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How long does it take to become a pediatric nurse practitioner?
Asked by jenn
How long does it take to become a pediatric nurse practitioner and what are the requirements, starting from the freshman year of college (i.e. start with a nursing major and take it for four years to obtain a BSN, do internships really help, what specific type of graduate school, etc)? Also, from your own perspective, is this a challenging career to study and actually work in? I heard that being an RN itself is a rewarding job, and I really would like to know more about this career. Thanks =)
Asked by jenn
How long does it take to become a pediatric nurse practitioner and what are the requirements, starting from the freshman year of college (i.e. start with a nursing major and take it for four years to obtain a BSN, do internships really help, what specific type of graduate school, etc)? Also, from your own perspective, is this a challenging career to study and actually work in? I heard that being an RN itself is a rewarding job, and I really would like to know more about this career. Thanks =)
A:
Best Answer:
Generally the BSN programs are scheduled as 4 years, but many students seem to be stretching them to 5. It can be a difficult and busy schedule, but it can be completed in the 4 years. After graduating, it is best to work at a hospital for at least one, and maybe 2 years. Try to work for a while on a general pediatric floor and then transfer to the newborn nursery if possible. These experiences will help you immensely during your PNP courses. A pedatric nurse practitioner course can be from 18 months to 24 months normally, though some go a little longer and get a dual major as either an FNP or a Neonatal NP. These additional certifications allow some flexibility in your practice. Overall, from starting college to completion is about 8 years, allowing for some experience between the BSN and NP course. You will get many people who will tell you that you can go straight through BSN to MSN, and some schools do allow this. However, in my experience, the students who try the direct route, have difficulty with not only the clinical issues, but also in some of the theory classes. This is especially evident when an instructor in the MSN program says, "Take an incident from your past clinical experience and apply this theory to it" I have heard this done many times over the years. I even saw this once on the comprehensive MSN final exam at one school. Nursing, and advanced practice nursing work from similar theoretical frameworks but are significantly different in practice. An RN is a patient advocate and case manager. Planning and analyzing and performing patient care (usually in an inpatient setting). NPs work similar to physicians (in the case of a PNP it would be a pediatrician). However, NPs are very focused on wellness, disease prevention, and patient education, in addition to diagnosis and treatment. Being an NP is a very challenging and rewarding profession. It allows a significant amount of patient interation with the diagnostic challenge, and a constant need for more education and self-improvement. Have a great life!
RN, Ph.D., CFNP
Answered by US_DR_JD
Generally the BSN programs are scheduled as 4 years, but many students seem to be stretching them to 5. It can be a difficult and busy schedule, but it can be completed in the 4 years. After graduating, it is best to work at a hospital for at least one, and maybe 2 years. Try to work for a while on a general pediatric floor and then transfer to the newborn nursery if possible. These experiences will help you immensely during your PNP courses. A pedatric nurse practitioner course can be from 18 months to 24 months normally, though some go a little longer and get a dual major as either an FNP or a Neonatal NP. These additional certifications allow some flexibility in your practice. Overall, from starting college to completion is about 8 years, allowing for some experience between the BSN and NP course. You will get many people who will tell you that you can go straight through BSN to MSN, and some schools do allow this. However, in my experience, the students who try the direct route, have difficulty with not only the clinical issues, but also in some of the theory classes. This is especially evident when an instructor in the MSN program says, "Take an incident from your past clinical experience and apply this theory to it" I have heard this done many times over the years. I even saw this once on the comprehensive MSN final exam at one school. Nursing, and advanced practice nursing work from similar theoretical frameworks but are significantly different in practice. An RN is a patient advocate and case manager. Planning and analyzing and performing patient care (usually in an inpatient setting). NPs work similar to physicians (in the case of a PNP it would be a pediatrician). However, NPs are very focused on wellness, disease prevention, and patient education, in addition to diagnosis and treatment. Being an NP is a very challenging and rewarding profession. It allows a significant amount of patient interation with the diagnostic challenge, and a constant need for more education and self-improvement. Have a great life!
RN, Ph.D., CFNP
Answered by US_DR_JD
A:
4 to 6 years i think
Answered by Aimee
Answered by Aimee
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