In order to practice as an RN, you need to complete a BSN and your licensing exams. However, the training and advancement don’t have to stop there. There are plenty of nursing roles and jobs that require higher levels of training and education. One example of this is nurse practitioners (NPs). NPs are advanced practice nurses who specialize in a particular field of nursing. If you are keen to continue boosting your nursing career or are planning what your future steps may be, then online BSN to NP programs can help you achieve your dream nursing role in a flexible and manageable way.
Online NP program options
The online BSN to NP programs is BSN to MSN/NP programs that will give you the skills and knowledge to work as an NP in your chosen area. The programs will provide you with the clinical expertise to treat, prevent, assess, and manage diseases in your specialism. The online BSN to NP programs take 24-30 months to complete and the program duration depends on the pathway you choose.
The pathways are as follows:
- Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner degree: 28 months to complete
- Family nurse practitioner degree: 30 months to complete
- Pediatric nurse practitioner degree: 28 months to complete
- Adult-gerontology, primary care, nurse practitioner degree: 24 months to complete
The pathways include various courses that can be studied one at a time, with a one-week break in between, in order to make the programs as flexible and achievable as possible. The programs are designed for practicing RNs who want to continue in their current roles, but still be able to study at the same time. Due to the advanced nature of NP roles, there are many entry criteria that need to be met in order to qualify for the programs, such as a 3.0 GPA, an unrestricted and unencumbered current nursing license, and a BSN from a regionally accredited institution or nursing program.
If you do not yet meet these criteria or are just beginning your studies to work as an RN, it can be useful to look ahead to the potential careers you may want, and look at the requirements and qualifications that you will need to achieve these. If you are just at the start of your journey to becoming a nurse, then the general pathway is to complete a BSN degree, before taking your licensing exams in order to be able to practice as an RN. You may then work in general nursing, which is a great opportunity to experience the industry and the different areas and types of nursing that you may be interested in working in in the future.
Who is it for?
The online BSN to NP programs are designed for practicing RNs who already hold a BSN and would like to advance their careers and focus on a specific area of nursing. If you don’t yet know where you would like to focus your work, then it is still worth looking into the online BSN to NP programs as a potential future training option. When you are working as an RN, you will know that there are many characteristics, as well as the technical skills, that you will need in order to be successful in these roles. They include:
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Stamina
- Compassion
- Empathy
- Willingness to learn and adapt
- Advocacy
- Critical thinking
The online BSN to NP programs can help you cultivate and strengthen these various personal skills within yourself. You will also learn how to apply them in the new situations that your new NP role may present to you. Nurses often take a more holistic approach to their patients than some other medical professionals. This means that they see the patient as an individual rather than just their medical problem, and holistics in nursing is also concerned with maintaining optimum health for the patient and preventing disease as well as treating it. Nurses may take factors other than the physical into account when dealing with a patient, such as social environment, psychological, cultural, and religious beliefs.
What are the different career outcomes?
The online BSN to NP programs prepare you to work in a role in your chosen specialism of nursing. There are many differences between RNs and NPs. NPs are mid-level practitioners and are also nonphysician clinicians. This means that they can perform many of the clinical and diagnostic functions of a doctor even though they are not trained as one. Furthermore, another major difference is that in some states, NPs can practice independently, without the supervision of a doctor. The NP roles that online BSN to NP programs are trained you to work in are as follows:
Family nurse practitioner
FNPs work with patients across all genders, ages, diseases, and body systems. They prioritize preventative care while also being able to treat serious illnesses and recognize the importance of family-centered healthcare. Their tasks include assessing and diagnosing patients, ordering and interpreting lab tests, patient education, managing treatment plans, and prescribing medications. FNPs can work in settings such as private practices, internal medicine clinics, hospitals, and locations such as rural areas that have historically long waiting lists for physician
Pediatric nurse practitioner
PNPs treat newborns to young adults, with a focus on primary care. However, PNPs are also able to treat chronic and acute illnesses. Their tasks include prescribing medication; liaising between patients, families, and doctors; maintaining patient health; performing physical assessments and developmental check-ups; interpreting lab and diagnostic results; treating illness and injury, and providing emotional support and advice to patients and their families. PNPs can work in various settings including private practices or alongside pediatricians.
