<p>Hi, I am a senior in high school, and I have just decided I want to be a nurse practitioner. I was hoping to get some advice on schools to look at and what to expect from the admissions process. My main concern is that I don't have ANY medical experience. I have worked in a lab doing environmental research the past 2 summers, but nothing nursing related. Will this be a major issue? I am also hoping for merit based financial aid.</p>
<p>Here is other stats: SAT: 2210, ACT: 34. I was captain of my lacrosse team, and am co-vice-president of National Honor Society. I also have lots of volunteering. Finally, my PSAT scores will most likely make me eligible for a National Merit Finalist.</p>
<p>Thank you so much. Any information or experiences you've had will definitely help!</p>
<p>OP, have you looked into what’s involved in this career? It’s a wonderful choice but it is quite difficult and often lacking in reward. You could make an excellent nurse, but why do you want to be a nurse or practitioner? Have you researched the roles?</p>
<p>Hi, this is a great question for the sub forum, Nusing Major . There are lots of parents who has knowledge of this. In the Nursing forum, there is a “master list/complete list” of colleges with Direct Entry/ Direct Admit " Nursing programs so check it out. Listed by State & by School names.</p>
<p>" Nurse Practitioner " is an advanced graduate degree,
In some colleges, it is a Master degree program & some colleges now made that into a Phd degree.
For undergrad Nursing, the 4 yr degree is BSN.</p>
<p>Your stats should be competitive for any BSN programs. </p>
<p>Here are few things you should consider.</p>
<ol>
<li>First find out your budget from your parents and goto each school’s Net Cost Calculator to find out the best price for the best schools. </li>
<li>UVA, Michigan and UCLA should be on your list, if affordable. Your state school will be the most affordable.</li>
<li>If Med School is of any interest, apply to those UG schools have med schools. It will help you to understand the requirements and opportunity to intern.</li>
</ol>
<p>With your test scores and grades, you may want to consider a top nursing program. They tend to be a better fit for top students who are targeting graduate degrees such as nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, etc., and do a very good job at creating excellent opportunities for them to learn and gain experience. </p>
<p>I would suggest that you consider the University of Pennsylvania. It has the best Nursing program in the country. </p>
<p>Agree with the references to the nursing forum. The key is that there are two kinds of nursing programs at 4-year colleges. Many will admit you to the university in general, but you have to re-apply to the nursing major in your sophomore year. If you aren’t admitted to the nursing major, you either have to transfer out or major in something else.</p>
<p>The direct-entry programs are the ones that let you apply directly to the nursing program as a high school senior. Those are the best because you already know that you’re in once you start.</p>
<p>After you finish your BSN, you would then go get an MSN in a program that will license you to be an NP. Most people have some work experience before the MSN, but increasingly nurses are going into MSN programs with fewer years of work experience (or even none) because of the demand for mid-level providers, which include nurse practitioners.</p>
<p>Penn is a great recommendation because they have a direct entry BSN/MSN program:</p>
<p>If you already know what kind of NP you want to be, this allows you to go straight from the BSN to the MSN without reapplying - although some MSN programs at Penn will require you to get some work experience first (you have 5 years from the completion of your BSN to get the MSN).</p>
<p>You should know that the national organization governing nurses (can’t remember the name) has recommended that the standard degree for NPs starting in 2015 should be the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) instead of the MSN. This is just a recommendation, though, and I’m not sure how long it’ll take to catch on. A few universities have begun converting their NP programs to DNP, but most have not.</p>
<p>If you are at all interested in getting a PhD in nursing and becoming a nurse-scholar/nurse faculty member, look up the Hillman Scholars program! It provides funding for the last two years of undergrad and for a PhD in nursing. Penn and UNC both have Hillman Scholars programs, although you’re not actually eligible to apply until your sophomore or junior year at the school.</p>
<p>I’m an NP. Feel free to ask me questions. While I appreciate your long term plan you really need a few years of experience as an RN before you start your NP. I’ve seen intelligent, motivated students either wash out of an NP program or flounder once they get out due to lack of assessment skills. There is, in my opinion, no substitute for experience in this regard. This is something that you decided as a senior in HS and you really have no real world frame of reference. Perhaps shadowing some RNs and NPs might be a good idea before you commit yourself to seven years of schooling. Good luck!</p>
Wait, this is eerie… I’m a senior in high school as well, with literally the exact same test scores (2210 SAT, 34 ACT). Captain of Speech and Debate team, ran cross country… I’ve wanted to be a neonatal NP for a long time, and I’ve shadowed in clinics, talked to NPs and RNs, and visited the NICU several times.
So we are actually competitive for programs like UPenn??? I want UCLA, UPenn, UW, or Azusa Pacific - are these actually feasible?
Also, OP, did you end up deciding where to go?
I worked in a clinic during grad school and saw what our NPs had to do and it was often a very long, and tiring day for them before they even started to complete their chart documentation, insurance crap, supply ordering corrections, etc.
@kandcsmom is willing to give you some handy, realistic advice; I would listen to her.
You have to have RN practical experience; you won’t be a competent NP without it.
You have to deal with the messy part of the job which some people can’t take. I’m not an NP or nurse, but after seeing what they go through on a daily basis, I would never be able to do some of what they see and do, and not let it affect me or my home life.