An advanced practice registered nurse is a patient-facing clinical professional who is highly educated and specially trained to provide care for a specific patient population and act within a specific role. Before taking a look at the length of time it can take to become an APRN, it’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the specific careers within this category. The four main types of APRNs are as follows:
- Certified nurse practitioner (CNP) – Nurse practitioners can work in a range of healthcare settings. They have clinical expertise in diagnostics and treatments, and they tend to emphasize health management and illness prevention. There are various subspecialties available for CNPs, such as family practice, women’s health, pediatrics and geriatrics.
- Clinical nurse specialist (CNS) – A CNS may specialize according to setting (e.g., emergency room or critical care) or the type of care, such as rehabilitation or psychiatric care. A CNS may also specialize according to the type of problem (e.g., pain or wounds), diseases (e.g., diabetes) or population (e.g., pediatrics).
- Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) – As the title implies, a CRNA is a professional who specializes in preparing patients for surgery, administering anesthesia and monitoring patients in post-op recovery.
- Certified nurse midwife (CNM) – CNMs provide primary healthcare to women with an emphasis on family planning, gynecologic care, preconception planning, prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care and care of the newborn. CNMs may also treat their female clients’ male partners for reproductive health concerns.
RNs who decide that they are ready to pursue the next stage in their career and become APRNs should plan on heading back to nursing school. It’s necessary to earn at least a master’s degree. However, many APRNs hold a doctoral degree in addition to — or in lieu of — a master’s degree.
Not all graduate degrees will lead to an APRN career. For example, a master’s degree in healthcare administration will not enable you, as an RN, to become an APRN. Instead, you must earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in an APRN specialization area, such as a Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN FNP) degree.
You must also accumulate sufficient clinical practice hours and pass a national certification exam in your specialization area. Finally, you must apply for and receive APRN state licensure.
The length of time this process takes will vary from one person to the next. It may take two years or longer to earn an MSN degree, and about three or four years to earn a DNP degree, depending on whether you are enrolled on a full-time or part-time basis. After that, it will take some more time to complete the clinical hours, pass the certifying exam and acquire state licensure.
When you’re ready to join the nursing field and make a positive difference in people’s lives, the admissions personnel at Grand Canyon University are here to assist you. Our Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program allows students to graduate in as few as 16 months and emerge fully prepared to take the NCLEX-RN. Our ABSN students benefit from highly dedicated faculty members, immersive simulation experiences and clinical rotations across practice areas. This is reflected in our NCLEX-RN pass rate. GCU ABSN students scored a 100% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam in the first quarter and second quarters of 2022.3
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