The average age of Wyoming's 400-some nurse practitioners is 49. Twenty-three percent of the state's NPs are between the ages of 55 and 64; nine percent are over age 65. Ten percent of Wyoming's nurse practitioners plan to retire within the next 10 years, creating a wealth of opportunity for new nurse practitioners.
Wyoming nurse practitioners have a large degree of professional autonomy. A collaborative practice agreement with a physician is not required for NP practice in Wyoming. Perhaps that's why 60 percent of nurse practitioners in Wyoming work independently in primary care. Wyoming nurse practitioners earn, on average, $81,000 per year, a number that's well below the national median. However, the cost of living in Wyoming is also among the lowest in the nation.
Some of the top NP programs in Wyoming include:
- University of Wyoming. Located in Laramie, the University of Wyoming offers a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program with Family and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner track with an emphasis on rural primary care. The DNP program is slated to start in the summer of 2012.
- Georgetown University. Though located in Washington, D.C., Georgetown University offers online NP programs that are accessible to nurses in Wyoming. Students can select either a Family Nurse Practitioner program or the Nurse Midwifery/Women's Health Nurse Practitioner program. Classes are web-based, and Georgetown faculty work with students to arrange clinical experiences close to home.
- Drexel University. Based in Philadelphia, Drexel University offers 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 Wyoming:
