent of Ohio's physicians practice primary care. Just 10 percent of Ohio's docs live and work in rural areas - despite the fact that 20 percent of the state's residents live in rural areas.

Ohio also expects to see continued strong demand for health professionals who can work in ambulatory care settings. Between 2006 and 2016, the demand for ambulatory healthcare is expected to increase 26.8 percent, as more and more services are provided outside of the traditional hospital setting.

Nurse practitioners in Ohio must have a collaborative agreement with an Ohio physician to diagnose and treat illness and to prescribe medication, but the collaboration can be from afar. There is a wealth of opportunities for Ohio nurses practitioners who are willing to provide primary care services, particularly for those who wish to provide primary care in rural communities.

The average annual salary for a nurse practitioner is Ohio is in the upper $80,000s according to Salary.com.

NP programs for Ohio nurses include strictly online programs, such as the nurse practitioner track offered by Georgetown University, and blended or on-campus programs, like the ones offered by:

• Case Western Reserve University. Case Western offers one particularly unique NP program: a master's-level acute nurse practitioner program with a flight nursing sub-specialty. A cardiovascular nursing sub-specialty is available in the acute care, pediatric and family nurse practitioner programs. Family nurse practitioners and adult-gerontology nurse practitioner can sub-specialize in gerontology.
• Kent State University. Kent State offers different master's-level NP programs such as: adult health, acute care, pediatric, women's health, adult psychiatric/mental health, family and geriatric.
• Ohio State University. Ohio State now offers distance-learning options for nurses who want to pursue NP education without leaving their home communities. The family nurse practitioner and psych/mental health nurse practitioner programs are completely online; clinical courses may be completed at suitable locations near students' hometowns.

Accredited schools with NP programs in Ohio: