Direct-entry NP programs: Volunteer experience necessary?

[manwelio]

For direct-entry NP programs, is it common or acceptable to apply without any kind of medical experience at all or is volunteer experience a major "nice to have" to prove your investment in the field.

I've been trying to get into crisis counseling but may not end up getting involved with them because the platforms I pursued were both full of obstacles and had poor training that I didn't proceed quickly with due to the problems involved.

I'm still going to consider volunteering for a hospital once I moved to another area soon. I'm in the NYC area so I appreciate tips for where is best to apply for hospital volunteering.

I'm also considering trying to volunteer with a psychologist who runs a lab out of a local college.

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[psychnurse]

If medical and volunteer experiences are required, the schools will clearly put that on their application requirements.

Generally, work experience is better. Have you considered working as a CNA? If you're applying to the psychiatric NP role, I would recommend inpatient psych tech (aka mental health counselor/tech/counselor/specialist) at a reputable academic hospital. You'll learn quite a bit and it's good experience on the resume.