Nurse Practitioner: If you are already working as a nurse or considering a career in nursing for your future, you may be wondering what kind of education you will need and how long you are going to need to study for in order to meet your overall career goals. In general, you will start off on this career path by getting a BSN and becoming a registered nurse. Once you have become licensed to practice and have gained some experience in nursing, you can get a graduate degree to become a nurse practitioner. There are several ways to get into this role, all of which vary in terms of cost and the options available for study. Both traditional and offline programs are available, making it easier than ever for nurses to decide on the best way for them when it comes to progressing into this highly sought-after role.
Table of Contents
What is a Nurse Practitioner?
A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse who has more responsibilities than other nurses due to completing advanced training, education, and licensing exams. Nurse practitioners are permitted to diagnose patient conditions, prescribe medication and treatment, and offer more healthcare advice to their patients. Depending on the state in which they are working, many nurse practitioners are permitted to work independently of a primary care physician. Nurse practitioners can go into a more general role treating patients of all ages as a family nurse practitioner, or focus on a narrower area such as pediatric healthcare or psychiatry.
Overview of Becoming a Nurse Practitioner
How long you can expect it to take to become a nurse practitioner will vary between individuals due to the large range of programs available for training. To get to this role, you will first need to have completed a BSN and gained a certain number of years’ experience in the field depending on the training program that you want to take. You’ll then need to get a graduate degree. A master’s nursingdegree is usually the minimum requirement for becoming a nurse practitioner, before going on to take a program that is specifically designed to get you into this role such as these nurse practitioner programs in Texas from Baylor University. Once you have these qualifications, the last step is to get a license to practice in your state by passing the advanced nursing licensing exam.
Earning a Bachelor’s Degree
Getting your BSN and becoming a registered nurse is the first step towards a career as a nurse practitioner. While you can become a registered nurse with an associate’s degree in nursing, bear in mind that the BSN is usually the minimum requirement for nursing master’s degrees and nurse practitioner programs, so you’ll need to go back and get your BSN if you start your nursing career without one. In addition, due to the advanced nature of the role, you will usually be required to build up your nursing experience before you get onto an advanced program.
Getting a Graduate Degree
With your BSN and some nursing experience behind you, it’s time to start thinking about applying for nurse practitioner programs or your master’s degree in nursing, which are the minimum requirements for becoming a nurse practitioner. Currently, you can find around four hundred different schools offering master’s programs that are tailored to help you get into this role. Choosing the right program for you is important; make sure that they provide training in your preferred specialty area and that the program is run in a way that you can fit around your life and your current nursing career. Online programs are becoming a more and more popular option for aspiring nurse practitioners since they offer the option to study from home and manage your own time in a way that would not be possible with a traditional classroom-based degree program.
It’s also important to consider the entry requirements for the program that you are considering taking to become a nurse practitioner. Typically, they will expect you to be an established nurse with a BSN and the correct license to practice in your state. You will usually be required to have a certain amount of clinical experience, and reference letters and academic transcripts will be required for you to be considered.
State Licensing
Before you can start work as a nurse practitioner after graduating from the advanced program, each state requires that nurse practitioners hold the appropriate license, which are governed and controlled by the Board of Nursing for the specific state. It’s important to start preparing for this as early as possible. You can find specific licensing requirements for your state at the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. You will need to pass a national certification exam from an accredited body such as the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board, the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the National Certification Corporation before you can start working in this role. Bear in mind that your license as a registered nurse is not overruled when you become a nurse practitioner, so there is no reason why you might not be able to work in both roles.
Nurse Practitioner Career Options
As a nurse practitioner, you will be faced with several career options and many different areas that you can specialize in. The curriculum for nurse practitioner degree training provides a wide range of specialized training and education options that are designed to allow nurse practitioners to practice in the area of their choice. Nurse practitioners can also choose to train in more than one field, or if you’re not sure where you might like to specialize, a family nurse practitioner role is often broader. Once qualified as a family nurse practitioner, you can find a range of programs designed to help you learn more and prepare to go into more specialist work in this role if you wish to do so.
Nurse practitioners are currently in higher demand than ever before due to the excellent standard of care that they provide to patients. Wherever you’re currently at in your nursing career, this is an excellent role to work towards.
Also read: Can Vitamin B12 vapes energize your mood?
