I would like to be a nurse practitioner HOW?!
Hello everyone. I am almost finished my third year of nursing, I would like to eventually be a nurse practitioner, I am aware experience is required and possibly a masters. I was wondering if anyone knew the steps I would take to get there? what MSc I would do? etc
Thank you
Thank you
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Original post by Carleey45
Hello everyone. I am almost finished my third year of nursing, I would like to eventually be a nurse practitioner, I am aware experience is required and possibly a masters. I was wondering if anyone knew the steps I would take to get there? what MSc I would do? etc
Thank you
Thank you
Generally, the post will open up in your trust and they will guide you through what you need to do. The modules you pick will be directly related to the type of nurse practitioner you will be and the area you will be working in, but you're likely to do prescribing and assessment of the acutely unwell adult, for example. You may or may not be able to choose other modules depending where you study.
This should be helpful to you: https://www2.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/146478/003207.pdf*
Get a job in any acute setting - A&E, Acute Medicine is best. Change jobs as soon as you feel like you know what your doing. Don't allow yourself to get comfortable. Most NP jobs will want broad experience in multiple settings (An ANP is not a specialist nurse, they are a generalist nurse working at an advanced level so need a broad level of experience).
For the first few years focus on picking up basic courses like mentoring, and clinical courses like IVs' & Male Catheterisation.
While in this job start your MSc Advanced Practice - just do a module at a time. Still continue to work, and get experience. Self fund if you are unable to get funding from your employer. Start with the clinical examination module.
When you have this, look for junior NP roles in places like walk in centres, urgent care centres. When you get your first NP job (you will not be an ANP at this stage), you will need to wait for prescribing course. This is the part that takes the longest but if you choose your employer wisely you will not need to wait long.
In total you can easily do this within 5 years of qualifying.
However - by far the most important stage is getting the experience in your first few years in different settings. You will never be able to do this again. From an ANP perspective
For the first few years focus on picking up basic courses like mentoring, and clinical courses like IVs' & Male Catheterisation.
While in this job start your MSc Advanced Practice - just do a module at a time. Still continue to work, and get experience. Self fund if you are unable to get funding from your employer. Start with the clinical examination module.
When you have this, look for junior NP roles in places like walk in centres, urgent care centres. When you get your first NP job (you will not be an ANP at this stage), you will need to wait for prescribing course. This is the part that takes the longest but if you choose your employer wisely you will not need to wait long.
In total you can easily do this within 5 years of qualifying.
However - by far the most important stage is getting the experience in your first few years in different settings. You will never be able to do this again. From an ANP perspective
(edited 7 years ago)
experience needed is the same for all nurse practitioners - they need to recognise a wide range of conditions across specialities, manage undifferentiated patients, and manage them. This knowledge can only be gained if you work in settings with undifferentiated patients. When qualified as an ANP you can then choose a speciality to work in. This is different to an specialist nurse who can go into dermatology, learn about skin, and only deal with skin problems, or become a diabetic nurse, working in endocrinology, and spend her career tinkering with insulin doses.
Original post by adastraweb
Get a job in any acute setting - A&E, Acute Medicine is best. Change jobs as soon as you feel like you know what your doing. Don't allow yourself to get comfortable. Most NP jobs will want broad experience in multiple settings (An ANP is not a specialist nurse, they are a generalist nurse working at an advanced level so need a broad level of experience).
For the first few years focus on picking up basic courses like mentoring, and clinical courses like IVs' & Male Catheterisation.
While in this job start your MSc Advanced Practice - just do a module at a time. Still continue to work, and get experience. Self fund if you are unable to get funding from your employer. Start with the clinical examination module.
When you have this, look for junior NP roles in places like walk in centres, urgent care centres. When you get your first NP job (you will not be an ANP at this stage), you will need to wait for prescribing course. This is the part that takes the longest but if you choose your employer wisely you will not need to wait long.
In total you can easily do this within 5 years of qualifying.
However - by far the most important stage is getting the experience in your first few years in different settings. You will never be able to do this again. From an ANP perspective
For the first few years focus on picking up basic courses like mentoring, and clinical courses like IVs' & Male Catheterisation.
