Nurse Practitioner Students , I have a question..

[AspiringNurse7]

I'd like to know how competitive NP programs are.Are they as competitive as the ADN and BSN programs? What GPA do most schools look for? (Are they concerned about the overall or just the Nursing courses)...Also, how tough is the program?Whats the hardest part for you?

[HealthyRN]

It is probably best to ask the individual program what exactly they are looking for in terms of admission criteria. Programs should also be able to tell you how many applicants they typically have and how many students are admitted. It will vary by the school and by the program.

The NP programs that I applied to are considered competitive. I applied only to the top schools in the nation. It is difficult to say if they are as competitive or more competitive than undergrad programs, due to the sheer number of students that apply to undergrad programs. It depends on what you are basing "competitiveness". In general, there is not going to be as many people applying to NP programs as there are to undergrad programs. However, NP programs also accept far fewer students than do undergrad programs. In my FNP program, there are only 8 students. When I interviewed, I was told that they usually have about 50 applicants.

But I think that competitiveness has more to do than with just the numbers. My program looked at overall GPA, GRE scores, essays and professional statements, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview. Personally, I found the process to be much more grueling than admission to my BSN program. I took only one day to apply to my BSN program, but I spent several months preparing my application for grad school. Also, I think that there are higher standards expected for most grad programs.

I am only a few months into my FNP program, so I will reserve judgment on the difficulty of the program for now. I will say that there is a lot more work required than undergrad. Despite this, I don't find the work terribly difficult, but I have always excelled at academics.

[VivaRN]

HealthyRN put it very well.

The short answer is: take a look at the program.

If it's not "competitive"... there may be doubts about the quality.

I also have not found the coursework to be terribly demanding, though I do a LOT of learning on my own outside of class. Clinical is more where the rubber meets the road.

To get here most people have already proved themselves as strong students and/or clinicians.