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Kraena Pre-Health
Career Library

Nursing Paths

Nurse Practitioner (NP)

An advanced practice nurse who diagnoses, treats, and prescribes — with full independent practice in many states.

Years after high school

6–9

Degree

MSN or DNP (Doctor of Nursing Practice)

Entrance exam

Usually none; RN experience and GPA carry the weight

Median pay

$132,300 national median for nurse practitioners (BLS, May 2025). This is the occupation-specific median, not the combined APRN median.

What the job is actually like

Very close to a PA's day-to-day, but arrived at through nursing rather than the medical model. In a growing number of states NPs practice fully independently and can run their own clinics. Others require a collaborating physician.

The path

  1. 014 years for a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing)
  2. 02Pass the NCLEX-RN and work as a registered nurse
  3. 031–2+ years of RN experience — required by most programs and genuinely valuable
  4. 042–4 years for an MSN or DNP with a chosen population focus
  5. 05National certification exam in your specialty

Good fit if

  • You want to earn a real salary as an RN while working toward advanced practice
  • You value the nursing philosophy of whole-person care
  • You want the option of independent practice

Think twice if

  • You want to move straight into advanced practice without working as a nurse first
  • You want to change specialty populations easily later — NP certification is population-specific

Worth knowing

Scope of practice varies enormously by state. Look up your state's rules before assuming what an NP can or cannot do where you plan to live.

Similar paths worth comparing

Registered Nurse (RN)

The professional who spends the most time with patients and catches problems first.

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Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA)

Administers anesthesia and monitors patients through surgery — among the highest-paid nursing roles.

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Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

An advanced practice nurse who manages pregnancy, birth, and women's health care — often with prescribing authority and independent practice.

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All salary figures here are median annual wages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025 — the most recent full national dataset. 'Median' means half of workers earn more and half earn less. Three things to keep in mind: (1) pay varies enormously by state, city, setting, and experience — a nurse in California and a nurse in rural Alabama earn very different salaries; (2) training lengths are typical, not guaranteed, and programs differ; (3) these numbers change every year. Always verify current figures at bls.gov/ooh before making a decision. For context, the BLS median wage for all U.S. occupations was $50,980, while healthcare practitioner and technical occupations had a median of $86,530 — one of the reasons health care is such a stable field.