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Last Reviewed: April 5th, 2023
Oklahoma ranks at the bottom in the PCP-to-patient ratio for the United States. That could mean job security if you’ve decided to call Oklahoma home as a nurse practitioner. While nurse practitioners are currently restricted in practice in the state, the future of your career in Oklahoma is likely to blossom and expand exponentially. That is because you may be the solution to the physician shortage in the state.
| Metro Area | # Employed | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Lawton, OK | 50 | $109,730 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 1,230 | $117,380 |
| Tulsa, OK | 560 | $117,170 | Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2021 |
| Metro Area | # Employed | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | 120 | $112,880 |
| Northwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | 180 | $111,950 |
| Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | 70 | $121,440 |
| Southeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | 270 | $116,950 | Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2021 |
Nurse practitioners in the Sooner State make a respectable living at $116,650 (Bureau of Labor Statistics - 2021) per year, in line with the national average and the top ten percent in southwest Oklahoma earn $152,130 annually and up. That’s no small change. So if you’re looking for an increase in salary as a nurse practitioner, Oklahoma is more than an OK choice. Let’s take a look at your options to raise your income.
While Oklahoma is not the friendliest state when it comes to providing resources and freedom to practice to NPs, there is an organization in the state that fills this role: The Association of Oklahoma Nurse Practitioners (AONP). The AONP has multiple resources that can be used to increase your salary in Oklahoma as a nurse practitioner, some of which are free and do not require membership.
The first resource to take advantage of from AONP is the free resume review inside their career center. Improving your resume can significantly increase your chances of landing that dream opportunity, or at minimum, of getting an interview. While we can’t speak for the changes that the AONP resume reviewers will make or suggest for your resume, the second set of eyes on your application never hurts. Because they see so many health professionals’ resumes, the AONP staff will likely provide valuable feedback that can help your resume stand out from the crowd.
Once you’ve got your resume shined up, the next resource to take advantage of is the job board on AONP. Because AONP specializes in nurse practitioners, it’s the ideal place for employers to advertise careers for NPs. You will spend less time sifting through irrelevant jobs and be quickly matched with higher-paying opportunities that appeal to you. Employers can even search through AONP’s library of NP resumes, get yours into their library and maybe your next career move will find you.
The AONP doesn’t stop at job boards or resume help. They have an entire section of their website dedicated to Oklahoma job-seeker resources for nurse practitioners. Some services they offer in this library include:
If you find the free resources to be valuable to you, you may consider joining an association to reap additional salary-boosting benefits for members including: conferences, continuing education opportunities, and more.
Oklahoma is the place to be if you’re looking to maximize your nurse practitioner salary. The resources available to NPs show evidence of a promising future that just may be the solution to the physician shortage in the Sooner State.