Looking at NP school....any upfront tips/things you knew ahead of time?

[Sehille4774]

Hi All.

I am now actively looking into online NP schools for part-time study! Horray! Must be the right time because I feel excited about it.

Not too worried about picking the school out, I know what to look for with accreditation and ect.

In terms of building a career.....are there things that I should be doing now so that when I graduate I am able to get a job? For instance, I worked as a CNA in LTC while in BSN school, but upon graduation I was told that if I wanted to work in the hospital, I should have been an EMT or hospital tech.

How easy is it for a new grad NP to get a job?

As for specialty...Do you need to have experience in that specific area...could a nurse for instance that has been working mostly in Peds switch to Adult Acute Care for their NP?

Any other pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Sarah

[Corey Narry, MSN, RN, NP]

Hi All.

I am now actively looking into online NP schools for part-time study! Horray! Must be the right time because I feel excited about it.

Not too worried about picking the school out, I know what to look for with accreditation and ect.

In terms of building a career.....are there things that I should be doing now so that when I graduate I am able to get a job? For instance, I worked as a CNA in LTC while in BSN school, but upon graduation I was told that if I wanted to work in the hospital, I should have been an EMT or hospital tech.

How easy is it for a new grad NP to get a job?

As for specialty...Do you need to have experience in that specific area...could a nurse for instance that has been working mostly in Peds switch to Adult Acute Care for their NP?

Any other pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Sarah

Typically, NP programs do not specify what RN experience is required for entry. Some do not even require RN experience with the exception of probably majority of the Acute Care NP programs that do look at RN experience and will give preference to applicants with Acute Care experience (Adult ICU, ER, Adult Med-Surg). It will be nearly impossible for a nurse working in peds to be admitted to an Adult Acute Care NP program. The program director will question your interest in that field without having been exposed to working in that particular setting and not being familiar with the specific needs and issues encountered in that population.

[ford0605]

I am just getting ready to begin achieving the rest of my undergrad credits at a brick and mortar school, doing an ASN-MSN program. At my school there is a requirement to have 2 years RN experience by the time you are admitted to the major. I wanted to apply to Family NP but my advisor told me with a background only in LTC, it's safer (for me personally) to apply to Adult NP and better chances of getting in. I agree with PP about applying to a specialty that you haven't worked in...it's a huge committment to get a graduate degree in a specialty that you "think" you'd like to work in or by guessing may be the most in-demand in your area by the time you graduate. Like for me, I figure I apply now to the one that makes the most sense with my experience, and if I am interested in or get the opportunity to work something other than LTC, I can always get another specialty certification. Hope that helped without confusing anyone!!