Do NPs choose their desired speciality?

[gentlerain]

Or are they only allowed admittance in graduate school to the specialty they received experience/found a temporary job as an RN in?

I'm a little confused. Someone mentioned that a NP has little control over what specialty they end up in because it is due to whether they are able to find a job as in RN in that particular field.

Thank you for your help!

[elkpark]

You apply to a program with a specialty that interests you. Different schools may be more or less picky about how much nursing experience they require in a particular area to make you an attractive applicant to their program. But you can apply to any program you like. Plenty of grad schools don't require any nursing experience at all, so ... I recently precepted a psych NP grad student who had spent her entire nursing career in ICU nursing until she rather suddenly decided she'd like to become a psych NP. She got into a program. Happens all the time -- not necessarily at every school, but it happens all the time.

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Agree with elkpark. Job availability once you graduate as an NP does sometimes change you to a different specialty. My 12 yrs nursing background was mostly ER and ICUS. Yet I'm in nephrology.

[BlueDevil,DNP, DNP, RN]

Agreed. Your friend is misinformed. I spent 5 years in med-surg, a few in education/administration and 20+ years in critical care, flight, trauma, and ED. I went to a FNP program, not ACNP or CRNA as might have been predicted. I work in primary care/family practice, which has exactly ZERO to do with any of of my nursing background.

[Tinabeanrn]

gentalrain, cute profiel pic btw! Its up to you what specialty you pick. Like the other posters, I worked primarily in ICU as a nurse and now I am doing Family practice/primary care. So its up to you. Just depends on the program you apply for. They will ask you if you would prefer to do critical care if they see thats were youve been working. But its not mandatory