Clarification please

[Nurse Malone]

Hello. I need some clarification about NPs. A colleague of mine completed a MSN degree a few years ago and then took the licensure exam about a year or so later which she told me that she passed. As a new nurse it is my understanding that once you pass the NCLEX-NP and pass you become a licensed NP (not sure of the actual title). My confusion comes b/c when I looked her license up through MBON she is only listed as a RN. It does verify that she has the MSN but no NP licensure or number is listed. I am doing some research in finding an appropriate program b/c I want to become a NP. I've seen various MSN programs, but it seems you have to specialize in FNP, Education, Healthcare Policy, Informatics, or Executive tracts. So do all MSN degree holders become NPs (or APRNs) upon completion of their program? Do they all have to take the NCLEX-NP exam upon completion? How long do you have to work or how many hours must be completed post-licensure in order to be listed with the state's board of nursing as a NP? Please help!

[BeachsideRN, ASN]

It is my understanding that All NPs must have MSN or DNP. But not all MSN or DNP are NPs. So your friend may just be an advanced practice nurse.

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

There is no such thing as an NCLEX-NP. Nurse practitioner board exams are offered through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and/or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). There are direct entry MSN programs (such as CNL - Clinical Nurse Leader) that are not NP programs. Graduates of such programs sit for the NCLEX-RN. This may have been what your friend did.

As you have already figured out, not all MSN programs are nurse practitioner programs. They can be for informatics, executive leadership, nursing education etc. In fact, many NP programs are now being switched over to DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice) programs.

If your friend's license information is not listed on your state BONs website as an NP, it means she is not licensed in your state to practice as an NP.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

Not all persons with MSN degrees are nurse practitioners. The two most common MSN specialization areas are nursing education and nursing leadership, neither of which qualify a person to become a nurse practitioner because these are non-clinical specialties.

The MSN specialization areas that render students eligible to become nurse practitioners are family nurse practitioner (FNP), acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP), adult/geriatric nurse practitioner (AGNP), neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP), psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP), and pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP).

The four MSN tracks that qualify one to become advance practice nurses (APNs) include the certified nurse midwife (CNM), certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), clinical nurse specialist (CNS), and nurse practitioner (NP).

So to clarify, there are only four types of APRNs: CNS, CRNA, CNM, and NP. A person with an MSN who specialized in nursing education, nursing leadership, holistic nursing, nursing informatics, or some other specialization area is not an APRN unless (s)he completes a post-masters FNP program.

[Nurse Malone]

Thank you for the clarification. I didn't know that there was no such thing as a NCLEX-NP; but there is a licensure or certification exam, correct? Is there a certain amount of time I should work as a RN before I start an advanced practice FNP program or do most people just go directly into a degree program upon BSN completion; any suggestions?

[Lev, MSN, RN, NP]

Give yourself at least two but preferably 5 years of RN practice in an acute care specialty with some of that time in ICU and/or ED.

[Nurse Malone]

Thanks everyone for the information, I really appreciate your feedback. My mentor had told me she worked as a RN for a year before she started working on her FNP & continued working as well. She said it helped her better understand her patients and her fellow nurses.