Question for NPs: How long did you practice as an RN before persuing NP?

[the sparrow]

]Hello NPs

]I'm still a BSN student and will graduate in May. I am interested in eventually persuing a master's to become an NP, but I was wondering how long you practiced as an RN before going back to school to become an NP.

]Typically, how much clinical experience is expected before becoming an NP?

[evanstongradrn]

Just going back myself. Did SICU after getting my BSN for 6 years, then moved to GI for 6 years, then went to a GI office for another 8 years. . . in the first stages of the APN courses now, all the ethical/paperwriting stuff, no clinicals. Next year is clinicals . . . I plan to get back to the bedside before I start that.

Good luck!:wink2:

[tracelane, DNP, NP]

I worked as an RN for 12 years before I went back to school. I also worked in the ER most of the time and in informatics. I graduated from from Clemson and they require at least 600 hours of bedside nursing the year prior to starting the program.

Working in the ER really made things easier. I took a job as an FNP in the ER and it has seemed pretty smooth after getting past the first few months. I like seeing all the different problems.

T

[westcoastgirl]

RN for a year in an ambulatory family practice setting, and I moved into a similar outpatient, primary care clinis setting as a NP. Like others said it is up to you, for me I would not have been comfortable going into any kind of inpatient setting and knew my limits.

[7starbuck7]

I have been a RN for 8 years, ASN 2000, BSN 2007. Adult ICU. I started a FNP program this summer. The programs around me require 1-2 years full time RN experience to apply for NP programs.

[Netherlands]

I am studying to become a PNP (last year) before that i worked as a pediatric RN for almost 5 years full time. I am Dutch and work in the Netherlands were we have the APN program for 8 years now.