How Many Years To Be a Nurse Practitioner

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have extensive educational and clinical training that allows them to perform medical tasks and procedures that are traditionally reserved for medical doctors. 

Whether you’re building your clinical care team or considering a career as an NP, you may have asked: How many years to be a nurse practitioner? What degree do you need to be a nurse practitioner? and What do nurse practitioners do?

In this article, we’ll answer these questions and more, so you can make an informed decision about hiring an NP or starting the process of becoming a nurse practitioner yourself. 

What do nurse practitioners do?

Nurse practitioners are highly trained nurses who provide advanced care to patients. They have further education and training beyond other nursing professionals, and focus on holistic and preventative medicine. 

NPs are able to diagnose illnesses, prescribe medication and treatments, order labs and diagnostic tests, and even perform minor surgical procedures.

How many years to be a nurse practitioner? 

Before you ask “How many years to be a nurse practitioner?” you’ll want to ask “What degree do you need to be a nurse practitioner?” Answering these two questions will give you a good idea of how to become a nurse practitioner. 

In order to become a nurse practitioner, you must first become a registered nurse (RN). 

It can take you two to four years to become a registered nurse, depending on whether you get your associate’s or bachelor’s degree. 

You’ll then need to get a graduate degree in nursing and specialize in one of the many nurse practitioner specialties like: anesthesiology, acute care, adult health, emergency services, family health, gerontology, neonatal, oncology, pediatric, psychiatric, and women’s health. 

Getting a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree, with a specialization, can take six years. 

If you choose to enroll in  a Doctor of Nursing Practice program, with a nurse practitioner specialty, it can take eight years of schooling to complete. 

5 steps on how to become a nurse practitioner 

1. Complete prerequisite nursing courses and apply for a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) at an accredited university
   
2. After completing the program, you have to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) to practice as a registered nurse
   
3. After gaining one to two years of experience as a registered nurse, you can apply for a Masters of Science in Nursing (MSN) program and select a nurse practitioner specialty
   
4. Complete your MSN degree coursework and clinical hours
   
5. Take the board licensure exam for your specialty and state 

Note: A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is not required to practice as a nurse practitioner, but some programs offer an extra year or two to complete it. There may also be accelerated programs for those wanting to get their BSN and MSN, or DNP, concurrently. 

What degree do you need to be a nurse practitioner?

Ultimately, you’ll need a Masters of Science in Nursing degree to be a nurse practitioner.  

If you already have a Masters of Science in Nursing, you can also get your post-graduate certificate in an additional specialty. 

Prior to practicing any NP specialty, you must pass the board exam for that specialty and meet your state licensure requirements. 

Master of Science in Nursing programs typically last for two years, while post-graduate certifications can take an additional 12 to 18 months to complete. 

Nurse practitioner programs can be entirely online with in-person clinical rotations, or they can be traditional classroom-based programs. Some programs use a hybrid model that combines both in-person and online learning.

What does a nurse practitioner do daily?

Now that we’ve answered the basic questions around how many years to be a nurse practitioner, the degrees required to practice, and the steps to licensure, we can explore what it looks like to practice. 

A nurse practitioner has many roles, but it can drastically vary depending on the specialty they choose and what setting they decide to work in. 

For example, a family nurse practitioner that works in an outpatient primary clinic can see patients of all ages—including pediatric patients. They may see a patient for their yearly physical exam or see someone who is coming in for an acute or chronic illness, such as flu-like symptoms or strep throat.

An acute care nurse practitioner may work on an intensive care unit in a hospital and help manage all patients on a unit. 

A psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) can work in correctional facilities, inpatient psychiatric units, as a psychiatric evaluator in emergency rooms, or even as a psychiatric consultant for medical floors in a hospital.

In the outpatient setting, psychiatric nurse practitioners focus on psychiatric diagnosis, medication management, and can also perform supportive therapy. Within a regular eight hour day, a PMHNP can expect to see between 10 to 20 patients. 

A day in the life of a PMHNP

As a private practice business owner and psychiatric nurse practitioner, this is what a normal day looks like for me:

8 AM: I look at my schedule of patients for the day and start pre-writing my note templates for each patient. I review all their previous notes to prepare for their appointments.

9 AM: I check all my emails and voice messages from the previous day and answer as many as I can. These messages include medication refill requests, medication concerns, side effects patients may be experiencing, messages from inpatient hospitals, or even therapist messages concerning clients. 

My assistant helps me reach out to call hospitals, update patients, and fax certain forms.

10–10:50 AM: I see my first patient for an initial evaluation. The session goes for about 50 minutes, wherein I diagnose them with major depressive disorder—moderate, prescribe them escitalopram 5 mg, and send it to their pharmacy. I feel they will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) so I refer them to a therapist that specializes in CBT nearby. I work on trying to complete the note, but I’m unable to finish, so I’ll have to get back to it later.

11–11:50 AM: I see two returning patients, for 20 minutes each with a 10-minute break between the two sessions, at 11 AM and 11:30 AM. They are both stable with their psychiatric symptoms, but for my last patient, I ordered blood work to test their Depakote levels as part of their medication management plan.

12–1 PM: This hour is reserved for team meetings and lunch. I ordered food for our team to meet and have lunch together. We break it down into two sections, clinical rounds discussing patient cases, and updates with the business. 

1–2:30 PM: I see five more patients and most of them are doing well on their current medication regimen, but one patient is really struggling. We discuss a higher level of care, but the patient is apprehensive. She does not meet criteria for an inpatient psychiatric unit. I believe she would be a better fit for an intensive outpatient (IOP) center where she is able to receive care daily for several hours, until she starts to feel better.

2–3 PM: My administrative assistant lets me know that the pharmacist is calling regarding one of the medications I prescribed and wanted to tell me about a possible drug interaction I might be unaware of—between a medication I prescribed and other medications prescribed by their primary care provider. I also submit the necessary information to get prior-authorization for one of my patients so that they can get their medication covered by their insurance.

3–3:30 PM: I have a meeting with a therapist regarding a mutual client. We discuss our plans for the client and how we feel they have progressed over time. There are concerns as this patient has attempted suicide in the past and is currently facing many immediate stressors.

3:30–4 PM: I have a networking meeting with the owner of a therapist group practice. The goal is to build our relationship so that we can refer clients to them and also be a resource for their clients.

4–5 PM: I meet with administrative staff to discuss any concerns that arose throughout the day regarding patient concerns, billing, finances, and if we are running low on any staff supplies.

5 PM: I review all of my emails and check for any urgent messages that need immediate attention. Then, I complete all my notes for the day and get ready to head home.

What can a nurse practitioner not do?

Nurse practitioners are not able to perform any major surgeries, but they can support doctors during procedures. NPs can suture cuts and lance boils, among other minor procedures. 

There are states in which nurse practitioners are not authorized to prescribe medication without a doctor’s approval. Because state laws vary, nurse practitioners must abide by the laws and rules of their state’s licensing board.

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