Eunice
How long did it take to become a nurse practitioner?
#nurse-practitioner #nursing
6 answers
Paul Goetzinger MPA College Advisor
Paul’s Answer
Hi Eunice
The path towards achieving the Nurse Practitioner’s designation includes a specific academic path and professional certifications. The designation basically allows them to enter into an advanced practice of nursing, which allows them to perform examinations, make diagnosis of a patients symptoms, do minor surgical procedures, do diagnostic tests and prescribe medications under the administration of a licensed physician.
There are several specific requirements, which must be completed in order to become an LNP. This includes:
· Obtaining a bachelors degree in nursing from an accredited institution (BSN)
· Passing the National Council Licensing Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) and satisfying your state certifications requirements and becoming an RN.
· Obtaining 1 to 2 years of experience as an RN in a hospital or clinical setting.
· Choosing a specialty within your nursing profession (like pediatrics, women's health, gerontology etc…) and working for 1-2 years within that specialty.
· Completing a masters program in Nursing. This normally can take one to three years. But there are also BSN to Masters programs for individuals who have a bachelors, but have not majored in nursing, which could be a faster track.
· Complete the nursing practitioners certification exam.
· Complete the required number of certification work hour requirements within your specialty, which can take 750 to 1400 hours
Each specialty and program can vary, but all together in can add up with all the education and work experience requirements, around 6 to 8 years to become a licensed and certified Nurse Practitioner.
Paul recommends the following next steps:
Alice Mwewa
Alice’s Answer
Lauren Dunn MSN, FNP-C
Lauren’s Answer
It's very competitive to get into nursing programs in general. Ensure you have a high GPA and are also involved in volunteer work or other experiences which serve your community and display your interest in healthcare and caring for others. I highly recommend working or volunteering in a healthcare environment and seeking out shadowing opportunities whenever ad wherever possible. You cannot have too much experience! If you can obtain a certified nursing assistant (CNA) or medical assistant (MA) certification and work in these roles I highly recommend it. I worked as a CNA/ medication technician during my undergraduate years and it was extremely helpful in obtaining the career experiences I've had.
1. Obtain your BSN, RN- I did this via a BSN degree at a 4 year institution and then sat for the NCLEX RN certification board.
I was admitted to my college (Michigan State) and then had to apply for the nursing program secondarily. Every school is a bit different so ensure you find a school with a nursing program and speak to an advisor and let them know your career interests.
Alternatively You can also begin in a community college licensed practical nurse program (LPN) or associates degree in nursing (ADN) and then sit for RN boards. Ultimately you will need a bachelors to become a nurse practitioner. You can work as a LPN or ADN typically while you obtain your bachelor's degree. Often your employer will help fund a bachelors which is great financially if you are paying for your costs of school or to prevent / minimize student loans. For all nursing degrees maintaining excellent grades is of utmost importance for future acceptance into your NP program.
If you have a bachelors degree that is not in nursing you can pursue an accelerated or secondary BSN program which is typically shorter in nature and you can obtain a degree in less than 2 years.
2. Obtain your MSN, with specialty in Family Medicine, Adult Gerentology, Women's Health, Psychiatry. There are also differentiations in acute care (hospital medicine and some specialties) or primary care (most often strictly outpatient medicine) I am a Family Medicine Nurse Practitioner (FNP). As you go through nursing school your passions and interests will likely become clear.
-I applied for a MSN degree program after a year of work experience as a RN. I then completed my degree part time while working and then Sat for the ANNP boards (following my name I am FNP-C which means Family Nurse Practitioner - Certified )
Alternatively, I have colleagues who applied during their last year of BSN as well and were successful in starting immediately into their master's studies. I recommend working for at least 6 months before applying. Not only is all of your nursing experience helpful, however, it's overwhelming to begin working as a new nurse and a new master's educational program. Your employer may often tuition assistance for your master's degree as well, which is helpful to help minimize student loans and maintain your finances.
There are two certifying boards for NPs American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and American Nursing Credentialing Center (AANP & ANCC). Either is acceptable in practice. Your acronym would be FNP-BC for ANCC's certification.
I hope this was helpful.
Best wishes on your career pursuits!
Lauren recommends the following next steps:
Estelle Archer
Estelle’s Answer
4 years for your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
Either Degree you will have to take the NCLEX-RN exam (you take this exam after you graduate)
After becoming an RN, you needs 2 more years education and clinical training to become a nurse practitioner.
Rachel Weinheimer
Rachel’s Answer
