Nurse Practitioner School in Illinois - IL

By RSWiese, allied health world contributing writer
Published: December, 9 2010

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In order to become a nurse practitioner in Illinois, you must obtain an advanced degree from an accredited school of nursing. Admission requirements for nurse practitioner schools will typically include the following: a bachelor of science degree in nursing from an accredited nursing program with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale; current licensure for nursing; completion of specific courses at the undergraduate level, including statistics, nursing research, and physical assessment courses, as well as completion of a graduate level statistics course. Many schools prefer an applicant have several years of clinical nursing experience. Letters of reference from current supervisors and/or a nursing faculty member from the applicant’s undergraduate program may also be requested.

The length of time it takes to complete a degree depends on whether a student studies part-time or full-time. Many programs require more than 70 credit hours of coursework to earn a master’s degree. In addition, many courses require substantial clinical hours, which will work to provide students with real-life experience in their chosen field.

Upon completion of the master’s degree, students must also pass certification examinations offered by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Many nurse practitioners choose to specialize in a specific area of care such as pediatrics, geriatrics, acute care, or school nursing. To be certified in their chosen specialty, nurse practitioners must also sit for a specialty examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.