How to Become a Nurse Practitioner

If yous're interested in becoming a nurse practitioner (NP), y'all may be wondering, "How many years of school do I demand to complete in gild to become a nurse practitioner?" The full general path involves becoming a registered nurse (RN), completing a bachelor's caste, and and so obtaining a graduate degree after gaining experience as an RN. Land licensure and certification as an advanced exercise registered nurse (APRN) are required, too.

Explore Online MSN Programs

Georgetown University's Online Principal's in Nursing

Nursing@Georgetown delivers Georgetown University's MS in Nursing program online, preparing RNs with a BSN to pursue certification in an APRN specialty. Students can earn their degree in equally few as 23 months.

  • Earn your MS in Nursing in as few as 23 months
  • Choose from ane of four APRN specialty areas: AG-ACNP, FNP, NM/WHNP, or WHNP
  • Gain hands-on clinical experience in evidence-based practice

USC'due south CCNE-Accredited Online MSN Plan

Nursing@USC delivers the online Master of Science in Nursing programme from the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work Department of Nursing. RN and BSN req'd.

  • Designed for registered nurses (RNs) with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
  • Offers a office-fourth dimension pick for active RNs to earn a Master of Science in Nursing online
  • Tin can exist completed in equally few as 21 months

The Online MSN — FNP Program From Simmons University

Designed for currently licensed RNs, Nursing@Simmons enables aspiring Family Nurse Practitioners to earn an MSN online from Simmons University.

  • Scholarships are available
  • Part-time, full-time and extended plans of study
  • Accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

Earn Your One thousand.S. in Nursing Online at St. John Fisher Higher

Earn an M.S. in Nursing online at the Wegmans School of Nursing. Available'southward in nursing and RN license-required.

  • Part-fourth dimension and accelerated tracks available
  • Iv program options: PCFNP, PMHNP, AGACNP, AGPCNP

Some other common question is "How much does it price to get a nurse practitioner?" The cost varies depending on where y'all enroll for undergraduate and graduate school, and whether or not you pursue your Physician of Nursing Practice degree. Fees for nursing programs vary from land to state, as well as across program formats. For instance, online nursing programs may help cut downward on costs related to transportation to and from classes.

What Is a Nurse Practitioner?

A nurse practitioner is a blazon of APRN with advanced education and training. NPs have the authority to diagnose, treat, counsel, and prescribe medication to patients. They may be able to practice independently without physician oversight, depending on state regulations. Often, NPs focus on sure specialties—such as pediatrics, elderliness, mental health, women's wellness, or adult medicine—just it's important to annotation that additional training is required.

General Path to Become a Nurse Practitioner

How long does it take to go a nurse practitioner? Becoming a registered nurse, completing a available's degree, gaining experience in the field, obtaining a graduate degree, and completing certification are all part of the process, which means the length of time information technology takes to become an NP will vary from one individual to another. However, understanding the importance of getting the right caste and the right certification at the right time will go a long fashion toward planning your path virtually efficiently. The following provides a general description of common steps to become a nurse practitioner.

  1. Become a Registered Nurse and/or Earn a Bachelor'south Caste

    Becoming a registered nurse is the offset pace you need to take, every bit possessing this foundation is essential to the clinical skills that the NP function requires. Registered nurses (RNs) work with a variety of patient populations. They provide and coordinate care, educate patients and the public near health conditions, and offer guidance and emotional support to patients and their families. They usually piece of work as office of a team with other health care professionals and may perform a diversity of tasks, including:

    • Assessing a patient'south condition
    • Documenting various aspects of a patient's intendance
    • Administering medicines and treatments
    • Creating intendance plans for patients and families
    • Collaborating with other health care professionals
    • Operating and monitoring medical equipment
    • Assisting with diagnostic testing and the assay of results
    • Teaching patients and their families how to manage illnesses or injuries

    After graduating from high school, you can go a registered nurse by completing either an associate or bachelor's degree programme in nursing from an accredited institution of higher education.

    Additional options include combining the steps of becoming an RN and earning a bachelor's degree or pursuing accelerated tracks that may exist available for those who accept previously caused available's degrees in non-nursing fields. Some students may choose to become a licensed applied nurse  (LPN) starting time. This allows them to gain clinical experience and earn income while they pursue further didactics to go an RN.

