Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Having To Know About Nurse Practitioner Programs

Getting an advanced nursing degree does not only entail hard work, it is also expensive. Having this in mind, you must first know all about different programs prior to committing to one. There are various nurse programs that are in the Internet and in schools and they are all different.

When one already has a bachelor’s degree then it can be the right moment to take a master’s degree that would really help to become a nurse practitioner. The program usually takes two years. Here, even if you don’t pass the nurse practitioner licensing test you would still be able to get your degree.

Being an entry-level degree for nurse managers and teachers of nursing, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) will have to be taken by them, while for registered nurses it is regarded as an advanced level graduate degree. If you’re planning to take a doctorate nursing education you must first take an MSN degree. MSN would have one study a certain nursing sphere such as geriatrics, OB-GYNE, neonatal and pediatrics, just to name a few.

For individuals with no bachelor’s diploma in nursing and who wish to become a nurse practitioner, you may consider an RN to MSN program. This is a great option for those currently working as a CNA or LPN or those who have yet to proceed into the nursing field. The RN to MSN program enables you to have a master’s degree from the college where you had your undergraduate degree.

Try to see it this way, in taking both programs together the university may be able to omit all the overlapping work that nurse would usually encounter when moving from a BSN to MSN program. A year is worth saving, after all, and this achieves that. Taking the RN to MSN nurse practitioner programs would need about three years.

There would be no need of a bachelor’s degree to have an MSN degree if you have an associate’s degree or a registered nurse diploma already. Some nurse practitioner academies would guarantee a great student both BS and MSN degree but some programs would only guarantee an MSN. A great thing about this program is that you can have the degree in a brief period of time.

In changing what you want you should take a direct entry MSN program that can help you be a nurse practitioner. This is not for nursing but for those with a bachelor’s degree. Liberal arts degree students are mostly the ones for this and two years is all it takes.

With the direct entry MSN program, it can last up to four years at maximum. You won’t be studying several elective courses such as math or communications, since you already had these with your past degree. Keep in mind that for you to have an RN certification you must take up nursing fundamentals.

With the fundamental layout, you will find it very similar with Accelerated BSN program. Having a rigid program of beliefs and clinical practice is what you will encounter here but don’t worry since the subjects that you have had will be taken into account. Your degree will play a big role in determining your subjects.

In organizing nurse practitioner programs, there are a lot of things that we must take note of. We must know what we really want, like if we want to take it online or in a university. By scanning through all the programs, you may be able to find the one that fits you best.

When you are looking for relevant information about nurse practitioner schools and also about online nurse practitioner programs, do fail to hit the links and you shall be helped.