7 Tips For Choosing The Perfect Nurse Practitioner Program
Choosing to go graduate school is NOT an easy decision. It is one that requires a ton of thought and internal processing. In this article, I will give you first hand advice and questions that I asked myself before I started my graduate program. In the end, fingers crossed, your mind will be put at ease and the decision to start the application process will move from a maybe to a YES!
Currently I am in graduate school to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. I am in my first of three clinical rotations, and in December of this year I will graduate. I never once have regretted the decision to go back to school to become a Nurse Practitioner. Below is a list of 7 tips that I know will help any nurse who is contemplating on whether or not to apply to a Nurse Practitioner program. It is my hope that this article will answer some questions that are holding you back and will lead to you starting that application process.
1) Ask yourself... Do you want to work in the Hospital or Office?
This will help you decide if you should apply for an Acute Care program or a Primary Care program. I will say, do not get a degree in primary care and expect to work in a hospital. I foresee the days of the Family Nurse Practitioner working in the ICU is a thing of the past.
2) What scenario do you see yourself resonating with more?
I want nothing to do with adults = Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
I want nothing to do with children, they scare me = Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner
I like taking care of all ages = Family Nurse Practitioner
I don't like pediatrics or adults, I like the neonates = Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
These are just examples of the multiple options of specialties you will be able to choose from. There are many more degree options for Nurse Practitioners that are not listed here, but this will get your mind churning. Use your answer to question one to guide you in the right direction of choosing primary care or acute care for the specialty you have decided on. Remember, do not choose a primary care degree and plan on working in the hospital.
3) School Full Time or School Part Time?
My vote is for school full time. Any type of schooling you want to commit to and be able to submerge yourself in fully. Where there is a will there is a way, and you will be surprised with how resourceful you can be when placed in a challenging situation. As nurses, it is in our DNA to just "figure it out". Get the ball rolling and get the program completed.
4) Work Full Time or Work Part-Time?
Personally, was able to manage working full time while in school up until my clinical rotations started. Then, it was too much. Three twelve hour days at work and the requirement of all the clinical hours for the semester, plus your regular class work, on top of all the work that goes into clinicals and not to mention if you have real responsibilities of a house, kids or family members. There are just not enough hours in the day to do everything to your fullest.
5) Online Program or On Campus Program?
What appears to be the trend are hybrid classes, an online-ish program. There still are all on-campus programs and all online programs, so you will be able to choose. Don't let the technology scare you, but think about how technically challenging a program might be when you are selecting one. In my opinion, regardless of online, hybrid or on campus, what you put into the education is what you will get out.
6) If you don't work in the ER, transfer there!
I was fortunate enough to get a job in an Emergency Room directly after passing my NCLEX. I directly correlate all of the lessons that I have learned in the Emergency Room have helped me TREMENDOUSLY in the Family Nurse Practitioner program. First off, in the Emergency Room, you see and care for all sorts of patients, birth to death and everything in between. Also, you will see everything across the acuity spectrum as well, from primary care issues to acute care issues. Another reason to move to the Emergency Room is the ability to have a flexible schedule, with a large staff and many shifts to choose from.
7) DNP program or MSN program?
I will start this out by saying I am currently in an MSN program. It is my goal to complete my DNP, but there was some strategy involved with choosing the MSN program first. My thought process was, I am not required to complete the DNP at this time and once I complete my MSN I will be able to start working as an NP. Completing the MSN portion first, roughly in 2 ½ years, and start working as an NP, versus the 4 plus to complete the DNP and all this time would be spent working at a nurse's salary. Choosing this route, you are losing out on 2 ½ years of NP salary that you could be making if you chose to get your MSN first and complete your DNP after. The trend for all programs seems to be moving to the BSN to DNP structure, without the MSN, so this is even another reason to start the NP program sooner than later.
Still not sure what program, but you know you want to be an NP. Then just start! Start searching different programs, start critically thinking about what specialty you think you would enjoy the most, spend some time in conversation with both Nurse Practitioner students and practicing Nurse Practitioners and start the application process. Just put one foot in front of the other and everything else will fall into place. If you don't, then "life" will happen, time will go by and then you will no longer have the option to go back to school. Again, I have no regrets about entering Nurse Practitioner school and I am excited to start the next chapter in my nursing journey!