    Graduates of nursing programs must laissez passer a standardized national licensing examination the NCLEX-RN for registered nurses or the NCLEX-PN for licensed applied nurses. After passing the examination, they must and then earn a state license and undergo a criminal background check. In all nursing programs, students take a diverseness of science courses, including anatomy, physiology, microbiology, chemical science, nutrition, psychology, and other social and behavioral sciences. It usually takes four years to complete a traditional, non-accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, which typically includes boosted education in the concrete and social sciences, enquiry, and community health. BSN programs ordinarily include extensive clinical teaching.

    There are several paths to getting a BSN, as noted beneath. The path to reach a BSN varies and sometimes the longest route may be the best choice for you.A  If another option is preferred, information technology is important to know what requirements may be ahead to ensure the all-time path for you. In improver, if yous accept a specialty area in heed for your work as an NP, clinical experience in related settings is primal to edifice a foundation that will be helpful when pursuing certification. If you lot are not sure which area you would like to specialize in, this can exist a swell time to try unlike settings and patient populations. The diverse paths to getting a BSN include:

    • Enrolling in a BSN program after graduating from high school
    • Enrolling in an associate caste in nursing (ADN) plan and completing additional coursework to complete a BSN
    • Enrolling in an LPN plan and completing boosted coursework to complete a BSN
    • Enrolling in an RN-to-BSN span programme
    • Enrolling in an LPN-to-BSN program

  2. Proceeds Experience in the Field

    Afterward the completion of a bachelor's degree, the adjacent step is to get to work. Many individuals who complete a BSN have already been working in clinical settings, merely those who entered a programme direct out of high school may benefit from getting some experience under their belts. There are many essential clinical skills that a nurse hones while caring for patients on the chore—too as important competencies related to things similar communication, collaboration, and teamwork in a clinical setting.

    Some nurses start out in medical-surgical settings, which provide a stiff foundation in caring for patients with a diverseness of needs. While others may beginning their careers in specialty areas. If a nurse would like to specialize in a certain surface area, there are many types of nursing certifications available. These often require a minimum of 2 years of clinical experience in that specialty equally part of eligibility to sit down for the exam.

    How much experience is needed?

    Usually 1 to two years of clinical work provides a strong foundation, depending upon the setting and goals for time to come specialization.

    Registered nurses may earn specialty certification in a diversity of fields, which typically includes a minimum requirement for years of clinical feel in the field.

  3. Obtain a Graduate Degree

    A Chief of Science in Nursing (MSN) is the minimum requirement to go a nurse practitioner. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), at that place are about 400 academic institutions that offer NP programs in the Us. The AANP recommends the following considerations to help yous choose one that volition fit your specific needs:

    • Is training offered in your preferred specialty area?
    • Is your preferred method of attendance available?
    • What are the entry requirements, and exercise you qualify?
    • What is the program's accreditation and graduate certification rate?

    The requirements to apply for an MSN program vary depending upon the individual school. In addition to the required undergraduate education and licensure, the typical requirements for admission to an MSN program include clinical experience, letters of reference, and bookish transcripts.

    For example, many family unit nurse practitioner (FNP) online programs require that candidates meet a base set of requirements, including:

    Available of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from an accredited university or college
    Active registered nurse'southward license in proficient standing
    Minimum amount of work experience every bit an RN (corporeality varies by institution)
    Ability to meet the particular FNP program's required clinical and/or on-site practicum

    Some candidates also cull to pursue a Dr. of Nursing Exercise (DNP) degree to advance their foundation of cognition. Timeframes for programs and educational paths vary, merely here are general estimates to help y'all consider your options:

    • BSN to MSN path: i.5-two years full-time; 2–4+ years role-time
    • RN/ADN to MSN path: 3–five years full-time; five+ years role-time
    • MSN to DNP path: 1–2 years full-time; ii–three+ years part-time
    • BSN to DNP path: iii–4 years full-time; 4–seven+ years part-fourth dimension

  4. Reach State License and Certification

    Every country requires that nurse practitioners exist licensed. Since the Board of Nursing (BON) in each state governs the specific licensing requirements, information technology is important to know what the requirements are before starting your education and preparation. The National Quango of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) provides contact information for each state BON beyond the United States, where specific licensure requirements can be obtained.

