How To Prepare For NP School – Advice From Current NP Students

How To Prepare For NP School – Advice From Current NP Students

I want to share how I prepared for nurse practitioner school. Both applying to and attending NP school can be very time-consuming and stressful. It is essential to start NP school prepared and ready right from the beginning.

I remember asking everyone I could for detailed advice and the best ways to prepare for NP school. 

I share not only how I prepared for NP school, but also tips and advice from current NP students. 

If you are an undergraduate student still in college, I have an article written just for you. Check out How to Prepare for NP School While Still in College.

networkExpand and use your personal network 

So this section is two parts, first, expand your personal network, and second, use your network to help you get ahead in NP school. This topic isn’t always taught or emphasized in nursing school. However, networking is important for your profession as a nurse practitioner and can contribute to your success in a variety of ways. 

So let’s start with building your personal network. The easiest way to do this to start telling everyone either you plan to go to NP school, applied to NP school, got accepted to NP school, or are starting NP school. Emphasis on everyone because simply by having other people know can create some surprising connections for you. 

Many NP students find it easiest to start with people in the medical and nursing field first. Talk with coworkers, previous professors, and other people in the health care profession you know. As you grow your network, reach out to family and friends. They may know of people who can help you in your process of becoming an NP.

The second part is to use your contacts in your personal network. This may require you to step out of your comfort zone. Schedule to meet with them or at least a phone call. Treat it like an interview: be prepared, have questions ready, listen, and act professionally. 

For example, Melissa, a current NP student, said she found out her coworker’s friend was a professor at a nursing school she wanted to apply to.  She met with this professor and was able to talk about the university, the NP program, NP school requirements, and also talk about the professor’s career as an NP. Melissa said this meetup helped her throughout her application process and especially in her NP school interviews. 

Another reason why you need to expand your network is for future connections for clinical. Many NP schools now require the student to find and organize a clinical site and preceptor. No one wants to “cold-call” clinics to find clinical NP preceptors. By building your personal network now, you can meet contacts that may lead to future clinical opportunities later. This is what happened to Alyse, an NP graduate. She needed more hours for her OB/GYN clinical and reached out to family and friends who might know any nurse practitioners working in that area. Not only did she find a clinical preceptor, but she eventually accepted a job at that same clinic site. 

Network MeetingReach out to recent NP graduates and current NP students

Another great way to help you prepare yourself for NP school is to talk to current NP students and recent graduates. They can provide you with all kinds of information and advice. If you have particular questions about certain schools, use your network and see if you can find a connection to someone who attended that school. If not, use internet forums to ask for advice for that particular school. Many schools now provide information sessions for prospective students. This is a great opportunity to meet and talk to other NP students from the schools you are interested in. 

Talking to students from other NP schools you might not apply to or attend can still be very helpful. A lot of advice and tips are applicable to all NP students. For example, Julie, a current NP student, talked with her friend, who attended an NP school in another state. Her friend mentioned a particular flashcard set that she bought for her pharmacology class and gave it to Julie to use. Julie says this helped her pass her class and would have really struggled had she not talked with her friend and got that pharmacology flashcard set.

Here is a link to Julie’s recommended flashcard set: Pharm Phlash!: Pharmacology Flash Cards and they also have flashcards for pathophysiology: Patho Phlash!: Pathophysiology Flash Cards.

Nurse PractitionerObserve NP’s while at work 

Several NP students mentioned that observing nurse practitioners and becoming more familiar with the NP role helped them prepare for school and set realistic expectations of what work working as NP would be like. There are several ways you can observe NP’s. An easy way if you are currently working is to pay attention to the NP’s you work with. Pay attention to what they are assigned to do throughout the day. Look at their charting and watch them assess your patients. Another way to do this is to schedule a day with a nurse practitioner to shadow. This allows you to follow them without being distracted by your job. 

Aside from observing their role, talk to the nurse practitioners. Start thinking about what questions you have about NP’s and get advice from them. You can ask them at your job while shadowing them, or set up a separate time to meet and talk. Here are some ideas of questions you can ask:

  • What do you like most about your job?
  • What is the hardest part of your job?
  • What made you decide to become an NP?
  • How long have you been working as an NP?
  • How long have you been working in _____ specialty? Do you like it?
  • Did you work as an RN in the same specialty as you work now as an NP?
  • What helped you the most to prepare for NP school?
  • What was helpful when applying to NP school?
  • What was the most challenging when you went to NP school?
  • Do you have any advice for someone preparing to go to NP school?
  • What do you think makes a good nurse practitioner?

Another benefit of observing NP’s is to identify what characteristics you like and don’t like about them. Pay attention to what makes it difficult to work with certain NP’s or even doctors. Are they condescending to other staff members? Do they avoid listening to other people’s ideas or suggestions? Are they always late?  

And on the other hand, what do other NP’s do that make them great to work with? Observe their bedside manner and how they treat other staff and colleagues. Do they make time to really listen to their patients’ problems? Do they take the time to teach their patients about new treatments, medications, or lifestyle changes? Are they organized? Do they respect their patients and staff? In the end, by looking at the characteristics of other NP’s can help you decide what characteristics you think is important to have as you become an NP.

anatomyReview topics in your weak areas

It is helpful to go back and review topics from school that you might not be as familiar with anymore. After working for a while in a specialty area, it is easy to forget all the information you learned in nursing school. And some undergraduate programs focus heavily on one topic, like pharmacology, than other schools. This causes many students to have a variety of weak areas as they start NP school. It is important to start NP school ready to learn in-depth material than having to catch up and start learning from the basics again.

