If one is studying to become a Nurse Practitioner, what category of college major would it land in?

Becoming a nurse practitioner is a multi step process. To become a nurse practitioner, a student must complete a 4-year Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN). There are programs designed to train registered nurses at many colleges and universities, and these programs are aimed at helping graduates pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses. A nurse practitioner doesn't need to become a registered nurse, but it can help because of the part-time work that will be available at local hospitals while continuing with the educational requirements. The 4-year degree must be in nursing at a minimum.

After earning your BSN, you'll need to complete a master's degree program that trains nurse practitioners. These are called Nurse Practitioner (NP) degrees. NP degrees can take 2 to 4 years.

Step 1: Earn a Bachelor's Degree

The first step to becoming a registered nurse is obtaining a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree (BSN). This degree takes four years to complete. Courses in nursing degree programs generally include anatomy and physiology, patient health assessment, pharmacology basics, pathophysiology basics, and nursing throughout all life stages. Students also participate in supervised clinical rotations in several medical specialties.

Step 2: Obtain State License

All nurses must be licensed by the state before they can practice. Most states require candidates to pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. There may also be additional state nursing board requirements in order to earn and maintain state licensure. The time frame to complete this process depends on the state, but generally only takes a few months to process.

Step 3: Choose a Specialty

Aspiring nurse practitioners should choose their specialty before starting a graduate program. This is helpful because many graduate degree nurse practitioner programs encourage or require applicants to have at least 1-2 years of experience working as a registered nurse in their chosen specialty. Nurse practitioner specialties vary widely and include family practice, pediatrics, gerontology, women's health, midwifery, acute care, mental health, anesthesia, and many more. The experience can be obtained in a variety of clinical settings, depending on the specialty.

Step 4: Earn a Master's Degree

Candidates may choose from several graduate programs in order to become nurse practitioners. Nurses who have a master's degree in a different nursing background may opt to complete a post-master's graduate certificate program as a nurse practitioner. This can take five months to a year to complete, depending on the specialty. Master's degree programs for RNs with a bachelor's degree generally take 1-3 years to complete, depending on the school and the specialty. Graduates with a non-nursing bachelor's degree have the option of enrolling in a BSN-to-master's degree fast-track program. These programs build upon the candidate's prior education and provide about a year's worth of intensive coursework and clinical experience in the nursing discipline, which results in a bachelor's degree in nursing. Once that portion is completed, the student moves directly into the master's degree nurse practitioner specialty program, which proceeds according to the normal time frame of 1-3 years to complete.

Step 5: Apply for Certification

Graduates of accredited nurse practitioner master's degree programs are generally eligible to take the nurse practitioner certification exam for their practice specialty. Most credentialing agencies require applicants to have a valid RN license, to have performed a minimum required number of hours of nursing practice in their specialty, and to pass the examination. The minimum number of hours required for certification varies by specialty and generally runs between 750 and 1400 hours. This could take from six months up to a year to complete depending on the hours or shifts the candidate works.