Are you thinking about becoming a nurse practitioner and don’t know where to start? Below you’ll find a comprehensive look at all it takes to start out on your career path and become a nurse practitioner.

You have probably been treated by a nurse practitioner before (maybe you didn’t realize it at the time). The role has been a part of US healthcare systems since the mid-1960s.

Nurse practitioners originated after a national shortage of physicians, which was harming the treatment of families and children especially, and pushed the healthcare industry to find alternatives.

The first official degree for a nurse practitioner was created by physician Henry Silver and nurse Lorreta Ford in 1965.

What is a Nurse Practitioner?

A Nurse Practitioner or NP is an advanced practice registered nurse, with at least a master’s degree and extra training specializing in a particular area of medicine.

What’s the difference between a nurse and a nurse practitioner?

Nurses are an incredibly important part of the healthcare system and add tons of value and share a lot of knowledge. Nurse Practitioners have more authority because of their advanced training.

Depending on the state where they work, a nurse practitioner can prescribe medication, conduct

physical exams, diagnose ailments and even administer medical treatment similar to physicians.

Nurses on the other hand are required to wait for doctors’ orders for treatments and they work side by side with them to treat patients.

There are also clear differences in educational requirements: nurses need to complete their university or college degree and pass their license to practice, while Nurse Practitioners have to further their education and obtain a master’s degree to receive their title, plus pass more license exams to be able to work.

As a Nurse Practitioner, you’ll have more independence when treating patients, be able to prescribe medication, or assign treatments. You’ll usually earn more than nurses and have more responsibility.

Benefits of becoming a Nurse Practitioner

There are many benefits to pursuing a Nurse Practitioner degree, which is why it’s an educational program that is growing in popularity. People are always looking for the best school to develop their skills as a nurse practitioner and then enjoy all the perks of their career.

Economic stability

Many young people leave college without any real prospects or job offers — it’s a reality many have to face come graduation day. But it’s a different picture for Nurse Practitioners.

First, most students are already working as nurses and continue to do so after, with a change in pay and position thanks to their degree.

Second, it’s an advanced degree in one of the most stable economic markets ever — healthcare. As healthcare is an essential service, a Nurse Practitioner career is one of the best jobs to have in the US.

Third, you’ll be entering a market where demand for professionals like you is high, making wages competitive, granting you more options to choose from, and giving you peace of mind about your future prospects.

The road is long, from the beginning of your college education until your Nurse Practitioner degree is in your hands, but what follows that achievement can change your financial situation dramatically.

Room for growth

Your opportunities don’t stop once you become a Nurse Practitioner — they expand even more, as you’ll see more doors open than before.

Remember there are many specializations you can train in after choosing to be an NP, and all of those are available to you once you get your master’s degree.

Nurse Practitioners report an impressive 31% job growth rate according to statistics from the  U.S. Bureau of Labor, and at the same time they are gaining recognition as primary healthcare givers.

More independence

Depending on where you decide to establish yourself as a Nurse Practitioner, you’ll be able to have more independence.

What does that mean?

You could establish opening your own practice in a private office or clinic, seeing patients, and providing top-notch care by yourself

Setting up your own schedule

 Having input on your hourly rates

 Being able to move wherever you want, as long as you get recertified there

  More income, meaning access to more choices

Some fields in NP do require you to work within more established healthcare systems, and alongside doctors, but the bottom line is you’ll have more power and flexibility once you get your degree.

Provide more comprehensive care

As a Nurse Practitioner, you are allowed to give your patients more comprehensive care, you can work closely with them and prescribe treatment, and will see the results of your efforts.

This is true in all areas of the NP degree, but it is significant for students that choose to become Family Nurse Practitioners, since they can often care for the same family for years.

If you are passionate about medicine and caring for others, the NP title brings you one step closer to doing just that.

You will gain more academic and practical knowledge to help your patients and make more complex decisions.

As a Nurse Practitioner, you’ll be able to participate in many stages of care, depending on your specialty, which can include: preventive medicine, diagnosis, health education, treatment, and more.

Greater responsibility

A higher degree comes with more responsibility — you’ll likely become a mentor, providing guidance to other nurses.

Patients will look to you as their primary healthcare provider in some cases.

If you want a career that offers professional responsibility and challenges, then becoming an NP can be a path for you to get what you want. 

Travel the world

Nursing alone is a career with a lot of autonomy, and when you add to that an advanced degree like the Nurse Practitioner one the possibilities can be endless.

Having the chance to move anywhere in the word and getting work is a rare occurrence in most careers, but for NPs it is a reality.

Research where you are planning to move to first, see what you need to do to get your degree validated, pack your bags, and go.

This mobility allows you to explore the world on your own terms, even while you continue to help treat patients.