While in this job start your MSc Advanced Practice - just do a module at a time. Still continue to work, and get experience. Self fund if you are unable to get funding from your employer. Start with the clinical examination module.
When you have this, look for junior NP roles in places like walk in centres, urgent care centres. When you get your first NP job (you will not be an ANP at this stage), you will need to wait for prescribing course. This is the part that takes the longest but if you choose your employer wisely you will not need to wait long.
In total you can easily do this within 5 years of qualifying.
However - by far the most important stage is getting the experience in your first few years in different settings. You will never be able to do this again. From an ANP perspective
Hi I am also interested in this role. Do you know if you can do a masters straight from bachelors? Also could you do it in something such as public health or clinical sciences or even emergency care?
thanks
you would be an idiot to do your MSc Advanced Practice straight from qualifying. You need a few years of consolidation. Far better to do BSc level courses like mentoring first. Then embark on the MSc when you have become comfortable as an RN. You don't specialise as an ANP, you are by definition a generalist who can work in any clinical setting from A&E, GP surgeries, orthopaedics, to dermatology. ANPs are NOT specialist nurses. They can work anywhere.
Having said that, they are not qualified to work in public health or clinical sciences. The MSc is really geared towards clinical examination, making a diagnosis based on this, and management planning. You would not see patients as a clinical scientist or public health specialist, and these specialities have their own degrees.
Having said that, they are not qualified to work in public health or clinical sciences. The MSc is really geared towards clinical examination, making a diagnosis based on this, and management planning. You would not see patients as a clinical scientist or public health specialist, and these specialities have their own degrees.
Original post by moonkatt
Depends what area you want to be a nurse practitioner in as to what experience you'll need.
is there such thing as paediatric nurse partitioning?
Original post by Blackstarr
is there such thing as paediatric nurse partitioning?
partitioning?! If you mean practitioner, yes of course there is.
Original post by lilibet01
partitioning?! If you mean practitioner, yes of course there is.
Yes and do they work in GP's?
Original post by Blackstarr
Yes and do they work in GP's?
No, they are Practice Nurses.
You've asked this several times before.
Original post by lilibet01
No, they are Practice Nurses.
You've asked this several times before.
You've asked this several times before.
Yes but i was confused
For those who are more knowledgeable, could you review my plan for becoming ANP?
. Three year BSc
. Two/ three years experience in various departments
. Self-fund full time MSc advanced practice nursing
. Start looking for NP roles
This plan is based on how most msc courses I've looked at ask for 1-3 years experience, and others have reported that advanced nursing roles are relatively abundant for those willing to self-fund a masters.
. Three year BSc
. Two/ three years experience in various departments
. Self-fund full time MSc advanced practice nursing
. Start looking for NP roles
This plan is based on how most msc courses I've looked at ask for 1-3 years experience, and others have reported that advanced nursing roles are relatively abundant for those willing to self-fund a masters.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by ab677
For those who are more knowledgeable, could you review my plan for becoming ANP?
. Three year BSc
. Two/ three years experience in various departments
. Self-fund full time MSc advanced practice nursing
. Start looking for NP roles
This plan is based on how most msc courses I've looked at ask for 1-3 years experience, and others have reported that advanced nursing roles are relatively abundant for those willing to self-fund a masters.
. Three year BSc
. Two/ three years experience in various departments
. Self-fund full time MSc advanced practice nursing
. Start looking for NP roles
This plan is based on how most msc courses I've looked at ask for 1-3 years experience, and others have reported that advanced nursing roles are relatively abundant for those willing to self-fund a masters.
Seriously, find an area of nursing you want to be an ANP in first. Qualify and work for a bit and see if it is still something you're interested in. Find a role that allows you to progress and will contribute towards a masters.
I feel I need to clarify a misunderstanding that seems to be pervading amongst TSR users. Deciding to be an advanced nurse practitioner, or specialist nurse, isn't like deciding to be a nurse. You don't simply decide you want to be one, apply and pass an interview. They are extensions of the nursing role. Its not a stand alone thing. You don't become an advanced nurse practitioner across all of nursing. It is a way of expanding your scope of practice within your chosen area of nursing. Only when you have gained significant experience within that speciality plus or minus undertaken additional study in that area. There are very limited numbers of ANPs and only certain areas make use of them (although many areas have specialist nurses which have an enhanced role).
