Job: Family nurse practitioner with Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic
What I do: "Assess and manage acute and chronic allergy, asthma and immunology disease processes in the pediatric, adult and geriatric populations. Evaluate and manage care of patients receiving immunotherapy. Prompt recognition and treatment of systemic reactions. Serve as an educator to staff, patients and their families."
How I got into this: "While working as a registered nurse, I realized I still had the desire to further my education and expand my nursing knowledge base. I also wanted more autonomy within my job, so I made the decision to become a family nurse practitioner."
Best part of the job: "Having the opportunity to establish long-term relationships with patients and their families. We sometimes care for multiple family members and you really get to know these people on a personal level.
“It is very rewarding to be able to identify triggers that are causing a patient’s allergy and asthma symptoms and exacerbations, and [to] establish a plan of care to improve their overall quality of life. I see patients improve, and that is one of the best parts of my job.”
Most challenging part: "Treating patients to the best of my ability with the current restrictions presented by the insurance companies [i.e., medication coverage, limitations on same-day visits, and procedures]. I sometimes feel the constant paperwork required for prior authorizations for a particular medication, requests to change a medication or drug class, and insurance denials are a big part of the work day."
What people don't know about my job: "I am a board-certified advanced practice registered nurse. I am certified to diagnose, treat and manage patients of all ages, [and] with a multitude of acute and chronic conditions. I am required to maintain my certification, complete continuing education programs and maintain a minimum number of clinical hours every five years.
“In my current position, I work very closely with my supervising physician — who is a board-certified allergist — [and] receive extensive ongoing job training and attend various educational lectures and annual national meetings for allergy, asthma and immunology to stay current on all of the latest guidelines, research, and treatment advances within the allergy field.”
What keeps me going: "Hearing feedback from patients and their families that I helped make a difference in their lives. Whether it was helping them recover from an infection, improve their allergy symptoms, gain control of asthma symptoms, prevent a life-threatening emergency from exposure to a food allergen, or just take time to listen, it makes me feel that what I do is meaningful."
Preparation needed: "Bachelor of Science in nursing from an accredited program, and usually a minimum of one year of clinical experience as a registered nurse are required prior to acceptance into a graduate program. Completion of a minimum of a master's degree from a family nurse practitioner program and passing the FNP certification exam."
Salary: The annual pay for family nurse practitioners ranges from about $61,000 to $105,000, depending on experience and location, according to payscale.com.
Contact us
Compiled by John Brieske, Pulse managing editor. Got a health care job that you love? Please send email to jbrieske@ajc.com.
