Can You Go to NP School Right After BSN With No Experience?

When I graduated from nursing school with my bachelor’s degree, I wanted to jump right back into school and start a Nurse Practitioner program. Ultimately, my goal was to become a Nurse Practitioner preferably sooner than later.

Do you need RN work experience to get into an NP program?

It depends on the schools you apply to. Most programs require at least a year of working experience as a Registered Nurse. However, there are still schools that will accept you with no experience.

What can you learn from working as a Registered Nurse?

Nursing is sometimes described as more than just a science, but an art. You can’t always learn from a textbook; you just have to experience it to understand. Working as a Registered Nurse gives you first-hand training and experience in caring for patients. Your textbook knowledge is put to the test in real-world situations.

A few examples of things you can expect to learn as a Registered Nurse are the following:

Communication skills with medical staff, management, patients, and their families.
Professionalism by showing respect to coworkers and patients, keeping a positive attitude in difficult situations, adhering to a strict code of ethics, demonstrating reliability, and following through with promises.
Critical thinking skills that allow you to perform and stay calm under pressure in difficult situations.
Roles of other medical staff members, and how to work together as an effective team to treat and provide the best care for patients.
Leadership skills through a variety of nursing roles such as a charge nurse, mentor, or participating on a committee board.
Competence in clinical skills developed from first-hand experience with ill patients and their different needs. This can include but is not limited to obtaining vital signs, inserting IVs, administering medications through a variety of routes, maintaining sterile fields, and airway management care.
Time management by learning how to maximize the most of your time which can include prioritizing nursing tasks, knowing when to use appropriate resources, and delegating tasks to other staff members.

A Registered Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner Are Two Different Jobs

Role of the Registered Nurse

Registered nurses practice fundamental and essential nursing care. The majority of nurses work in hospitals but are not limited to clinics, schools, nursing care facilities, and home health services. They assist healthcare providers in the treatment and care of patients. This can include gathering patients’ health history, monitoring patients’ symptoms for any changes, obtaining and documenting vital signs and lab work, administering medications, and helping healthcare providers during exams and procedures.

Role of the Nurse Practitioner

Nurse Practitioners, on the other hand, have a great deal more autonomy in their practice. Nurse Practitioners can work in hospitals, community clinics, medical offices, and private practices. A significant role of the nurse practitioner involves health promotion and education to their patients. Their advanced education allows them to analyze and interpret health histories and test results. With this information, they can diagnose illnesses and diseases to create a plan of treatment for their patients. This includes prescribing medications and performing a variety of tests and procedures.

Will Work Experience Help in School and Clinical?

Upon graduation with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, you have learned the fundamental nursing skills and knowledge to perform and work as a Registered Nurse. It is from the work experience that you learn to refine and build upon these skills and knowledge. Not everyone needs a decade of work experience, but even a year in a nursing job develops and strengthens critical thinking skills, clinical proficiency, leadership experience, and professionalism. It teaches the new nurse how to put the whole clinical picture together to provide the best treatment and care for the patient.

Universities and colleges are looking for qualified candidates that will excel in their Nurse Practitioner Program and be able to pass licensing boards. A nursing background provides a solid foundation to start an advanced degree in nursing practice. It can also potentially give students an advantage compared to those who have not had experience in the nursing field.

This doesn’t mean you will fail all your classes in a Nurse Practitioner program. It simply means concepts and clinical judgment may not come as easy compared to others with years of nursing work experience. You may need to study more and work harder than some of your classmates to be proficient in certain areas of a nurse practitioner program.

Nurse Practitioner Application Tips for Those With No RN Experience

Recently more schools are requiring less experience to get accepted into a Nurse Practitioner program. However, nursing schools may still be hesitant to accept an applicant with zero experience. Make sure your application stands out for the right reasons during the application process. Going above and beyond what is required in other areas outside of work experience in the application can help compensate for the lack of work experience as a Registered Nurse.

Listed below are several recommendations that can help improve your application:

High GPA. This shows you have excelled in your undergraduate schooling and are likely to do well in the nurse practitioner program as well if accepted.
Test Scores. Above average test scores on GRE. Take the time to study hard for this test and take it multiple times if needed to obtain higher scores. It is recommended to take this test if you can score well, even if the nurse practitioner program does not require it. This is another example showing the admissions office that you are smart, a good test taker, and highly likely to pass courses taken in a graduate-level program.
Awards. Graduate with Honors, listed on Dean’s List, invited to a graduating Honor Society. Once again, all of these demonstrate dedication and proficiency in your undergraduate nursing studies which predict the same in future schooling.
Undergraduate Clinical Capstone Hours. Increase the amount of senior clinical capstone hours. While you may not be employed as a registered nurse, you can still have experience working as one in your senior clinical practicum or capstone. If possible, work extra shifts with your RN preceptor. In your application, emphasize the ability to work independently and the skills you have developed from it.
Research and Publications. Participate in research projects and studies with your school’s faculty staff. There are opportunities to assist the undergraduate nursing faculty in their research projects and studies. Take time to ask nursing faculty and offer your assistance. This looks great on your application as you will be involved in a significant amount of research projects and analyses for your graduate nursing degree.
Provide positive references. Be deliberate in who you ask for letters of recommendation and references. It’s best if these come from nursing faculty or a registered nurse preceptor. Ask if they are willing to give you a positive reference. Give them details and let them know you are applying with little to no nursing work experience. You may ask if they could emphasize your ability to succeed in a graduate-level program in the recommendation.
Medical Work Experience. Include and emphasize any work experience in the medical field besides a registered nurse. This could include working as a CNA, hospital tech, medical assistant, LPN, or any job in a medical setting. This shows that even though you haven’t worked as a registered nurse, you are familiar with working at least in the medical field.
Volunteer participation. If possible, volunteer and emphasize the volunteer work you have completed. Volunteer work in a medical or nursing environment is highly preferred and the best to enhance your application.
Shadow other Nurse Practitioners. Nurse Practitioner programs will appreciate the extra time you took to shadow a nurse practitioner. This shows your ambition and effort to learn about the role of a nurse practitioner and the responsibilities and duties they have with their job.

The Disadvantages of Having No Nursing Experience

Keep in mind before applying to Nurse Practitioner schools that there are several disadvantages to having no nursing experience.

There are a few universities and colleges that don’t require nursing experience to get into their Nurse Practitioner program. As mentioned before a high GPA and test scores, excellent references, a substantial amount of shadowing and clinical hours, and previous medical field experience besides nursing can help strengthen your application. Despite these efforts, nursing programs may still consider other applicants more qualified because of their work as a nurse.

Another concern is finding employment upon graduation from Nurse Practitioner school. Many clinics, hospitals, and private practices are looking for nurse practitioners who have had experience as a registered nurse. Those with nursing work experience, even just a year, are usually preferred over those with no work experience.

It is possible to go straight into a Nurse Practitioner program without any work experience.

This path is not for everyone, considering RN work experience can teach and develop fundamental clinical skills and professionalism which can help in NP school and your first NP job. Carefully consider if going straight into school is the right decision for you.

How is your experience applying to Nurse Practitioner school?

Are you applying with no RN work experience? Do you have other questions? I’d love to hear from you and all about your experience with applying for nurse practitioner school!