How to Become a Nurse Practitioner
Becoming a nurse practitioner is not as complicated as you might think. Like most nursing specialties, it involves additional schooling beyond that of a nurse — but it is worth the hard work. It isn't easy, but it is absolutely possible.
Some people decide to become a nurse practitioner after working as a bedside RN for years; others have that goal from the very beginning. I fall into the latter, and I worked hard to reach my end goal. This article outlines the traditional route to becoming an NP — the path I personally took and know best.
The 5-Step Path to Becoming an NP
A nurse practitioner is literally an "advanced practice nurse," so the journey starts with nursing and builds from there. Here's the road map at a glance before we break down each step.
Earn a BSN (or ADN), pass the NCLEX-RN, and get state-licensed as a registered nurse.
Work as a bedside nurse to build assessment, communication, and clinical judgment.
Complete a population-specific MSN or DNP, including 600–800 clinical hours.
Sit for your specialty's national certification exam through the AANP or ANCC.
Apply for state licensure, secure a job, and complete credentialing before you practice.
1. Become an RN
Being a nurse is the logical first step. A nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse, so there first has to be some form of nursing education. An RN license is almost always required for traditional NP programs.
You can earn your RN license through either a BSN or an ADN. A BSN is a 4-year bachelor's of science in nursing — the recommended level of education and the one required for entrance into NP programs (aside from direct-entry programs).
No matter which route you take, you'll learn how to assess patients, recognize medical conditions, and carry out the nurse's role in their treatment. You won't learn how to diagnose, but you will learn which treatments are indicated and how to administer them — medications, testing, and communicating with the rest of the healthcare team. Most programs include 800–1,000 hours of formal clinical experience.
2. Obtain RN Work Experience
Once you pass the NCLEX-RN, you should start working as a bedside RN. This is usually exciting — you can finally apply what you've learned, grow your knowledge, and earn an income.
Benefits of RN Work Experience
Work experience is genuinely important in your development as a future NP. Bedside nursing offers continuous, hands-on learning. It exposes you to common acute and chronic conditions and their treatments — you'll be the one administering and helping with them. Along the way you'll sharpen your assessment skills, improve communication with patients and colleagues, and gain a deeper understanding of how the healthcare system actually works.
Is RN Experience Required to Get Into an NP Program?
Most NP programs do not have a minimum amount of RN experience required — at least for family or adult primary care specialties. Some sub-specialties like acute care, pediatric, psychiatric, and neonatal programs do require relevant clinical experience, often 1–2 years. Many programs "recommend" but don't require experience, so a lack of it may negatively impact your admission.
So yes, you can become an NP without bedside RN experience. But I believe that would hurt your clinical competency as a new graduate. A nurse practitioner must think like a provider — using strong history-taking, advanced physical assessment, and evidence-based medicine. As a nurse you'll learn an enormous amount, but you won't learn to think like a provider.
My Personal Recommendation
Work as a bedside RN for 1–5 years before starting an NP program, and keep working through it if you can. I only had 1 year of full-time RN experience when I started, but I worked throughout the program — by my first NP job I had about 4 years of full-time RN experience, mostly in the ER.
3. Attend a Nurse Practitioner Program
NP Specialties
Unlike PA programs that train generalists, NP programs are population-specific. You apply to a specific patient-population specialty so your education is tailored to the patients you'll see. Specialties include:
Which one you choose depends on where you plan to practice. Want to work with adults in the hospital? Get your AGACNP. Want a primary care office? FNP or AGPCNP, depending on the ages you want to see. Note that some specialties are flexible — many facilities will hire an FNP or AGPCNP for inpatient, outpatient, and ED roles. For a deeper comparison, see the NP specialties guide.
How Long Will It Take?
It depends on the degree you choose. There's the traditional Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and the newer Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP).
To work in a clinical setting today, there isn't much difference between MSN and DNP in terms of clinical education, job role, or salary — although that may change in the future.
Program Curriculum
Your courses depend on your specialty, but all NP programs include the fundamentals: advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, and advanced health assessment. From there you take classes specific to your population, covering the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions that present in that group.
Like RN school, you'll also complete clinical hours — most NP programs require 600–800 hours (about 16 hours per week for me). A common misconception is that NP students just observe during clinical. Not true: you're expected to see the patient alone, take a thorough history, perform your physical assessment, and present the patient to your preceptor. You'll recommend a plan, then formulate it together — this is essential to becoming a competent new NP.
Full-Time and Part-Time Options
Many programs offer both full-time and part-time tracks to fit your lifestyle. NP programs are intense, and most people can't work full-time and complete a full-time program at once. I attended a part-time 24-month program, which let me keep working and supporting myself — and that work continued to reinforce everything I was learning.
4. Pass Your Board Certification Exam
Once you graduate, you're eligible for national certification. To be certified, you must first pass a board-certification exam. Depending on your specialty, these are offered through the AANP or the ANCC. Once you pass, you're officially a nationally board-certified nurse practitioner — but you can't start working just yet.
5. NP Licensing and Credentialing
After certification, you apply for state licensure in the state(s) where you intend to practice. The exact steps are state-dependent — a quick search for "nurse practitioner license in [your state]" will point you to the next steps. You'll also need additional items like an NPI number and your DEA registration.
Once licensed, you need to land a job within your scope of practice. After you're hired, the employer has to credential you — background checks and a lot of paperwork filed with insurance companies. This must be done before you can start practicing.
Credentialing Takes Time
Be warned — credentialing can take 3–6 months. In 2018 I was hired in February and couldn't start until July for my first NP job.
How Long Does It All Take?
On average, NP education and training takes a minimum of 6 years to complete — though most people take longer if they gain more RN experience first or attend a part-time track.
And just like that, you can be a nurse practitioner too. It's a long and difficult road, but definitely doable — and I can personally tell you it is 1000% worth it. If you find yourself wondering how to become a nurse practitioner, this might just be the perfect career for you.
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