Adult-gerontology, primary care, nurse practitioner
AGNPs who specialize in primary care treat patients from around the age of 21 and upwards, who are not usually ill. Primary care is one of the two types of AGNP nursing, with the other being acute care. The online BSN to NP programs train you to work in the primary care area, with responsibilities including managing the transitions between care settings, promoting and encouraging healthy lifestyles and choices, educating patients and caregivers, and assessing the competence of caregivers. AGNPs can work in settings such as primary care practices and clinics, correctional facilities, hospices, long-term care facilities, and nursing homes.
Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner
PMHNPs are trained to treat individuals, groups, and communities with a wide range of mental health services. You can choose to work generally or specialize in areas such as psychotherapy or forensics. The responsibilities of a PMHNP include prescribing and managing medications, assessing and diagnosing patients, conducting therapy, consultancy, managing patient care, educating families and staff, and providing emergency psychiatric services. PMHNPs can work in locations such as prisons, schools, trauma centers, or on substance abuse programs.
The online BSN to NP programs will prepare you to work in one of these advanced practice roles, depending on the pathway you choose. These are demanding roles, but are incredibly rewarding and you will be able to provide primary and specialist care to a range of patients. You could also choose to study a higher qualification, such as a DNP, which can prepare you for even more advanced nursing roles in your field such as a neonatal nurse practitioner, or nurse leadership or education roles, including a vice president of nursing, chief nursing executive or chief nursing officer. There is plenty of opportunity to move and advance your career when you are working in nursing, and online BSN to NP programs can be a great way to begin to do this.
Benefits of online study
The online BSN to NP programs uses blended learning to provide a flexible and adaptable method of teaching. Blended learning is the use of multiple teaching styles, both remote and in-person. It makes the courses more manageable, and removes any superfluous travel time and expenses, among having many other benefits. Online study can help you achieve your career goals in a way that works around your existing commitments, which means that you don’t have to make huge sacrifices in order to work towards advancing your career. For example:
Flexibility
The flexibility that online BSN to NP programs provide means that you can continue to work and earn while you are studying. The programs are designed to work around your job and shifts. Flexible learning not only makes the course more manageable to study but also allows you to develop important learning skills that you can use again in the future. It will help you become a great independent learner, which means you are able to motivate yourself, use your initiative, and actively seek out knowledge. Setting your own schedule and working pace is also beneficial, as it can allow you to customize your learning and make it more personal to you and your needs.
Location
When you are studying in-person, your location can be a factor that dictates the university and courses that you can study. For example, if your local university doesn’t offer the courses, qualification level, or flexible study models that you need, then this can cause delays in your career and academic advancement. You may waste time and money studying a subject you don’t want or need, or not study further at all. With the online BSN to NP programs, your physical location is less of a barrier and you may also be able to access education from places you may not have been able to before. You will also be able to create your own learning environment that works for you and meets your individual requirements. This can help make you feel more comfortable, which in turn can improve your productivity and the efficiency of your learning.
Costs
Studying can be very expensive, with costs including rent, travel, tuition fees, living expenses, and educational materials. The cost of being a student can put many people off of studying, especially at master’s level when you already have a degree and a job. However, furthering your education can be a worthwhile investment, as it can increase the job opportunities that are available to you and boost your earning potential. Furthermore, the online BSN to NP programs could save you money by reducing or removing some of the costs associated with being a student. For example, the tuition fees of online courses are often cheaper than their in-person counterparts, and you can still be eligible for financial support. You will also be doing a lot of the course from home, which means you will save time and money on traveling and accommodation. The ability to work and study at the same time also means that you can continue to earn money while you complete the program.
Soft skills
Soft skills are a set of personal, non-technical skills that are transferable and help you excel in any workplace or job. They include traits such as communication, teamwork, creativity, critical thinking, conflict resolution, and self-motivation. There are particular soft skills that are incredibly valuable for nursing, and these skills can constantly be developed and applied to new situations. Online learning can actually help you strengthen these skills, as you will use many of them when overcoming the unique challenges of online courses. For example, nurses need to be very organized, as they will have multiple patients at one time and each needs to be treated with the same level of care and professionalism. When completing online BSN to NP programs, you will also need to be organized and manage your time appropriately, especially if you are continuing to work while you study the course.
Studying one of the online BSN to NP programs will help you grow both personally and professionally, guiding you on your way to achieving your ideal nursing career. NPs are valuable members of the healthcare team and can provide great medical and emotional support to patients and family members. Education is also a large part of the work of an NP, as you will be encouraging and promoting healthy lifestyle choices in order to keep your patients happy and healthy. If you are considering boosting your nursing career and are ready for the next step, then online BSN to NP programs could be a good fit for you.
Feature photo by Joshua McKnight
