Future Nurse Practitioner(:

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i am currently attending a vocational school and i am in a nursing program.

i'm working on becoming a cna but i am wanting to end up being a nurse practitioner in the long run.

i understand that i have to work my way up to it.. so what will i need to work on after i become a cna?

(:

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Specializes in Pediatric/Adolescent, Med-Surg.

Before you can apply for NP school you will need to have a Bachelor's in Nursing and your RN.

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Ace ALL your science courses first of all. If you have already taken them then hopefully you got all A's. That why you won't have to worry about rejection because B's and C's are very unappealing when trying to get into a good program. Also...throw your life away. I mean anything outside of school that you do, throw it away before you decide to go into a BSN or ADN program. You have to make nursing school your full-time job. Any social or fun activities you do with your friends you should reduce the time but if you get into a program u will eventually stop doing it altogether. If you have kids and you MUST work, then please have people on your side who are understanding and who will give you 100% support. Get reliable caregivers or baby-sitters because you will need plenty of study time. Do the CNA thing while you are trying to get into a program. It will keep you fresh and up-to-date on how nurses function in the healthcare setting. Being a CNA can be a hassle sometimes and a bit gross, trust me I have been there, but please stick with that until you get accepted because it will be the best thing ever. Nursing programs start out teaching basic stuff like bp measurements, turning and bathing pt, ROM exercises....basic stuff u will already know. Save up right now, because you will have to spend money on clinical uniforms and other medical equipment, use your CNA stethoscope if ur program gave u one and also use ur BP cuff if they gave you one. You will have a list of things you will have to buy and if you can try to get financial aid. Research the program you want to go into. Research it and research it well. Research the instructors, the department chair, everyone. Find out how long these people worked as nurses or whatever their nursing title is, find out their credentials, RESEARCH IT! Don't just listen to someone who says they have a good program, do your own research because as soon as you get into nursing school you will have to continue doing research so that will be a great place to start. But like I said before, make sure you pre-reqs on your transcript read A's and if you must have B's make sure its not in Microbiology or A&P or any science course because that will be frowned upon by the good programs. Also in Pathophysiology make sure u make or made an A, that is also important.

Find out what people are reading or what classes the program you want to go into and read up on the classes. Read, read, read. Read and get as much nursing books as you possibly can.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Postpartum.

CNA-->RN (BSN)--->Get some experience as an RN--->NP program (specialize).

I got into a great BSN program with a few B's. Some 4.0 students got rejected from the same program. With that said, still do well, and have faith. Look into potential BSN programs and look into their prerequisites. Some colleges posts GPA stats, etc on acceptance. Every NP school is different, but the one I'm looking at for the future wants at least 1 year RN experience. But, one year may not be enough to get in if I'm up against 5+ years experience applicants.

Good luck on your career path. First things first, graduate from you CNA program.

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Specializes in ER, ICU.

Just to add, there are ASN to NP programs but RN is a necessary first step.

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What is the average GPA for students with BSNs that get into FNP programs?

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i though u need a MSN before u can go for NP, i guess im wrong then?

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Specializes in Family Practice, ICU.

You don't need a MSN before you get your NP, the NP IS a Master's degree (or in some cases, a Doctorate). You only need a BSN to get accepted to an NP program.

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If you're thinking about an NP, you might also want to look into PA. They're essentially pretty similar in the long run re practice in the real world, and will most likely become even more similar as NP's and PA's continue taking over more of the primary care sector (the MDs and DOs aren't exactly thrilled, but the gubment thinks it's a good cost-saving measure, so thinking roles for both are likely to be expanded). BTW, if entry-level NP ends up being a doctorate degree (in 2015), it might be easier to go the PA route at that point. It's 2 yrs after a bachelor's (usually a BS in biology, but as long as you take any additional required science courses, almost any undergrad degree will work whether BSN or even a non-science bachelor's...as long as you take the science courses in addition). BTW, for those with BSN's with GPA 3.5 or higher, you'd basically need only to take a few more courses (mostly chemistry) in order to be accepted to an MD (or DO) program. Food for thought for those many highly gifted and bright BSN RN's out there who may be thinking about furthering their education...

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