About Nurse Practitioner School Requirements

A nurse practitioner is a mid-level practitioner in the medical field. In order to become a nurse practitioner, you must attend nurse practitioner school. If you are interested in this kind of schooling, you may want to know what the nurse practitioner school requirements are with regards to education, licensing, and prerequisites.

Education and Experience

Nurse practitioner programs are master's degree programs. So, in order to be admitted to a nurse practitioner program, a candidate must have a bachelor's degree in nursing. Nurse practitioner schools also require clinical experience for admission. This means the candidate must have worked for a certain amount of time as an RN. Many schools require either one year or 1000 hours of clinical experience for admission.

Licensing

Applicants for admission to nurse practitioner schools must be registered nurses (RNs). In order to become an RN, you must complete an accredited nursing program in your state and then take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Also, nursing schools require that your license be active and unrestricted before they offer you a spot in a nurse practitioner program.

Prerequisites

Nurse practitioner programs require their students to complete certain educational prerequisites before admission to a nurse practitioner program. Many require their students to have a grade point average of 3.0 or above for their bachelor's degree. Schools may also ask students to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and receive a certain score. Also, nurse practitioner schools want applicants to have taken certain courses during their studies, such as human anatomy and physiology. Most students will have completed these courses during their undergraduate studies.