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What is the best path to become a nurse practitioner?
I would like to be one #nurse #nurse-practitioner #healthcare
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Gloria’s Answer
Nurse Practitioner is a great career to pursue. There are different ways to becoming a Nurse Practitioner, I will tell you the route I took. I became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), which was one year of schooling. This allowed me to get into the nursing field quickly. I worked mostly doing home health and in skilled nursing facilities. I went back to school and obtained an Associate Degree of Nursing (ADN), also referred to as a two year Registered Nurse (RN) degree. I worked in the emergency room immediately after obtaining my ADN. I went on to work in several areas of nursing (Hospice, Case Management, Utilization Management, Director of Nursing) with a two year nursing degree. The pay was comparable to what nurses with a four year degree (BSN). When I decided to pursue a career as a Nurse Practitioner, I obtained my BSN and then immediately enrolled in a Nurse Practitioner program. Some people skip the BSN and go directly from ADN to MSN with a concentration in Family, Pediatric, Acute, etc., Nurse Practitioner. If I was able to do it over, I would skip the BSN program and complete the ADN to MSN program. There is no right or wrong way, it all depends on if you want to go to school for several years before getting into the workforce or if you are trying to get into the workforce as quick as possible. FYI, there is a drastic difference in my pay as a RN to now as a Family Nurse Practitioner. It is a very rewarding career.
Ann Coughlan MSN RN CMSRN
Penn Medicine Pennsylvania Hematology/Oncology Med/Surg
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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Ann’s Answer
So I am currently a BSN RN CMSRN for Penn Medicine and I have a been a nurse for 22 years. My advice to you even before school, you must love and care for people. Patients can be very challenging to take care of. I have been spit at, cursed at, and almost punched. I love what I do and I would not change it for the world. I often hear from students that as a nurse they will make a lot of money. This is not the reason for being a nurse. When thinking in terms of going back to school for nursing you absolutely need the BSN. Hospitals are not hiring associate prepared nurses. When you finally get your BSN practice in your specialty for 2 to 3 years. After about 3 years now get critical care experience which will be extremely helpful. Just an FYI....NP'S do not make much more money than an RN but NP'S have a tremendous amount of responsibility. So with all this information I hope this is helpful. Good luck
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