Texas Nurse Practitioner Programs
In the state of Texas, healthcare providers are in high demand. This is especially true for advanced care providers like physicians and nurse practitioners. If you have a bachelor’s degree in nursing, consider attending one of the nurse practitioner programs in Texas. On this page, you can learn more about APRN nursing schools in Texas and ways to use a nurse practitioner degree. From there, search for Texas nurse practitioner schools above or check out some of our featured schools below.
Becoming a nurse practitioner lets you work in a specialized field like mental health, women’s health, pediatric care or gerontological care. With the information on this page, explore your options and find out what it’s like to work as an NP.
How Can I Become a Nurse Practitioner in Texas?
As you develop confidence in your clinical skills and judgment, you may start to think about how you can do more for your patients and make full use of your expertise. Texas NP programs can help you take your career and education to the next level.
Texas programs allow you to pursue a Master’s degree or doctoral degree. Are you ready to be a leader and direct the care of your patients?
Average Master’s Degree Requirements for Nurses
- Credit hours required: 40 credits
- Average cost: $720 per credit hour
- Clinical hours required: 500 to 1,000 hours
- Timeframe: Three years
Average Doctoral Degree Requirements for Nurses
- Credit hours required: 85 credits
- Clinical hours required: 1,000 or more hours
- Timeframe: Five years
What Types of Nurse Practitioner Programs Are Available in Texas?
The main feature that differentiates each NP program is its area of focus. As a Master’s or doctoral degree student, you have to choose which population you would like to work with. This decision shapes your curriculum, clinical experiences, and future career opportunities.
Texas has many choices, including family healthcare, geriatric care, mental health and psychiatric care, pediatric health, acute care, and emergency care. The courses below are similar to those that you may take as your core nursing classes.
Commonly Offered Courses in Texas:
- Research and Theoretical Foundations of Advanced Nursing
- Pathophysiology in Advanced Nursing
- Geriatric Diagnoses and Issues
- Advanced Pharmacology
- Advanced Health Assessment
- Nurse Practitioner Diagnostic Reasoning
- Public Healthcare Policy
- Chronic and Complex Healthcare Problems
No matter how long you have been a registered nurse, you need extensive clinical work as an NP student to graduate. There are many key differences between RN and NP duties, and only through clinical work can you grow into your nurse practitioner role.
Although Master’s programs only require a minimum of 500 hours, many Texas schools require close to 1,000 hours for graduate students.
If you are considering online nurse practitioner programs, note that you still must fulfill all clinical obligations. With your school advisor, you may complete your hours at an approved local site.
Every clinical and theory course you take should help you make progress on your program’s learning outcomes and goals. These goals span the clinical, knowledge-based, and judgment-based expectations of your instructors.
How Can I Pay for Nurse Practitioner School in Texas?
- BestNursingDegree.com Scholarship: Four times per year, the team at BestNursingDegree.com awards $2,500 scholarships to selected nursing students. Check it out and apply for the current scholarship cycle.
- NURSE Corps Scholarship Program: This federally funded program exchanges large scholarships for two-year commitments to Health Professional Shortage Areas.
- NHSC Loan Repayment Program: This program pays up to $50,000 of undergraduate and graduate student loans for care providers that work in a healthcare shortage area.
- Texas Nurse Practitioner Foundation: Consider joining this group as a student member to apply for their annual $1,500 scholarship.
Licensing and Practice Requirements for NPs in Texas
Nurse practitioner licensing goes through the Texas Board of Nursing, where you should already maintain a valid registered nursing license. They require proof of your license, a graduate nursing degree, and national NP certification before they allow you to become a licensed nurse practitioner.
Although Texas NPs currently have restricted practice rights, advocacy efforts may change that in the future (AANP, 2016).
Nurse Practitioner Careers in Texas
There are many settings in which you can use your education. If you specialize in acute care or emergency care, you may thrive in an urgent care center or an emergency room. If you go into pediatric care or geriatric care, you may provide primary care services in a clinic. Those who go into women’s health may work for OB/GYN offices.
Across the board, Texas is in desperate need of nurse practitioners. Between 2014 and 2024, job openings may increase 48% (O*Net, 2016). After getting licensed and completing their education at nurse practitioner programs, TX graduates report an average salary of $105,220 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).
Don’t wait any longer to find out how you can enrich your nursing career.
Request information from nursing schools in Texas below and discover how you can earn a nurse practitioner degree.
We have provided a list of the NP programs available to Texas nurses. We suggest that you request information from as many schools as you like. This well help you make a well informed decision about your educational future. Nurses who want to advance their education and become nurse practitioners can attend an online school like Georgetown University. These other Texas institutions are available:
- Angelo State University. Students can pursue a Master’s-level Family Nurse Practitioner program, or an Acute Nurse Practitioner, Geriatric Nurse Practitioner, or Pediatric Nurse Practitioner version through a collaborative program with Texas Tech. Most coursework is available online.
- Texas A&M International University. Texas A&M International, located in Laredo, offers a Master’s-level Family Nurse Practitioner program.
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. UT Health offers a Master’s-level Family Nurse Practitioner program, Acute Care, and Adult/Gerontology NP tracks. The school has a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program. By 2015, a DNP will be the minimal degree for entry into practice as a nurse practitioner.
Texas Nurse Practitioner Preceptors and Clinical Rotations
In order to be licensed as a nurse practitioner, and as an integral part of your curriculum, you will need to complete 500 or more hours of clinical rotations under a preceptor. Here are some locations in Texas for you to obtain clinical hours including contact information. Contact each of them to learn about how they can help you reach your preceptor goals in your APRN program.
Texas Clinical Sites for Nurse Practitioner Students
- Spine Outpatient Clinic at Parkland Health and Hospital Systems
5200 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75235
(214) 590-8000 - Walk-In Care Clinic at West Texas Medical Associates
3555 Knickerbocker Rd.
San Angelo, TX 76904
(325) 949-9555 - La Esperanza Health Clinic
35 E 31st St
San Angelo, TX 76903
(325) 658-5339
