Nurse Practitioner School in Montana - MT

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

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Students who already possess a Montana Registered Nurse (R.N.) license and wish to become nurse practitioners may opt to explore online options when researching schools. The Montana State Board of Nursing requires that all nurse practitioners be licensed as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in order to be able to practice in the state. Education beyond the undergraduate level is also required.

Schools for nurse practitioners that qualify under the state board of nursing guidelines must be post baccalaureate and last at least one year. Broken down into hourly requirements, the state requires that the nurse practitioner program consist of at least 250 hours of classroom instruction and at least 500 hours of direct clinical supervision. In addition, the Montana State Board of Nursing requires that all NPs become professionally certified by a board-approved certifying organization in the NP’s specialty area of practice. National certifying bodies that are recognized by the Montana State Board of Nursing include the National Certification Council, American Nurses Credentialing Center, Pediatric Nurse Certification Board, American College of Nurse-Midwives, and American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Once certified and licensed in Montana, all nurse practitioners and APRNs must fulfill continuing education requirements of 40 credits every two years. For APRNs with prescribing privileges, such as NPs, ten additional credits are required every two years.