NewDayWith the help of accelerated NP programs for Non-nurses, you can easily switch from a Non-nurse career and start building a sustainable career in nursing without having to undergo a BSN.
Here is the fact;
There are some cases where people with bachelor’s degrees in non-nursing fields wish to change their careers and work in a healthcare setting as a nurse practitioner.
Instead of starting all over again and getting BSN degrees, they can go for accelerated NP programs for non-nurses.
These direct-entry programs are for people who have non-nursing bachelor’s degrees and wish to take up graduate nursing degrees and become nurse practitioners.
In this article, we will look at some schools offering direct-entry programs for nurse practitioners.
List of 23 Accelerated NP Programs for Non-Nurses
Below are 23 schools that offer direct-entry or accelerated NP programs for non-nurses students, do well to scroll down to to see their program specialties, requirements and duration:
- Emory University
- The Ohio State University
- University of Cincinnati
- Northeastern University
- Yale University
- University of California-San Francisco
- University of Rochester
- Marquette University
- Simmons University
- San Francisco State University
- MGH Institute of Health Professions
- Azusa Pacific University
- University of Vermont
- University of Texas-Austin
- University of Massachusetts Medical School
- Madonna University
- Columbia University
- University of Vermont
- Herzing University
- Chamberlain University
- University of Illinois
- Georgetown University
- Samuel Merritt University
1. Emory University
Emory University has a direct-entry program for non-nurses to help them earn an RN license and proceed to become a nurse practitioner.
This program is designed so that even students with little or no experience in the nursing field can gain knowledge and skills through clinical experience and training.
In the first 15 months, students will focus on getting an MN degree; after that, they will take the NCLEX-RN exam and, if successful, become registered nurses.
The MN coursework lays a foundation for the MSN and NP courses, some of the courses taken at this stage include nursing leadership, interprofessional education, and others.
This MSN and NP courses will allow students to concentrate on a major specialty and become nurse practitioners at the end of the program.
Program Duration?
This program is slated to last 4 semesters for full-time students and 7 semesters for part-time.
Available Specialties?
Some specialties students can focus on include Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Gerontology Acute Care, Pediatric Primary Care, Pediatric Acute Care, and Emergency Nurse Practitioner.
Program Requirements:
Requirements for admission include a bachelor’s degree with at least a GPA of 3.0 from any accredited institution, academic resúme, official transcripts, and a C grade in math, social sciences, and physical sciences.
2. The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University designed a direct-entry program to help non-nurses become nurse practitioners in three years.
This program comes in stages, and the first is to take the NCLEX-RN exam; if the student passes, they will become registered nurses.
Then, the next step is to take MSN core and NP specialization courses to become a certified nurse practitioner; these courses are offered both online and on campus.
Available Specialties?
The school offers specialties like Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and Family Nurse Practitioner.
Program Requirements:
To be considered for admission, students must have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 in any field, academic resúme, official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, and a personal essay.
3. University of Cincinnati
People with non-nursing bachelor’s degrees and wish to become nurse practitioners can take the accelerated NP program; this program is from the University of Cincinnati and lasts for 5 semesters.
This program has pre-licensure and MSN core courses, after which students can take any NP concentration course. While some courses can be taken online, others require students to report to the campus.
Available Specialties:
The NP concentration courses in this program include Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
Program Requirements:
Like most schools, the University of Cincinnati requires a non-nursing bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade of 3.0, a personal statement, and a resúme for admission.
4. Northeastern University
There are 6 direct-entry nurse practitioner programs the Northeastern University offers to non-nursing students.
Each program has pre-licensure courses with 64 credits that students complete in the first 16 months, after which they will get a BSN. The next step is for the students to take the NCLEX-RN exam and become registered nurses if they pass.
After earning the registered nurse license, the program requires students to gain work experience for about a year or two, and they can also take non-clinical MSN courses during this period.
At the end of the work experience, students can take the clinical MSN and NP specialty-specific courses before taking any NP certification exam.
Available Specialties:
The specialty-specific courses in this program are Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP, Family Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP, and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
Program Requirements:
Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree with at least a GPA of 3.0, a personal statement, and three recommendation letters.
5. Yale University
Yale University has an accelerated nursing program for students interested in becoming nurse practitioners.
The program’s first year requires students to take pre-licensure courses with 42 credits and about 673 hours of clinical training.
You can take the NCLEX-RN exam and become a registered nurse at the end of the pre-licensure courses.
The next step is taking the MSN and NP specialty-specific courses with about 45 credits. The last step is to take the certification exam in any concentration.
Available Specialties:
Students can choose any of the specialties like Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care, Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP), Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Psychiatric – Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Acute Care (PNP-AC) and Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).
Program Requirements:
Yale University requires a non-nursing bachelor’s degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0, official transcripts, a personal statement, a resume, and three recommendation letters for admission.
6. University of California-San Francisco
Students with non-nursing degrees can become nurse practitioners by enrolling in direct-entry NP programs. This program has classes and extensive field training in various healthcare facilities.
The program lasts three years; the first year is for students to complete some courses and take the NCLEX-RN exam to become registered nurses.
Meanwhile, students can use the following two years to complete the core MSN and NP courses while focusing on a specialty.
Available Specialties:
The school offers specialties like Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care, Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
Program Requirements:
Admission requirements are a personal statement, four letters of recommendation, a bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 3.0 GPA, and official transcripts.
7. University of Rochester
Like other schools, the University of Rochester has an accelerated NP program that can last for three to four years, depending on the mode of study.
The first year of study is for taking BSN courses to be eligible for the NCLEX-RN to become a registered nurse. The following two to three years are for taking core MSN and NP specialty-specific courses with about 47 credits and 672 hours of clinical practice.
Available Specialties:
The school has NP concentrations like Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP), Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (FPMHNP), and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP).
Program Requirements:
The criteria for admission are a bachelor’s degree in any non-nursing field and prior health experience.
8. Marquette University
Marquette University has a direct-entry program that lasts for 18 months. During the first semester of this program, students must apply for the post-masters certificate.
The students will use the rest of the semesters to complete BSN equivalent and MSN core courses with 75 credits before proceeding to any NP specialty.
Available Specialties:
Students can major in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner, and Dual Primary Care and Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner.
Bottom line
Accelerated NP programs are available in many schools for students without nursing degrees who wish to become nurse practitioners. These programs take longer than an average NP program as students will first take pre-licensure and MSN courses before moving to core NP courses with specialties
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