Just curious

[WorldNurseInProgress]

I'm 23 years old, no kids, and also no major bills to pay. I live with my mother who's very supportive of me. She's paying for my college education. Although I work only part time, work and school can get hectic. The reason I'm writing this post is to ask just a few questions Theses questions are on becoming an NP. I know the first step of becoming a NP is to become a RN. I've became fascinated with this field ever since my doctor and I touched on an emotional level. She's very understanding and motivating, and inspirational. I just knew I wanted to be like her. My questions are: Are there any NP programs that are less than a year long? What would be the cost? What is the next step higher up to a NP besides a doctor's degree? Also, what other nursing field are out there other than the basic ones?

Regards,

Nurse In Progress

[traumaRUs, MSN, APRN]

Moved to prenursing for more relevant answers

[NICUmiiki, DNP, NP]

LPN - Licensed Practical Nurse; 1-2 years of training at a technical or community college. LPNs usually work in the clinic, nursing home, and home health settings, although there are some who work in acute care (in a hospital).

RN - Registered nurse; 3-4 (sometimes 5) years college coursework. Degrees that lead to RN are BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), ADN (Associate Diploma in Nursing), and Diploma (rare). RNs are trained to work in any area and gain specialized knowledge on the job after school. LPN is not required to become an RN.

ARNP or APRN (depends on the state) - Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner; 2-4 years of graduate coursework beyond the BSN. ARNPs include Nurse Practitioners (NP), Nurse Anesthetists, Certified Nurse Specialist (CNS), and Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM). NPs must choose their specialty before applying to the program (family, adult/geriatric-primary or acute care, pediatric- primary or acute, neonatal, women's health, etc.). Degrees that lead to ARNP are MSN (Master of Science in Nursing) and DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice). The DNP focuses on the synthesis of nursing research and does not change the scope or training of an ARNP clinically. It is not meant to emulate physician training although as a terminal degree, it does infer the title 'Dr.'.

Other Nursing Education Paths

MSN - Non-ARNP Leadership, Education, or Informatics

PhD in Nursing - Non-ARNP focuses on Research