What Is Needed to Become a Nurse Practitioner?

Nurses provide essential support to doctors in clinics, hospitals and other health care facilities like nursing homes. The highest nursing level, nurse practitioner, permits you to exercise some of the same tasks doctors would perform and gives you more responsibility. Subsequently, the requirements for nurse practitioners have to complete are more rigorous than the requirements for registered nurses or licensed practical nurses.

Education

• Nurse practitioners need a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree. Typically, nurses will go back to get this degree after completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. However, some nurses enter accelerated master's programs. These programs require applicants to have a minimum of an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), which translates to two years of college education. The accelerated programs may or may not award the BSN degree as part of the program in addition to the MSN.

License

• All nurses, including nurse practitioners, must be licensed in the state in which they practice. You may apply for a nurse practitioner license through your state board of nursing. The board of nursing expects you to meet continuing education and training requirements to keep your license current.

Passing NCLEX Score

• The National Council Licensure Examination, better known as the NCLEX, is a competency exam administered through the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Once you get an ADN degree, you are eligible to take the NCLEX-RN exam. The NCLEX is tied to licensure, so you cannot get a nursing license if you haven't taken this test.

Experience

• Nursing employers want to make sure that their nurses are competent; they do not rely solely on licenses to verify this. They also use your employment history. You should have at least two years of experience in nursing to apply for a nurse practitioner job. This usually isn't an issue for most nurse practitioners, as many nurse practitioners work for several years after getting an ADN or BSN and their nursing license; they complete the work experience requirement before they enter the master's programs.

Personality Traits

• Even if you are able to prove your intellectual and physical ability as a nurse practitioner, you may have difficulty in the job if you don't have the right personality traits. Nurse practitioners should be patient, well-organized, self-motivated, highly empathetic and able to complete tasks independently with minimal supervision. They should have a strong moral compass, as well, as they may deal with legal and health care industry issues on a daily basis.