As advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners (NPs) serve as primary and specialty care providers, providing a blend of nursing and health care services to patients and their families. With a unique approach that addresses care as well as cure, NPs diagnose and treat a wide range of health problems. They also focus on counseling, disease prevention, health education, and health promotion, assisting patients in making wise lifestyle choices.

The first nurse practitioners earned their degrees at the University of Colorado in 1965. Now, about 6,000 nurses earn degrees each year at more than 325 nurse practitioner schools across the country. There are more than 125,000 NPs practicing in the U.S. today.

Nurse Practitioner Degrees
Registered nurses (RNs) who wish to provide a high level of individualized care enroll in nurse practitioner degree programs. Most states require nurse practitioners to hold a master of science in nursing (MSN) degree. Prerequisites for an MSN are either a bachelor of science degree in nursing (BSN) or at least one to two years of clinical RN experience.

RNs with a diploma or associate degree in nursing (ADN) can enroll in a BSN-to-MSN program. Though nurse practitioner schools award master's degrees and postgraduate certificates, an increasing number of schools award the doctor of nursing practice (DNP).

Those who have already completed a bachelor's degree but are not RNs may still enroll in a nurse practitioner program. These programs are longer than the typical two-year, full-time master's degree program, enabling students to sit for RN licensing exams as well as NP certification exams.

Nurse Practitioner Curriculum
Formal graduate nurse practitioner education provides aspiring NPs with the theoretical knowledge and clinical skills needed to practice in ambulatory, acute, and long-term care as primary and/or specialty care providers. Advanced nurse practitioner degrees also enable NPs to achieve and maintain professional certification.

All nurse practitioner programs focus on core competencies in seven content domains: management of patient health/illness status; the nurse practitioner-patient relationship; the teaching-coaching function; professional role; managing and negotiating health care delivery systems; monitoring and ensuring the quality of health care practices; and cultural competence. Nurse practitioner degrees enable NPs to assume the roles of advocate, consultant, counselor, educator, manager, mentor, and researcher.

Practicum experiences are a key component of nurse practitioner programs, providing the clinical practice needed to become a nurse practitioner. A practicum provides supervised, hands-on education to help students transition from the role of registered nurse to the role of advanced practice nurse in primary care. Each nurse practitioner school has a specified number of practicum clock hours required to complete the program.

Nurse Practitioner Specialties
Nurse practitioner schools prepare graduates for specialty and subspecialty certification.  Currently, 92 percent of NPs maintain national certification. The most common nurse practitioner specialty areas are acute care, adult practice, family practice, geriatrics, pediatrics, and women's health. Other nurse practitioner specialties include mental health, neonatology, and occupational health.

Become an expert health care provider and enroll in nurse practitioner school today.