Experience required for NP schools

[Babynurse1992]

Hi!

I am a recent BSN graduate (May 2017) and I am currently working in an ICU! I have an opportunity to take a position in a pediatric allergy clinic with better hours/similar pay to the job I have now, but I am worried it won't be enough experience for an online NP school when I decide to go back! Does anyone have experience with this? I also have an interview in a PACU that I am considering as well, but the allergy clinic is something I am a little more interested in!

thank you!!

[elkpark]

Different schools have different requirements. There are plenty of nursing graduate programs that require no experience at all (I'm sorry to say ...)

[Babynurse1992]

interesting... the ones I have looked in to require "1 year clinical experience" but I was unsure about whether or not a clinic position as a BSN would be adequate or if that means more hospital setting. thanks for the response!

[elkpark]

Well, it varies from school to school, and what kind of experience would be most helpful may depend on what kind of advanced practice role you're interested in. If your interest is in pediatrics or FNP, an outpatient pediatric allergy clinic might be considered "better" (more relevant) and more useful experience than a PACU. If you're more interested in adults and acute care, a PACU might be considered "better." But it really ends up being up to the individual school. I precepted for a semester a PMHNP student from the university affiliated with our university medical center, a well-known and highly respected nursing program, who had spent her entire career in ICU and had absolutely no psych experience other than her undergrad psych rotation. But she got accepted into the PMHNP program.

Best wishes!

[umbdude, MSN, APRN]

I precepted for a semester a PMHNP student from the university affiliated with our university medical center, a well-known and highly respected nursing program, who had spent her entire career in ICU and had absolutely no psych experience other than her undergrad psych rotation. But she got accepted into the PMHNP program.

Best wishes!

Just curious how that student turned out? I know a few direct-entry PMHNP students and they have no RN experience, but they typically have work experience with psych patients (eg, social worker, techs, counselors).

[NurseyMcNurserson]

Go for it! Clinical experience doesn't have to be in a hospital (think home health, ambulatory centers, etc). If you're doing FNP, you should be fine in most programs.