3 Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Programs
Written By: Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Internal medicine NPs have received additional training—either on the job or through a formal educational process—beyond their adult-geriatric acute care nurse practitioner certification. Internal medicine nurse practitioners typically function as medical gatekeepers: Many medical services contribute to the care of patients with complex diagnoses, and it’s the job of internal medicine nurse practitioners to ensure those services are all on the same wavelength. What internal medicine nurse practitioner programs are currently available? Read on to find out more about 3 internal medicine nurse practitioner programs that are among the most comprehensive.
Top 3 Benefits Of Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Programs
If you are talented at executive functioning and enjoy keeping track of the various assessments, diagnoses, treatments, follow-ups, and outcome evaluations that provide high-quality patient care in a hospital setting, internal medicine nurse practice may be just the job for you. Here are some other advantages to graduating from an internal medicine nurse practitioner program.
Benefit #1: Salary
Internal medicine NPs work primarily in hospitals, and hospital-based NPs generally earn the highest salaries. Internal medicine NPs average $134,620 a year, 4 percent more than the $129,120 that NPs without specializations average throughout the U.S. In states like California, internal medicine NPs average $170,740 annually, which is 32 percent higher than the average salary of NPs without specializations.Benefit #2: Employment opportunities
The demand for internal medicine nurse practitioners is high and poised to increase. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitalization rates in the U.S. were rising, and as the Baby Boomer generation ages, we are likely to see those hospitalization numbers go even higher. Since internal medicine nurse practitioners work primarily in hospital and medical center contexts, the need for their services is going to increase.Benefit #3: Close patient relationships
Internal medicine nurse practitioners spend a lot of time with individual patients since they typically work with patients who are either hospitalized for long periods of time or are hospitalized repeatedly for a chronic condition. This opens the door to closer relationships with these patients and allows internal medicine NPs to expand their interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills.What Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Programs Are Currently Available?
(The following 3 internal medicine nurse practitioner programs are currently available. The list includes college programs, certificates, fellowships, and residency training programs.)1. Marshall Health - Huntington, WV
Program Type: Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Fellowship
Marshall Health’s Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioner Fellowship is open to four nurse practitioners every year who are graduates of an accredited Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. Fellows complete 12 months of general internal medicine and cardiology rotations at the Cabell Huntington Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia, and may also participate in endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, and pulmonology rounds.
This internal medicine nurse practitioner program is intense: You’ll also take part in continuity care clinics, on-site trainings, lectures, reading, and research or quality improvement projects at the Erma Ora Byrd Clinical Center in Huntington and various rural sites throughout West Virginia. To apply to this program, you must hold RN and APRN licensure in West Virginia.
2. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science - Rochester, MN
Program Type: Hospital Internal Medicine and Critical Care Fellowship
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine & Science’s Fellowship has two tracks: a traditional hospitalist track and a critical care medicine track. The traditional hospitalist track consists of clinical rotations in hematology/medical oncology, palliative medicine, cardiology emergency medicine, hepatology, the hospital internal medicine consult service, the hospital internal medicine night service, general hospital internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, nephrology, neurology, heart failure/heart transplant, and interventional radiology.
The critical care medicine track consists of clinical rotations through general hospital internal medicine, anesthesia, cardiovascular diseases, heart failure/heart transplant service, bone marrow transplant, emergency medicine, surgical subspecialties, critical care medicine, trauma and burn, nephrology, and pulmonary medicine.
This 12-month internal medicine NP program accepts four fellows every year. You must have graduated from an accredited nurse practitioner program and hold Arizona RN and APRN licensure to apply.
3. The University of Utah - Salt Lake City, UT
Program Type: Internal Medicine Fellowship: Rural Track
The University of Utah School of Medicine, in conjunction with Mountain West Medical Center in Tooele, Utah, offers an Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) Fellowship Program. This is the only one of the internal medicine nurse practitioner programs that is designed explicitly for NPs who want to work in rural healthcare practice settings.
The program focuses on both acute internal medicine and intensive care. You may do some core rotations, including general cardiology, heart failure, Infectious disease, and critical care, at the University of Utah School of Medicine. Didactic education is integrated into the fellowship through formal and informal lectures, inpatient rounds, grand rounds, and treatment planning conferences. This program is only open to applicants who’ve graduated from an accredited acute care nurse practitioner program.
Where Do Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners Mostly Work?
Internal medicine nurse practitioners are specifically trained in the management of hospitalized patients, so they work primarily in hospital facilities and medical centers. You’ll find them in emergency rooms, intensive care, cardiac care, and other specialized medical wards like pulmonary units. Less frequently, internal medicine NPs find employment at ambulatory care clinics, long-term care facilities, and physician practices.
