Nurse practitioners are nurses who are granted many of the same practicing rights as physicians in the medical field. They can conduct consultations, diagnose patients’ health conditions, recommend treatments and prescribe medications. The education required to become nurse practitioners is a master degree in nursing.
For the types of nurses who have great interest in becoming qualified practitioners in healthcare industry, their very first step is to look for high quality accredited Nurse Practitioner Programs offered by the top universities. According to the current report from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are more than 300 graduate programs throughout the United States which are offered to the candidates.
Currently, there are 2 major associations that accredit the nursing schools: the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission[NLNAC] and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education[CCNE]. Let’s take a closer look at the list below. It shows the list of the America’s Best Graduate Schools of Nursing. This source of information is obtained from the US News and World Report.
1. University of Washington
It has been nationally ranked as the No. 1 nursing school since the year of 1984. This school offers the top ranked master programs in pediatric nursing, public health nursing, mental health nursing and geriatric nursing. Currently, it offers both undergraduate and graduate nursing degrees to the public.
2. University of California
It has been ranked as the No. 1 by the National Institutes of Health in research funding for continuously 3 years since 2003. It is famous for its master and doctorate degree programs. It has 4 primary goals which focus on teaching, research, patient care and public service.
3. University of Pennsylvania
Its school of nursing is well known for the technologically advanced approach to learning. The students are trained under the hospital-based electronic medical records technology and they are always exposed to the real world.
4. Johns Hopkins University
It is ranked as No. 2 for the Community Health Nursing Programs, No.4 for the graduate programs and No. 6 for the research funding under the National Institutes of Health among all the schools of nursing.
5. University of Michigan
It is best known for its 4 medical schools, i.e. the College of Human Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
6. Yale University
It is ranked the seventh among the best graduate schools. Its top programs are Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Specialty, Adult Medical-Surgical Clinical Specialists and Midwifery, Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric-Mental Health and Adult Nurse Practitioner.
7. University of Colorado
It is famous for its wide variety of specialties, rich history of innovation as well as reputable researchers and instructors among the nations.
8. University of Pittsburgh
It was founded in 1939. Its popularity is increasing due to its comprehensive curriculum which combines rigorous academic work, intensive clinical experiences and great involvement in research.
Before you enroll yourself at a university, you are also required to evaluate the programs. In order to choose the best program for a brighter future, you need to consider the following:
- The academic credentials
- The special training provided
- The types of awards won by the universities
- The background of the instructors and experts
- The research projects the universities are focusing on
To sum up, you need to make careful consideration in the process of finding out the schools and nurse practitioner programs that really suit your individual requirements.
