Originally posted by patriot_missile
Hey how do you become a NP? Do you need a 4year nursing major? And that's it? And you work for an MD specialist or for whom?
It is now the standard for nurse practitioners to receive a bachelor's in nursing, then a master's in nursing with emphasis in whatever specialty you choose, ie Family Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric NP, etc etc. Most schools require at least a year of RN experience too. So, you're looking at 7 years education/experience total. Some schools are getting away from requiring the year of RN experience (I actually talked my school out of it, so I started the FNP program a week before I graduated undergrad). So, at least in my situation, you could theoretically be a NP in five and a half years if you went straight through, full time (assuming you get a BSN in 4 years).
Yes, you have to have a nursing degree (for most MSN programs). Check with the programs you are interested in to see the prereqs for admission.
You work for whoever wants you to work for them. This could be a family practice doc, a specialist, the government, a hospital, the FBI, etc etc etc. To work for a large group such as a hospital, gov't, etc would grant you lower salary (around 60K/yr now) but many, many great benefits. To work for a private doctor may or may not offer great benefits, but will most likely offer more money usually based on the money you bring in to the practice.