Work Setting #1: Intensive care units
Graduates of internal medicine nurse practitioner programs are a common sight in ICUs. They conduct intake assessments, order labs, screenings, and other diagnostic tests, communicate with other healthcare team members, and develop treatment plans. Depending upon the extent of their training, internal medicine nurse practitioners may also be charged with carrying out procedures like central line placements, chest tube placements, and even endotracheal intubations.Work Setting #2: Ambulatory care clinics
Internal medicine nurse practitioners often take on supervisory roles at ambulatory care clinics. Additionally, they help triage to see if patients’ illnesses or injuries are serious enough to be transferred to an emergency room or intensive care unit. Internal medicine NPs provide monitoring for patients who come in with multiple symptoms. They’re also typically the lead on any follow-up the clinic may do with patients.Work Setting #3: Long-term care facilities
When they work in long-term care facilities, internal medicine nurse practitioners frequently take on case manager roles. They supervise clients' medical treatment and are the primary communication conduit with the medical director (who is most likely a physician) and other attending physicians. Internal medicine NPs oversee all admissions and discharges. They also ensure that long-term care facilities comply with the regulations necessary for continuing accreditation.Starting Salary For Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners
Internal medicine nurse practitioners just starting out in the field earn $94,300 a year, which works out to $45.34 an hour, $1,813 a week, or $7,860 a month.
| Hourly | $45.34 |
| Weekly | $1,813 |
| Monthly | $7,860 |
| Annual | $94,300 |
| (Source: Nursingprocess.org) | |
Average Salary For Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners
Experienced internal medicine nurse practitioners make $134,620 annually, which amounts to $64.72 hourly, $2,589 weekly, or $11,220 monthly. This is a salary increase of 43 percent over the average salary for internal medicine NPs when they are first starting out.
| Hourly | $64.72 |
| Weekly | $2,589 |
| Monthly | $11,220 |
| Annual | $134,620 |
| (Source: Nursingprocess.org) | |
My Final Thoughts
This article presented an in-depth look at what internal medicine nurse practitioner programs are currently available. As you’ve seen, there aren’t many—and that’s because internal medicine nurse practice is a relatively new practice field. It’s an excellent professional path for APRNs interested in mastering the specialized skill sets necessary for managing patients with undifferentiated or multi-system disease processes. In the future, you can expect to see many more than 3 internal medicine nurse practitioner programs.
Frequently Asked Questions Answered
1. On Average, How Much Do Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners Make Per Hour?
Internal medicine nurse practitioners average $64.72 an hour.| Salary Per Hour |
| $64.72 |
2. On Average, How Much Do Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners Make Per Week?
In a week, internal medicine nurse practitioners can expect to earn $2,589.| Salary Per Week |
| $2,589 |
3. On Average, How Much Do Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners Make Per Month?
The monthly salary of an internal medicine nurse practitioner is $11,220.| Salary Per Month |
| $11,220 |
4. On Average, How Much Do Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners Make Per Year?
You’ll average $134,620 annually as an internal medicine nurse practitioner.| Salary Per Year |
| $134,620 |
5. What Are The 10 Highest Paying States For Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners?
The Northeast and the Pacific Coast hold the most lucrative employment opportunities for internal medicine nurse practitioners. With an average salary of $170,740 a year, California is the highest-paying state for internal medicine nurse practitioners, and Washington State and Oregon also pay salaries that are significantly higher than average. New Jersey, New York State, Massachusetts, and Connecticut all represent the Northeast on the top 10 list.| Rank | Highest Paying States | |
| State | Average Annual Salary | |
| 1 | California | $170,740 |
| 2 | New Jersey | $154,670 |
| 3 | New York | $152,750 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $149,760 |
| 5 | Oregon | $147,110 |
| 6 | Nevada | $147,090 |
| 7 | Washington | $146,400 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $141,970 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $139,890 |
| 10 | Hawaii | $138,540 |
6. What Are The 10 Highest Paying Cities For Internal Medicine Nurse Practitioners?
Except for the Greater Metropolitan New York City Area, the cities that pay internal medicine nurse practitioners the highest salaries are all in California. Partly this is because internal medicine NPs primarily work in hospital settings, and the Golden State has more than 500 hospitals. But partially this is because California is one of the most expensive states in the U.S. to live in with a cost of living that’s 50 percent higher than the cost of living throughout the U.S. as a whole. If California employers didn’t compensate internal medicine NPs so highly, those NPs might not be able to afford to live in the Golden State.| Rank | Highest Paying Cities | |
| City | Average Annual Salary | |
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $215,550 |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $205,220 |
| 3 | Napa, CA | $204,270 |
| 4 | Vallejo-Fairfield, CA | $195,420 |
| 5 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $183,900 |
| 6 | Yuba City, CA | $174,580 |
| 7 | Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA | $170,390 |
| 8 | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA | $170,050 |
| 9 | Salinas, CA | $169,430 |
| 10 | El Centro, CA | $164,520 |
Pattie Trumble, MPP, MPH
Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. After 10 years of providing direct care, she went back to school and earned concurrent Master’s degrees in both public policy and public health from the University of California, Berkeley. Thereafter, she worked for various public health agencies in California at both the community and state levels providing economic and legislative analysis.
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