Which Alaska colleges offer a Masters in Nurse Practitioner?

You will need to first become a registered nurse, and then you can enroll in a Master’s program to pursue becoming a Nurse Practitioner.  In order to become an RN, you have three basic choices of educational paths:  a four-year degree (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), a two-year degree (Associates Degree in Nursing), or a diploma program (which is offered within a hospital and typically takes three years).  After your two-year Masters program, you will be able to do everything an RN does, along with prescribing medications and even diagnoses. 

Your Master’s classes will involve studies on ethics, pharmacology, health assessment, and patient care (around 50+ hours of in-class time).  In addition, you will also need to take clinical studies (under supervision) for 650+ hours.  There are no teaching hospitals in Alaska.

Nurse Practitioners can specialize in a number of areas, including Family, Pediatrics, Adults, Geriatrics, Women's Health Care, Neonatal, Acute Care, Occupational Health, Certified Nurse Midwives, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.  They generally make a greater annual salary than registered nurses, and they have to freedom to prescribe some medications and offer a health care plan for patients.  Healthcare is the top-hiring field across the country right now.