Nursing Experience for MSN-NP

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Hello Everyone,

I am an RN who is considering applying to an NP school. Currently, I am not working as an RN, but I do have 1.5 years of experience working at a SNF/LTC which I just quit few weeks ago. This makes me a qualified person to apply to an NP school besides that I will be completing my BSN in May, 2016. Do I need more RN experience before starting NP school?

The school that I am going to apply is asking for only 1 year of RN experience before I can apply and I have 1.5. Just enough. But my concern is should I work and get more experience as an RN? Since my goal is primary care, I don't think working in a hospital would do much good and I do not fancy it anyways. I prefer and like geriatrics. I would appreciate any comments, suggestions or ideas.

Thank you all.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Moved to Student NP forum.

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Specializes in ER.

No one can really say. A lot of people will say you need more. A lot of people say you do not. I would try and make sure that you have clinical sites potnetially lined up.

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Thanks for the suggestion applesx..., but I haven't applied to any NP school yet. But I know that the school I am going to apply requires at least one year of Nursing experience. Besides that I do not know how can I make sure I have my clinical sites lined up while I am still finishing my BSN. That depends on criteria set by my an NP school to choose the clinical site.

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Specializes in NICU, telemetry.

It depends on the person. I haven't graduated yet, so I can't say for sure how well my RN experience helped, but right now, I feel certain I will say that I appreciated it. The roles are very different, but I feel like there are a lot of things you learn as a practicing RN that are invaluable as an NP. I started school with about 6 years of experience and felt like it was the right time for me.

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Specializes in Dialysis.

It also depends on the school you apply to. The programs all vary in requirement. Check with desired schools. Good luck!

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Thank you all for your suggestions. I am from a different country but my english has become better now. Plus the place where I used to practice as an RN gave me several opportunities to interact with patients and families. My confidence level is much better than it was couple of years ago. I hope my decision to join an NP school is not premature.

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