Whilst it is good to aspirations, it is also good to be realistic. The competition for these roles, and the training that goes along with it, is fierce and will go to the most experienced and qualified nurses, not some recently qualified nurse. If you sign up to nursing, you need to be prepared to put in the hard work as a band 5. Progression is very different to the private sector and you could be waiting years before making band 6, if you do at all. The majority of nurses will stay band 5s.
Whilst it is good to aspirations, it is also good to be realistic. The competition for these roles, and the training that goes along with it, is fierce and will go to the most experienced and qualified nurses, not some recently qualified nurse. If you sign up to nursing, you need to be prepared to put in the hard work as a band 5. Progression is very different to the private sector and you could be waiting years before making band 6, if you do at all. The majority of nurses will stay band 5s.
And also, priorities and aspirations change over time. Mapping out your whole career path when you are a student is easy to do, and a lot of people do, but that doesn't mean you'll actually follow that path. Priorities change, you have families or other considerations that influence career choices. Things you think you want in a job, often you'll find that the reality is different and you don't want that any more.
I wanted to go in to management as a student. You couldn't pay me enough to do that now. My opinion of nursing, and what I wanted, fluctuated massively between being a student and actually doing the job.
I am not saying we don't need ANPs. We do. They are amazing and highly qualified nurses who provide an invaluable service. But we also need band 5s.
I wanted to go in to management as a student. You couldn't pay me enough to do that now. My opinion of nursing, and what I wanted, fluctuated massively between being a student and actually doing the job.
I am not saying we don't need ANPs. We do. They are amazing and highly qualified nurses who provide an invaluable service. But we also need band 5s.
I'm going to throw in my two cents here...
By no means is it a bad thing to have aspirations of where one would like to go in their nursing career, but I think we have a lot of people who haven't even been accepted into or completed their nursing degrees yet asking about becoming an ANP.
ANPs are senior, experienced nurses - often Band 7 or 8. It's years or maybe even a decade, before the opportunity to become one will arise for many of those asking about it. Lets not run before we can walk.
My advice to all would be to focus on getting into and completing your nursing degree - which is a challenge in itself - and getting some newly qualified experience. If you're really not sure where to go a rotation job or a general medical area can give a flavour of lots of specialities to see which you might like.
This is something I myself have had to learn, but you don't have to have your whole career mapped out in front of you. Just work hard and enjoy whatever stage of the process you are in: applicant, student nurse or junior qualified nurse. Have some ideas about where you'd like to go with your career, yes, but when you encounter a speciality or opportunity that is suited to you, you'll know... But keep an open mind as nursing is such a diverse sector that it may not actually be the one you first thought of!
By no means is it a bad thing to have aspirations of where one would like to go in their nursing career, but I think we have a lot of people who haven't even been accepted into or completed their nursing degrees yet asking about becoming an ANP.
ANPs are senior, experienced nurses - often Band 7 or 8. It's years or maybe even a decade, before the opportunity to become one will arise for many of those asking about it. Lets not run before we can walk.
My advice to all would be to focus on getting into and completing your nursing degree - which is a challenge in itself - and getting some newly qualified experience. If you're really not sure where to go a rotation job or a general medical area can give a flavour of lots of specialities to see which you might like.
This is something I myself have had to learn, but you don't have to have your whole career mapped out in front of you. Just work hard and enjoy whatever stage of the process you are in: applicant, student nurse or junior qualified nurse. Have some ideas about where you'd like to go with your career, yes, but when you encounter a speciality or opportunity that is suited to you, you'll know... But keep an open mind as nursing is such a diverse sector that it may not actually be the one you first thought of!
@ForestCat I've just realised I've pretty much repeated your excellent points... But I hadn't seen your two posts before I wrote mine. Apologies!
Original post by Mango65
I think these posts are all helpful as I also would like to be an ANP over time. However, my fear is being stuck on a ward for years because I really don't enjoy it.
What is it you dislike about ward work? You don't have to work on a ward when you qualify, you choose the jobs you apply for.
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