3 Tips to Graduate with your NP Degree
Ok, so either your thinking about entering NP school or you’re a current NP student. Either way, you want to know how to graduate from the nurse practitioner program. Besides the obvious, which is study… there are other ways to keep you on track to graduate.
Start connecting with potential clinical preceptors as soon as you start nurse practitioner school. Let me say that again… start making calls and lock down clinicals when you start the program. Do not wait when you you start clinicals but by then it will most likely be too late.
I called at the start of my women’s health course every clinic to book my clinicals. Just about every clinic told me that they were booked out until 2023. How??? I am calling in 2020 and nurse practitioner school is typically 18 months. How are clinics booked with preceptees for the next three years?? I did find a women’s health preceptor who was amazing but it was a struggle and I live in a small sized city.
I recommend find your preceptors early and continue to follow up with them just in case they forget you. This will help remove a lot of stress that is already on shoulders because you are a NP student.
Focus on he diagnostic tests and treatment of common illnesses/diseases. If you plan on taking course review before your state boards, the course review will help you identify the key points of diagnostics and treatment. If you are in a good NP program, your school will test you on the same thing as accredited programs are made to prepare you to take your state board exam.
As registered nurses, we are fully aware of the assessment part and should have a good grasp on defining the illness as well as treating the illness. In nurse practitioner school, your learning will be on the diagnostics and testing. So, if you are a little shaky on your assessment skills and tests, I highly recommend you study and/or make notes to keep this fresh in your mind.
Create a good group of other NP students to help you through the program. I have learned that your fellow students know what you’re going through and will be your best allies through the 18 months to 2 years of the program. It is a team effort to review information, to quiz each other, and to keep each other motivated. There is nothing graduating together knowing that you were all there for each other.
Also, if you happen to know a recent NP graduate to help quiz possible test questions and to get real-life scenario situations to learn from will help along way. However, I do caution… some NPs may do things that do not always follow guidelines but you will find a lot of do follow guidelines. I would use your common sense to take in what your NP says but nevertheless the wisdom of an experienced NP will go far.
For me, nursing school was the hardest but NP school was challenging. As most of you, you are working full time, have a family, have a mortgage, … have a life! The key is to be balanced in NP school. Do not neglect what you love but also keep your eye on what you want. In time, you will achieve your goals and be a working nurse practitioner!