A Day in the Life of a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner (NP)
Take a closer look at the role of a cardiology NP.
Are you interested in cardiovascular health and disease management? Do you have a passion for working with cutting-edge technology, such as robotics, remote monitoring and virtual diagnostic tools? If so, continue reading to learn more about the duties, responsibilities and work environment of a cardiology NP.
What Is a Cardiology NP?
The role of the cardiology NP is to provide care for patients with chronic and acute cardiac diseases. Many cardiology NPs work in private practices, in-patient hospitals, outpatient clinic settings or multiple practice settings, where they assess the health status of patients, prescribe pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team.
When providing care, cardiology NPs must be aware that they may be the primary treatment option for patients, especially for individuals in rural and underserved areas. Therefore, in addition to performing therapeutic procedures, cardiology NPs may work with patients to educate them about heart health.
As your national NP community, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) is here to help guide you through the stages of your professional career. As a student member of AANP, you can access resources created specifically for you by NPs who have been in your shoes, such as infographics, NP certification information, video guides on transitioning to NP practice, nonaccredited webinars and articles.
Perspectives of a Working Cardiology NP
“I was originally hired in 1995 as a cardiology NP just for stress tests. As time went on, I helped start a device clinic within the practice for patients with pacemakers, defibrillators and other devices. It was successful and the benefit that these target programs would have for patients with other cardiac conditions was clear. I helped start a heart failure clinic, and we began hiring NPs as the clinic grew. Now, there are three NPs in the office. Cardiology is well suited for NPs. In my experience, cardiologists tend to embrace NPs in these roles and for diagnostic testing. Cardiology NPs often see patients with carotid artery disease, arrythmias and other conditions. I think that one of the assets of the cardiology NP is that most of us have a passion for educating patients. So much of what we do to treat patients as a whole person involves listening to them and educating them about why a medication is important, for example, or explaining the research. Advocating for them is based in research and staying on top of the most up-to-date information.” — Colleen Walsh-Irwin, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, AACC, FAANP, Program Manager, Evidence-based Practice, Department of Veterans Affairs
Four Facts You Should Know About NPs With a Cardiovascular Clinical Focus
- Full-time total median income — which includes base salary, productivity bonuses, incentive payments and more — of $120,000.1
- The average years of experience as an NP is 11.5.1
- The top practice settings are hospital inpatient unit and hospital outpatient clinic.1
- The top diagnoses are hypertension, heart failure and hyperlipidemia.1
Career Resources
Learn more about job opportunities available to NPs in cardiology by visiting the AANP JobCenter. You can filter your search by state, experience level and job type, including full-time positions, part-time positions or internships. You can also upload your resume to the JobCenter and let employers find you!
If you need help navigating the process of finding a job, please check out the JobCenter’s career resources. The JobCenter is dedicated to helping you prepare for interviews, negotiate your salary and polish your resume. AANP also offers tips on becoming certified, finding the right practice setting and staying informed on important health issues at every stage of your NP career.
Hot Topics in Cardiovascular Continuing Education (CE)
Hone your skills with these cardiovascular case studies: The Essentials: Management of Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Risk Factors (Case Study: Neha) and The Essentials: Management of CVD Risk Factors (Case Study: William) CE activities. These essential 0.75-contact-hour CE activities are free to the public and available in the AANP CE Center.
Next Steps
Join the AANP Cardiology Specialty Practice Group (SPG), an online community members can join, for a small fee, to engage in a forum exclusively devoted to cardiology topics with other NPs.
Members Get More
If you are not already a member of AANP, you should consider joining to gain access to:
- More than 150 contact hours of CE activities through the AANP CE Center.
- Articles from The Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JNP) and the Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (JAANP).
- The 2021 AANP Grant and Scholarship Program, which is accepting applications until March 24, 2021.