I've been back and forth lately about what I want to do with my life. I'm considering switching my major to nursing, but I only want to do nursing if I am able to continue to be a nurse practitoner. My question is.. how do you go about becoming a nurse practitioner? What does it involve and how difficult is it? Do you go through the regular nursing program then find a school that has programs for nurses to specialize in certain programs to be a nurse practitioner? What I'm REALLY interested in right now is either neonatal or pediatrics- I've always had a love for babies and kids lol. Any info would be greatly appreciated!

You would have to become a registered nurse then continue to educate yourself and work your way up to become a nurse practitioner. You would have to gain hands on experience and work in the field.

Its requires a lot of work and several years of education. NP's are only one step below an actual physician. They can prescribe drugs, evaluate patients, some even run their own clinics. At minimum, you would need a master's degree
NP info

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Originally Posted by mwilliams15

I've been back and forth lately about what I want to do with my life. I'm considering switching my major to nursing, but I only want to do nursing if I am able to continue to be a nurse practitoner. My question is.. how do you go about becoming a nurse practitioner? What does it involve and how difficult is it? Do you go through the regular nursing program then find a school that has programs for nurses to specialize in certain programs to be a nurse practitioner? What I'm REALLY interested in right now is either neonatal or pediatrics- I've always had a love for babies and kids lol. Any info would be greatly appreciated!!

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Looking at your profile, it seems like you are already in college. You are on the right track.

Nursing at your college will probably earn you a bachelors degree in nursing (BSN), and you can practice and make a very good living with just the BSN. You are termed a registered nurse after you pass the certification exam.

A nurse practitioner requires a few more years of study after obtaining a BSN. Usually 2-3 years (some NP programs require clinical experience to be eligible for application), and it is currently a masters level degree. Though I see it becoming a doctorate level degree in the next few years (much like pharmacy has become a doctorate level degree - PharmD). After completing your training, you can subspecialize in pediatrics, or neonatology (caring kids or infants respectively).

Hope this helps.

I finished m.sc,nursing how can I apply for nurse practitioner,

I am a nurse how can I become a nurse practitioner