Non-nurse to MSN

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Hi guys,

I am a non-nurse who wants to become a FNP. I am enrolled in Golden Gate University's online b.s in pyschology program. I was initially looking into the accelerated BSN programs for students that have another degree, but I came across the entry level MSN degree for non nurses. I was hoping to get some advice on this. I believe the MSN route will be more pricey, but it will get me to my end goal faster. However, the degree page that I saw says that I will be able to sit for the clinical nurse leader certification exam. Do I have to apply for the FNP program after or are there any MSN FNP programs for non nurses?

Sorry for all the questions. Just looking to get some insight on what path I should follow after completing my b.s. in psychology.

Thanks!

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Specializes in Home Health, Primary Care.

Just do a search on "direct entry" here on allnurses and you should be able to find information. CNL sounds like another program altogether. Make sure the program you are applying for leads to eligibility to sit for the FNP certification exam. Good Luck.

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Specializes in ACNP-BC, Adult Critical Care, Cardiology.

You'll have to closely examine details for each direct entry MSN program available. Direct entry MSN just means they admit non-nurses with a Bachelor's in another area and award a MS in Nursing at the end of the program. Some do have a Clinical Nurse Leader focus and some are generic MSN degrees that train you to function as an entry level RN with a graduate degree.

If your goal is FNP, you have to look into direct entry MSN with FNP focus. They exist but are less prevalent and are located in larger cities such as NYC, Boston, Baltimore, or San Francisco. Think Columbia, NYU, Boston College, Yale, Johns Hopkins, or UCSF. They can be competitive to get into and sometimes just having a Bachelor's degree is not enough. Some require some form of volunteer healthcare exposure, a well written goal statement, and an interview. There are threads addressing admission stats in the Student Nurse Practitioner forum.

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.

Don't.

The entire philosophy behind Nurse Practitioners is that a Nurse Practitioner can bring their years of experience in relevant RN roles to bear while practicing...but if you do direct entry, you have no relevant experience. Unless your NP program is hours-heavy to make up for that deficit (which, let's face it, they won't be), you will end up a weaker provider.

If you want to go straight to being a provider, go to MD, DO, or PA school. If you want to be an NP, be prepared to put your time in as an RN first, otherwise you're only doing yourself and your patients a disservice.

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