First, identify the weak areas you need help with the most, such as anatomy, pathophysiology, or pharmacology. It could also be more specific, like reviewing the physiology of the renal system or reviewing common medications for hypertension. This should be a brief overview and nothing significantly time-consuming. To review a variety of nursing topics, I would recommend free resources such as Khan Academy and Youtube, especially the Crash Course videos for anatomy and physiology. There are many videos covering anatomy, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and assessments from these resources. Look up videos related to your weak areas in your spare time. If you notice an area you are really struggling with, spend some time reviewing. Keep in mind to review and that learning anything in depth is for when you are actually in NP school. 

*I also created a  Recommended Products page, where I have listed my personal recommendations for books, stethoscopes, flashcard sets, and reference cards to help you get a head start in NP school. 

Nurse Practitioner Application CostPlan your finances and create a budget

Nurse Practitioner school is expensive. Start planning on how you are going to pay for NP school. Look at how much average tuition will cost, as well as textbooks, housing, transportation, food, etc. Create a budget and start saving now. Consider picking up extra shifts and saving that money only for NP school. 

Another way to help prepare you for NP school costs is to apply for scholarships and grants. There are many options available to graduate students. Begin searching now and see what scholarships you are eligible for. This is also helpful as you notice that you are lacking in areas, like volunteer work or participating in nursing organizations, and can start now to build your resume for future scholarships and grants. 

Talk to a financial aid advisor at your university to help you find scholarships. Jordan, who recently just graduated NP school, said as soon as he was accepted into an NP program, he scheduled an appointment with the university’s financial aid advisor. Together, they were able to find many scholarships that he was eligible for. He was able to pay a substantial amount of his tuition and even housing with these scholarships and avoid taking out large loans. 

Many students end up using loans from Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). FAFSA determines your eligibility for government-sponsored student financial aid. You can apply for FAFSA before you are even accepted into NP programs to see which college gives you a better offer. 

A majority of NP schools offer part-time programs now. This allows you to work while still going to NP school. Talk with the school’s advisor to find out if they recommend working part-time or full-time with the program’s course schedule. Some schools recommend or require you to work only part-time due to the difficulty of classes. While going to NP school part-time may take longer to graduate, it may be the best option financially for some students. 

familySet clear expectations with family, friends, and work

Even though you are the one going to NP school, it affects many of the people around you. Make sure you talk with family, friends, and those you work with before you start NP school. You want to set clear expectations of what is expected of you and of them.

Caring for a family can be difficult, especially while in NP school. To prepare yourself to care for a family while in school, begin splitting up chores and tasks to those in your family. Let them understand you might not be able to do the chores you currently do now. This can also include child care, cooking meals, cleaning up, etc. It is helpful to make a list of all the chores that need to be done and how often. With your family or partner, go through the list and talk about what tasks are appropriate, and assign them to each family member. In the case you find that you don’t have enough help to get chores done while in school, you may need to hire someone to do those tasks such as watching your children, walking your dog, or mowing your lawn. Keep this in mind when planning your finances through school.

It is also important to talk about your schedule with your friends. Let them know you may not be able to spend as much time with them while you are in school. Tell them how important it is for you to have the time to study and prepare for your classes. 

Before you start NP school, it is important to talk with those you work with. Your manager will appreciate you talking to them sooner than later. Let them know well ahead of time of any important dates you need off for school. Be honest about how often you can work, and don’t let them convince you that you can work more than that. Setting clear expectations now can help avoid any potential problems later.

relaxTake a vacation and relax

NP school does not allow you to take much time to yourself or relax. It requires a lot of time and work. That’s why a great way to prepare for NP school is to make time to relax and enjoy time with family, friends, or even just yourself. You can do this in a variety of ways. You can take some time off work for a vacation. You can also make time to do hobbies or a few activities on your bucket list. It is important that you start NP school not already stressed. 

An example is Katherine, who took time off work for a vacation just a few weeks before she started NP school. She didn’t want to spend a lot of money, so she decided to do a “staycation” with her family. She ate at restaurants she has been wanting to go to and did activities with her family in the neighboring cities where she lived. Katherine said she had a great time with her family and also felt recharged and less stressed before NP school, all while on a budget.

Make time for a vacation or your favorite hobbies and activities. Enjoy your time with family and friends. Like Katherine, you don’t have to do anything expensive and can find things close by and cheap. 

Nurse Practitioner RoleWrite down why you are going to NP school

Nurse Practitioner school is not easy. It is a demanding and time-consuming degree to obtain. There will be moments throughout your NP program that you will doubt yourself and wonder why you even decided to go to NP school. 

Jenifer has one more semester left before graduating as an NP. She said she struggled to find a balance of school, work, and family. She often caught herself thinking during stressful times that she might have been better off just working as an RN and have never gone to NP school. What helped her get through those tough times was a letter she wrote to herself about why she decided to go to NP school. She said she read this letter on many occasions for the past couple of years while in school, and it helped motivate her to push through her tough times. She knew the hard work she put in now would pay off as becoming an NP has been a long-time goal of hers. 

I think writing a letter to yourself is a great idea as you prepare to go to NP school! I wrote myself a letter as soon as I heard about Jenifer. Reminding yourself why you are going to school to become an NP can be so valuable when you are stressed and discouraged. Take the time to write yourself the reasons why you want to become a nurse practitioner.

We want to hear from you!

What are you doing to help prepare for NP school?

Comment below and let us know what advice you found helpful.

 

Don’t forget to check out the other helpful articles on this website!

 

 

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