One of the most common questions is: What do you do after graduating NP school?
Once you have graduated, there are no longer professors or counselors guiding you on what step to take next. Most nurse practitioner schools will try to provide advice and direction ahead of time. But before graduation, it is easy to dismiss that information and simply focus on only what is required to graduate.
Now that you have graduated (or are about to), here are a few essential steps to take.
Sign up for the NP Certification Exam
The first step is to sign up for the nurse practitioner certification exam. This exam is provided by an NP certification board in your specialty. For example, students graduating in the family nurse practitioner specialty can take the exam from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). While the test varies somewhat between certification boards, both tests will provide certification.
In order to sign up for the certification exam, you must meet the certification board’s requirements. In general, a certification board will require:
- A current active RN license.
- A master’s, post-graduate certificate, or DNP from your specialty program from an accredited school
- A minimum number of faculty-supervised clinical hours
- Completion of specific classes. For example, advanced physiology/pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, and advanced pharmacology.
- Completion from classes that discussed specific topics such as health promotion/maintenance, differential diagnosis, and disease management of your specialty population.
Often graduating students will submit the exam application early with unofficial transcripts to speed up the application process. Some students may even be able to take the exam before graduation if they meet all other eligibility requirements. In that case, the certification board will hold their exam result and certification issue until the degree is conferred to the individual and official transcripts are received by the certification board.
Prepare and study for the NP Certification Exam
Most certification boards recommend 6-12 weeks of preparation and study time for the certification exam. This timeline may vary based on your work schedule and personal lifestyle.
There are many different exam prep courses and books available to prepare for the certification exam. For example, some common ones are Fitzgerald, Leik, and APEA. However, be aware these courses can be expensive and add up quickly!
It is important to research what course would fit your learning style best. Think about what you want most from the course. Is it more in-depth information on certain topics or a brief summary with key points? Do you prefer online courses or printed books? Do you want a course that you can go at your own pace or skip topics? How many practice questions do they offer?
If you are looking for more budget-friendly ways to prepare for the certification exam, some certification boards offer free sample tests and questions. There are also multiple free youtube videos that cover exam topics and test-taking tips.
So what happens if you fail the certification exam? You do have the opportunity to retake the test. Typically the certification board will require a certain number of hours of continuing education in the area of weakness from the failed test. Most certification boards allow two attempts in a calendar year to pass the exam, and some may require a certain number of days between taking the exam.
As you finish your exam at the testing center, you may receive a preliminary analysis of your score stating pass or not passed. It is not an official document. Once the certification board processes all paperwork, including official transcripts, and all fees are paid, some boards will release the score online. An official certificate will be mailed in about 2-3 weeks.
Apply for an NP State License
Once you receive your official certification letter, you can then apply for a state license. It depends on the state who will provide the licensing. It may be regulated by the state board of nursing and/or the board of medicine. Each may have different requirements, but typically they require documents such as official transcripts, certification letter, RN license, etc. Make sure to check what is required in the state you will practice.
Update Your Resume
During this entire process, do not forget to work on your resume and prepare for your next job as a nurse practitioner! While you are still in school or shortly after graduation, your college may still provide resume and job application assistance. Take advantage of those resources while you can.
Having a strong resume is important in the job application process. It is helpful to have professors, nursing colleagues, and friends review and edit your resume. Here are a few quick tips for your resume:
- First, make sure your contact information is up to date! And use a professional email address. Avoid using a school email address if possible
- Keep it short and easy to read. You want to make sure the reader can easily skim through it.
- Use a readable and professional font design, such as Arial, Georgia, or Times New Roman.
- Try to avoid a resume longer than 1-2 pages. It’s best if you can fit it on one page!
- Print in a 10-12 point size font so if printed it is easy to read.
- Make good use of subheadings, bullet points, bolding, caps, underlining, and italics. It helps keep the resume organized.
- Don’t forget to name your resume document. It will make it easier to find your resume as a computer file. Ex: Jane_Doe_Resume
In between graduation and your next job, you can participate in volunteer hours or additional NP shadowing hours to build up your resume. Keep your certification up to date, such as BLS, ACLS, and PALS.
As you work on a resume, create a cover letter template. You can write it overall generic, and later when you apply to a job, you can individualize it to each job specifically. It makes applying for a job so much easier when you have a cover letter ready!
Build Your Professional Nursing Network
Keep in touch with your professors, clinical preceptors, student-peers, and old colleagues. You want to build your professional nursing network. Stay in contact with people you can use for references in the job application process. This network can also help you find a job later as well.
Your network can be virtual as well. LinkedIn provides a great way to meet and stay in touch with other nurse practitioners. You may also find Facebook groups specific to your nursing specialty, hospital, or city/state. There are a variety of nurse practitioner groups on national, state, and local levels that you can join to build your network as well.
Research and Apply for Jobs
As you search and apply for jobs, do your research to find out what the typical salary is for a new nurse practitioner in your area and the specialties that interest you. GlassDoor is a great website to use for this, as well as simply looking through job listings. There are also many other things to consider in addition to the salary for a great job. These include:
- Compensation (tuition reimbursement, sign-on bonuses, overtime differential)
- Benefits (401K, health/vision/dental insurance, PTO, sick days, maternity leave, etc.)
- Continuing education accommodations (travel to conferences, pay for courses, PTO dedicated towards CE)
- Schedule (hours per week, weekends, overtime, nights)
- Shift length
- Salary vs hourly pay
- Location (parking, commute, safety)
- Small vs large practice
- Non-compete agreement
- Opportunities for growth
As you apply and get opportunities for interviews, come prepared. Check out these articles to help you prepare for your interview: A Detailed Guide to the Nurse Practitioner School Interview and Nurse Practitioner School Interview Questions & Answers. Even though they are for applying to nursing school, you can apply the same advice and practice questions to a new job.
If you have difficulty finding a job, don’t get discouraged! The first job is usually the most difficult. Keep building your knowledge and gaining experience. You can do this by shadowing other NPs, completing continuing education credits, and participating in training courses.
Once you start your first job, the employer will typically guide you through the next steps of setting up the NP protocol and contract, as well as any other additional training for your job. Remember to keep your license active and up to date per your state regulations!