How Long Does it Take to Become a Nurse Practitioner?

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Exactly how long does it take to be a Nurse Practitioner? What does the path look like? What are the steps involved?

Whether you’re in high school considering a career in healthcare or are a pre-nursing major, a BSN student or already working as a RN, I think you’ll find this stepwise approach and timeline to becoming a Nurse Practitioner helpful. A career as a Nurse Practitioner is rewarding and challenging. There are many reasons to become a Nurse Practitioner. You may love it if you want to learn about medicine, have endless career options, and build relationships with patients as you help them improve their health.

There are many paths to becoming a Nurse Practitioner. Today, we’ll be talking about the most common path.

Steps to become a Nurse Practitioner

showing the steps of becoming a Nurse Practitioner starting with completing nursing prerequisites

Step 1 Complete nursing prerequisites 

Built into pre-nursing majors or you can complete the required courses on your own (as part of another bachelor’s degree). Try for the best GPA you can here as it’s important when you apply for your BSN or ABSN. 

Nursing Pre-reqs – varies per the program but generally:

  • Microbiology
  • Statistics
  • Anatomy and physiology 
  • General chemistry 
  • Lifespan growth and development

Time to complete: this step may take about 1 year if you are doing it outside of a pre-nursing major. Otherwise you would expect to apply to a BSN program in year 2-3 of your nursing major.

Step 2 Apply to BSN or ABSN

Time to complete: applications usually open in the fall and most programs start the next fall

Step 3 Complete your BSN degree

Woohoo – this is a big accomplishment, and you’re one step closer to being a NP!

Time to complete:

BSN: typically 18-24 months 

ABSN: requires a previous bachelor’s degree (doesn’t need to be health or science related, it only matters that you completed all the pre-reqs), 12-18 months to complete

Step 4 Pass NCLEX, get licensed 

You’re a RN now!

Step 5 Work as a RN

The amount of RN experience required by each NP program really varies or may not even be specified. Usually somewhere between no experience and 5 years of experience is required. 2 or more years seems to be a good minimum.

Step 6 Begin looking at NP programs, decide if you want to attend a MSN or DNP 

There are two degree options to consider on the road to becoming a NP – Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP).

Time to complete: Generally you should be able to meet the program’s application requirements since you have your BSN. Occasionally, you may need to take the GRE or an additional statistics course so it’s a good idea to look into this 6-12 months ahead of when you want to apply.

Step 7 Apply to NP programs

Consider which specialty or track you’re interested in. There are several options here:

  • Family
  • Adult Gerontology – Primary Care or Acute Care
  • Pediatrics – Primary Care or Acute Care
  • Nurse Midwifery
  • Neonatal
  • Psychiatric/Mental Health
  • Women’s Health

Time to complete: applications usually open in the fall and most programs start the next fall

Step 8 Complete your MSN or DNP

Learn as much as possible here! This can be done part-time or full-time depending on the program you attend. 

Time to complete: 1.5-2 years for the MSN or 3-4 years for the DNP if attending full-time

Step 9 Pass board certification exam, get license and prescription privileges

Time to complete: generally this step takes a minimum of 2 months, but usually closer to 3-4 months. I have several resources that may be helpful for you during this step:

Step 10 You did it!

Congratulations – you’re now a Nurse Practitioner!!

How long does it take to become a Nurse Practitioner?

This depends on where you are starting from and what path you take. Here are some general guidelines depending on your starting point:

High-school or if you have not completed any prerequisites – 6-7 years as a minimum (if you go straight through and skip getting RN experience), but usually closer to 8-10 years if you decide to work as a RN prior to returning to school.

Pre-nursing major or a student seeking a second bachelor’s degree in nursing – about 6 years to complete your BSN, work as a RN for a minimum of 2 years, and finally, to complete your MSN. Add 1 year if you complete a DNP instead.

Already working as a RN – plan for 2-3 more years of school depending on whether you go the MSN or DNP route.

I’d love to hear – Why are you interested in becoming a Nurse Practitioner? What questions do you have about the process?

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