-
Step 1
Begin a full-time nursing degree program at a local university. You can find a list of Royal College of Nursing approved universities that offer this degree program on the Nurse Practitioner UK website (see Resources). The degree program will take three years to complete, and you will spend the first 12 to 18 months learning in a classroom.
-
Step 2
Select a specialty. Eighteen to 24 months of your degree program are spent in supervised training. Select your preferred branch from children's, mental health, learning disabilities or adult. Once you complete this requirement, you will earn your BSc degree.
-
Step 3
Earn your MSc Advanced Nurse Practitioner degree. This degree takes one year of full-time study and two years of part-time study. The MSc Advanced Nurse Practitioner program allows you to get specialist training in your chosen speciality.
-
Step 4
Register as a nurse practitioner in England. Pediatric nurse practitioners, for example, must register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC--see Resources). In this case, fill out a registration form and mail it to the NMC with the registration fee (£76 in 2009). You will receive your registration by mail in 2 to 10 days.
-
Step 5
Begin working as a nurse practitioner. If you become a pediatric nurse practitioner, you can obtain a position as soon as you have received confirmation of your registration from the NMC. Typically a pediatric nurse practitioner will work in an established general practice as part of the current team or in a hospital or clinic. Some pediatric nurse practitioners travel to rural areas to provide service to children that do not have access to other medical professionals. You can also look for job openings on health care career websites like NHS Careers (see Resources).
