Texas Nurse Practitioner Programs

As a registered nurse, you may enjoy many opportunities to expand your knowledge and take your career to the next level. If you enjoy providing care to patients and playing a prominent role in patient care decisions, you may be well-suited to a career as a nurse practitioner. Find out more about what nurse practitioners do and how you can pursue this career path by contacting the schools you find on our website.

Deciding to further your nursing education in Texas may give you access to a range of high-quality nursing graduate programs. The Dallas Business Journal reports that several Texas nursing programs made it onto the top U.S. graduate programs list. This may help you in your effort to find new job opportunities and make the most of your educational years.

Nurse practitioners are hoping to enjoy full freedom of practice in Texas, which may positively influence your career goals. A new law that’s being proposed would allow nurse practitioners to work without the oversight of a collaborating physician.

Main Street reports that job growth in Texas is among the best in the country. This includes a demand for highly-educated health care professionals like nurse practitioners.

Learn about the educational requirements of this field and discover if becoming a nurse practitioner is right for you.

Nurse Practitioner Program Curriculum in Texas

To qualify for admission to a nurse practitioner curriculum in Texas, you must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing. There are some exceptions to this rule. If you are interested in an RN-to-MSN program in Texas, you may be able to earn your MSN with just an associate’s degree in nursing. RN-to-MSN programs last about four years. In a traditional MSN program, you may graduate in two to three years.

You must take courses in nursing theory and nursing practice to complete a nurse practitioner program. Some of the core courses that may be part of your curriculum include Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Advanced Assessment. Other courses that help you develop clinical skills in different areas of practice may include Adult Clinical Management, Psychiatric Care Management, Pediatric Care Management, and Family Nursing. In quite a few of these courses, you can plan on working in hospitals and clinics. By the time you graduate from your nursing program, you should have more than 600 hours of practical clinical experience.

Multiple organizations and employers fund nursing scholarships in Texas. Consult the Good Samaritan Foundation for information on numerous nursing scholarships. The Methodist Health System is a local health care employer that funds scholarships for advanced nursing students.

Working as a Nurse Practitioner in Texas

Prior to beginning a job as a nurse practitioner, you must have your Advanced Practice Registered Nursing license from the Texas Board of Nursing. The Texas Board of Nursing administers a nurse practitioner exam. Upon passing this exam and submitting proof of your completed degree, you can apply for your nursing license.

Texas has a massive need for nurse practitioners that far exceeds the national average. Between 2012 and 2022, O*Net anticipates a 41 percent increase in nurse practitioner jobs. Each year, this works out to roughly 400 new jobs (O*Net, 2012).

You may find that salaries in Texas tend to be slightly higher than the national average. O*Net reports that the average salary for a nurse practitioner in this state is a $99,300 per year.

The field of nursing is exciting and multifaceted. Take your part in the field of advanced nursing by contacting nurse practitioner schools in Texas today, directly from our site.