    NPs are besides required to laissez passer a national certification examination from an accredited certifying body. Co-ordinate to the AANP, these include the following (which offer a diversity of specialty certifications):

    • American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board (AANPCB)
    • American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Certification Programme
    • American Clan of Disquisitional-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation
    • Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB)
    • National Certification Corporation (NCC)

    In addition to RN licensure and a graduate degree from an accredited institution, NP candidates are typically required to take a certain number of supervised clinical hours. How much time volition exist needed to achieve licensure and certification? That will vary depending upon completion of eligibility requirement, the specific examination schedules of each certifying body, and the amount of time needed for a candidate to prepare for the certifying exam.

  5. Pursue Further Specialization

    The curriculum of a nurse practitioner program provides specialized teaching and training to enable the NP to practice at an avant-garde level. Typically, these programs have a specific area of focus. With such a foundation, NPs may choose to get certified in more one field. The requirements needed to do then will vary according to the area of specialization and the certifying torso.

    How much time will exist needed? That will vary depending upon the following:

    • Expanse of specialization
    • Amount of clinical experience in that specialty area
    • Exam eligibility requirements of the certifying body
    • Time needed to prepare for the certifying examination
    • Test schedule

Education and Training Requirements to Become a Nurse Practitioner

As noted previously, an MSN degree is the minimum requirement to go a nurse practitioner. However, some candidates cull to pursue a DNP, either every bit the initial path to meeting the educational and training requirements to become an NP or every bit additional education across the MSN. Both are popular options to run into NP teaching requirements, with many MSN programs available and the number of DNP programs growing.

When you are researching MSN programs, it is of import to detect one that offers your preferred expanse of focus. To make up one's mind the right specialty for you, consider the following tips:

  • Gain clinical experience to help you make up one's mind which area may be a good fit.
  • Empathise the education and certification requirements for the specialty you desire.
  • Inquiry bacon and piece of work settings for diverse specialty areas.
  • Talk to NPs who work in diverse specialties to better understand their roles.

Cull the Correct MSN Concentration

The chore responsibilities and salaries will be different for diverse specialty areas. You tin can discover more than most that on our career folio that highlights the following specialties:

  • Adult-Gerontology
  • Midwifery
  • Family unit Nurse Practitioner
  • Nurse Anesthesiology
  • Psychiatric/Mental Health
  • Neonatology

Choose the Right DNP Concentration for Your DNP Degree

If obtaining a DNP degree is your preferred choice for meeting the NP graduate education requirement, it is important to empathise how this compares with the MSN choice already discussed.

The DNP is a post-BSN or post-MSN medical practice caste. This means that it includes avant-garde preparation in specific nursing skills and disciplines for use in the field. Some NPs with DNP degrees move on to wellness leadership roles. Others specialize in a specific expanse of focus, similar to NPs with an MSN. Since the DNP degree is recommended as the graduate degree for advanced nursing practise past the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), it tin be a suitable option for nurses interested in advancing in their careers.

Exam, Licensure, and Certification Requirements

As with the MSN path for NPs, it is important to proceeds a quality undergraduate nursing instruction and clinical experience that will aid in the efficient completion of the DNP degree. Agreement various areas of specialization will assistance y'all to choose the program that volition best fit your needs, as will knowing the NP exam, licensure, and certification requirements for each state.

Some Experiences to Help You lot Succeed

You lot can starting time edifice the foundation for a successful nurse practitioner career past taking part in a variety of experiences right abroad. For case:

  • Volunteering with specific populations in various settings can aid you decide on a specialty focus and add to your wheelhouse of experience.
  • Gaining experience in other healthcare professions—such as social work—can provide a broader interdisciplinary perspective that will inform future NP practise.
  • Attending events and engaging with diverse professionals in the healthcare field volition help you build your professional person network.

Useful Resources for Nurse Practitioners

To learn more well-nigh the nurse practitioner role, y'all may find this Nursing Resource Guide and the following resource helpful:

  • The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
  • The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)
  • American Association of Critical-Intendance Nurses (AACN) Certification Corporation
  • American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board (AANPCB)
  • American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC)
  • Pediatric Nursing Certification Board PNCB)
  • National Certification Corporation (NCC)

Disclaimer: Timelines listed in this article are estimates that volition vary based on the program of choice, pace of study, and overall professional goals. Contact an accredited university for the most updated timeline information. Teach.com is not responsible for any timeline changes after 2020.

Final Updated: Apr 2020