Obtaining Masters in Nursing

I can't tell you about NP, but my track (Education) was not really hard. The hardest part was all the deadlines and mountainous paperwork. All my courses were online thru the local university, except one elective that I chose. I am very glad I did it.

I'm finishing up my first semester on a Pediatric NP track and it's no walk in the park. It's been a difficult and time consuming semester and it's not over yet. I'd say it's on par with the difficulty of going through actual nursing school.

As far the NP requirements, you need to get accepted to a Masters program and take an NP track, then pass the National Exam. Keep in mind most Master programs (in fact ALL the programs I considered) require at least 2 years of nursing experience before they'll consider you. Good luck with whatever you choose to do.

You will probably get a lot of good info by reading the archives for the NP section here on AllNurses. Go to the tab at the top of the heading marked 'Specialties' and select 'Advance Practice Nurses' -- all the MSN and higher positions are there including NP, CNS, CNM and CRNA.

There is also a forum for MSN students listed under the tab for 'Students'.

Best of luck!

Ruthann

i am interested in possibly going for my masters in nursing, maybe even becoming a nurse practitioner. if anyone has been through getting their masters, i'm just looking for feedback on how it was going through school, and also what kind of things are required for becoming a nurse practioner.:nuke:

looking at grad school myself right now. i've got a couple of friends who are np's and it's a demanding program. i think you need to determine what type of master's you want to achieve...you could always go for a clin spec position if you don't want to be an np. could look into healthcare management, really a lot of options. just have to decide which direction you want to go in. i'm looking into acnp myself and am praying i'm not limiting myself. but i love acute care so i think it'd be a good fit. good luck to you.

I am also looking in to grad programs, either ACNP or CNM at this point. I don't know if I want to limit myself to just one specific area, yet don't think FNP fits for me - anyone know of dual MSN programs with more than one area of specialty?

Vanderbilt has a CNM/FNP degree

Good for you for advancing your education. I graduate next May, and it has been a very difficult process. The key is family support and selecting a school that matches your personality. If you are a self starter, perhaps a distance ed program is the ticket. If you need a more structured program, then a traditional school might do the ticket. Which ever you decide, make sure you plan in advance for family, work and school. Any quality school is pretty time intensive. In my program, I'm clocking about 50 hours per week just for school and clinic.

Good luck.