Help others

As with other medical-related fields, you can also offer your skills and knowledge to the less fortunate.

As a Nurse Practitioner, you can offer a higher level of care while working at an NGO or under programs aimed at helping vulnerable communities. 

How to become a Nurse Practitioner

So, now you know what a Nurse Practitioner is and how choosing that path can benefit you, how do you get there from wherever you are starting from?

If you are a high school student

You’ll need to get good grades, do well in your college application exams, and enter a good bachelor’s degree program.

Once in college, you’ll need to get a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing or BNS. They usually take four years to finish and include general, elective and nursing-specific classes.

Extra notes

While some Associate Degrees can be enough to become a Registered Nurse or RN, a Bachelor’s is recommended when planning to take a Nurse Practitioner degree in the long run.

Always keep in mind that your classes and practice work can affect your nursing specialization later on, so try to choose a curriculum that is aligned with your career path.

Then you’ll need to obtain your nursing credentials.

If you are a registered nurse

Continue your road toward a Nurse Practitioner degree by specializing in an area of healthcare as a nurse.

Many states require this specialization so you can go on to get your NP certifications.

As with college, make sure these programs are within the same field you’d like to be in as a Nurse Practitioner, to make the whole process easier.

Choose an advanced nursing degree program and prepare to apply

Here you’ll have two choices:

A Masters of Science in Nursing or a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree requires you to study; prepare admissions requirements, and work hard to succeed.

They grant you the ability to practice as an NP, so you can enjoy the benefits of your career, and move forward, but there are differences.

Having a doctorate puts you in a better position to get a leadership role or higher-ranking position in management, and even influence policy-making within healthcare systems.

It’s important to consider all these factors when making your choice in how you become a Nurse Practitioner.

Keep specialization in mind

As you begin the search for the perfect program for you, take into account the career path it offers.

If you want to work within family healthcare, then go for an academic program that addresses that type of medicine and care.

There are so many incredible roads you can take as a Nurse Practitioner:

 Anesthesiology

  Cardiology

  Dermatology

  Emergency

  Geriatric

  Endocrinology

 Holistic Care

  Hospice Care

  Pediatric

  Surgical

  Neurology

  Sports Medicine

And so much more, covering every branch of medicine and healthcare.

Get certified

After finishing your advanced degree, narrow down your skills according to your specialization, then you’ll need to get certified.

This typically includes:

  Providing proof of clinical work

  Meeting academic requirements

  Taking a standardized test

  Paying an application fee

Once you have completed all of these steps, you will become a Nurse Practitioner and are ready for the next steps in your professional development: finding the right job and thriving.

What to expect as a Nurse Practitioner

It will mostly come down to what kind of specialization you choose once you become a Nurse Practitioner, but there are some broad similarities across them all.

Busy life

You will have a full schedule, with patients coming in and needing your expertise, and you staying on top of your academic qualifications and informed, and training so you can provide the best care to them.

If you choose to set up your own practice you’ll have more control over it, while working in hospitals and clinics you’ll follow the schedule they set.

Admiration and respect

Being part of the special group of people that take care of others will give you pride in your work and make others admire you for it.

Most healthcare professionals don’t work for those reasons alone, but recognition doesn’t hurt either.

Great quality of life

Despite what may be long hours of work, the benefits of your career will also make themselves very evident.

As a professional in a growing field, you’ll have the possibility to better your life and your family’s.

Do you have what it takes to be a Nurse Practitioner?

In a career such as an NP, there’s a lot to be accomplished and gained. This career path requires a certain kind of person to be able to handle all the demands that come with it.

So, before you even get started, make sure you have these qualities:

 Hard-working: you’ll need to be to pass all the academic requirements, handle the clinic hours, and treatment of patients as an NP

Committed: there will surely be times along the road to becoming a Nurse Practitioner where you will want to quit; you’ll need the will to overcome those moments

  Love for scientific subjects: academic degrees for NP are, obviously, science-heavy, so an understanding and appreciation for these will be key

  Great studying habits: intellectual fortitude will only get you so far — having the right tools to succeed in school means knowing how and when to study to get the results you need

  Personable and good with people: being a Nurse Practitioner will place you in direct contact with strangers, so you’ll need to know how to handle those interactions

  Compassionate: patient care relies heavily on putting yourself in other people’s shoes and treating them how you would want to be treated

 Attentive: you’ll need to focus and pay attention not only in class but to your patients when they come to you as symptoms that require to medical treatment may be hidden in the most simple of conversations

  Calm: as a medical professional you’ll likely meet people on what could be a very bad day in their lives — your control over your emotional reactions will play a big part in determining how an emergency or medical treatment develops 

You now have an overview of everything you need to know about becoming a nurse practitioner; so if you have what it takes, go get your degree!