Nurse Practitioner

Overview

Nurse practitioner programs prepare registered nurses to give primary care to family members of all ages.

Nurse practitioner programs prepare registered nurses to give general care to families. Students learn to evaluate and treat health needs of patients. They also learn to refer patients to doctors as needed.

Nurse practitioner programs include topics such as:

Family primary care
Nursing practice and health care policy
Pediatric practice
Gerontological practice
Clinical techniques

Schools

Many universities and nursing schools offer graduate-level nurse practitioner programs. A Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) typically requires two years of study beyond a bachelor’s degree. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree program usually requires two or more years of study beyond the master’s degree.

Many schools are phasing out the master’s degree as preparation for nurse practitioners. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is the becoming the most common level of preparation.

See schools that offer this program.

Graduate Admissions

Admission to graduate programs is competitive. You need a bachelor's degree in nursing, good grades, and good test scores.

Additional requirements at some schools include:

Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General
Letters of recommendation
Undergraduate course work in statistics
One year or more of nursing experience
State-registered nursing license

Typical Course Work

Graduate Program Courses

This graduate program typically includes courses in the following subjects:

Advanced Health Assessment
Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology
Advanced Practice Nursing
Bioethics
Diagnostic Tools and Techniques
Epidemiology
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Health Systems and Policies
Nursing Theory
Nutrition
Pharmacology
Primary Care of the Family
Research and Bio Statistics

Graduate programs that lead to a doctoral degree in nursing typically include:

Required courses
Preliminary exams (doctoral degree only)
Dissertation and dissertation defense (doctoral degree)

Nurse practitioner programs require you to participate in clinical preceptorships, usually each term, where you work and study in hospitals and medical centers under the supervision of professional nurse practitioners and professors. Students continue learning about the principles of primary health care through observation and actual patient care. They practice the skills and techniques of interviewing patients, administering physical exams, and prescribing medications.

Clinical preceptorships allow students to apply their course work to real-life situations. They also give students valuable experience that they can apply to their work after they complete their degree.

Things to Know

Some schools offer a doctoral (PhD) degree in nursing. This degree is more focused on nursing research.

Often, graduates from nurse practitioner programs study for an additional year to specialize in a specific area of patient care.

Many nurse practitioner programs are offered part time, with day and evening classes.

Most people who become nurse practitioners choose to become certified. You must graduate from a nationally accredited program and pass a national exam to be certified.