Vermont is experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians, and that shortage is only predicted to get worse in the near future. In 2010, 21 percent of primary care docs in Vermont were over the age of 60; many will retire in the next 10 years, leaving gaps in the primary care system. Nurse practitioners are highly capable of providing top-notch primary care services, and may soon be providing services for many Vermont residents.
The number of nurse practitioners in Vermont, though, will need to grow to meet the demand. As of 2010, there were just over 500 NPs in Vermont, including 27 pediatric nurse practitioners and 65 adult nurse practitioners. Given the fact that Vermont's primary shortages are in internal medicine and pediatrics, it seems that there may be opportunities for pediatric, adult and gerontological nurse practitioners.
Nurse practitioners in Vermont practice under collaborative practice agreements with local physicians. The average annual salary for a Vermont nurse practitioner is $90,000.
NP programs for Vermont nurses include:
- The University of Vermont. The University of Vermont currently offers a Master's-level Family Nurse Practitioner program, but is getting ready to transition their nurse practitioner training to a doctoral degree program. (The American Association Colleges of Nursing recommends that a doctoral degree be the minimal degree for entry into advanced practice nursing by 2015.) The inaugural Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program will begin classes in the fall of 2013.
- Georgetown University. Georgetown University in Washington D.C. offers two online NP programs that are accessible to nurses Vermont: a Family Nurse Practitioner program and a Nurse Midwifery/Women's Health Nurse Practitioner program. Classes are web-based, and clinical experiences can be arranged close to home.
- Drexel University. Although based in Philadelphia, Drexel University offers Vermont nurses a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner program online. Adult Acute Care and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs are also available online, but both of those programs require visits to the Philadelphia campus.
Accredited schools with NP programs in Vermont:
