Advice needed! I want to become an NP. What's the best route for me to get there?

[undecided19]

Hi everyone!

I am new to this forum and need some advice.

So, I have been very undecided about a career path for basically my entire life. The only thing I have consistently known is that I want to help people directly. I need a job where I am interacting with people for most of the day and making a difference in their lives. I have lots of experience tutoring and nannying kids during high school, and I loved these jobs.

Some of the careers I've seriously considered include teaching, counseling psychology, and being a primary care doctor. Recently, however, I learned more about the nurse practitioner profession and have become very interested in it. I really like the nursing model over the medical model, and the idea of caring for the whole patient rather than just treating their illness. Nursing just seems much more holistic to me, more focused on prevention and wellness, and more about helping people than gaining money and prestige (correct me if I'm wrong).

Right now, I am a sophomore psychology major with a biology minor. My school does have a nursing school but it isn't a direct admit program. As a result, I'd have to take my prerequisites and then apply, meaning that it would take me 1-2 extra years to get my bachelor's degree. (And that's if I do get into the nursing school.) I have a 3.7 GPA and am really involved at school, but it's still not a shoe-in.

The other thing I've been looking at is graduate entry programs. These seem pretty expensive, but at the same time, they might make more sense given my situation. However, I notice that many of these programs grant the MSN/RN without a BSN or NP specialty, and I don't really know how that'd help me.

Anyway, I am just very unsure as to what I should do given my situation. Do you think NP sounds like a fit for me, and if so what route should I take to get there? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

NP is a good career choice. However, most nurses will strongly recommend 2+ years of solid RN experience under your belt before starting NP school and choosing a BSN-MSN or DNP program over a direct entry NP program. Med-surg, ER, telemetry, and/or ICU are good specialties to look into to provide a solid base of knowledge before becoming an advanced practice nurse.