Ohio Nurse Practitioner Degree Programs
If you’re looking for a way to use your nursing education to reach more patients, becoming a nurse practitioner could be the solution. At nurse practitioner programs in Ohio, you learn how to meet the specialized needs of adults, kids, families or senior patients. On this page, dig into course requirements, licensing laws and career options for NPs. Find the right school for you with the quick search box above and the easy-to-use featured school listings below.
If patient care is your main strength as a registered nurse, you could make a smooth transition from registered nurse to nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners are an extremely important part of Ohio healthcare, ensuring that patients of all ages get the preventive and acute care they need.
How Can I Become a Nurse Practitioner in Ohio?
Ohio is home to many colleges and universities that have master’s and doctoral degree programs that can prepare you for the next stage of your career. Are you ready to take on more responsibility and expand your scope of practice?
Average Master’s Degree Requirements for Nurse Practitioners
- Credit hours required: 50 credit hours
- Average cost: $1100 per credit
- Clinical hours required: At least 500 hours
- Timeframe: Two years
- Credit hours required: 90 credit hours
- Clinical hours required: At least 1,000 hours
- Timeframe: Five years
Nurse Practitioner (DNP) Degree Options in Ohio
There are quite a few similarities across nurse practitioner schools in Ohio, but one of the main differences you’ll find is the areas of study they offer.
When you decide to become a nurse practitioner, you have to decide if you want to work in acute care or primary care. You must also decide which patient population you want to work with, whether you prefer to work with children, senior citizens, or adults.
Some of the education programs available in Ohio include gerontology, neonatal care, pediatric care, psychiatric care, and women’s health. Family nurse practitioner programs are a well-rounded option that expose students to several patient groups throughout their education.
The core courses listed below are often required for all nurse practitioner students.
Courses Offered in Ohio FNP Programs
- Leadership in Advanced Nursing Practice
- Quality Improvement and Informatics
- Evidence-Based Nursing
- Advanced Health Assessment
- Pathophysiology in Advanced Nursing
- Advanced Pharmacology in Nursing
- Advanced Family Nursing
No matter which school you decide to attend, clinical care is extremely important in your nurse practitioner training. Plan on beginning clinical rotations in your first year of school. As you move through your curriculum, you may take on new tasks and responsibilities to become a competent nurse practitioner.
You may be able to complete your clinical requirements at your place of employment if you are currently working as a registered nurse.
How Can I Pay for Nurse Practitioner School in Ohio?
- Northeast Ohio Nurse Practitioners: Throughout Ohio, there are professional organizations for nurse practitioners. Consider joining a group in your area to apply for scholarship opportunities and learn from experienced nurse practitioners. This group awards grants and scholarships of $1000 to $5000.
- BestNursingDegree.com Scholarship: Our scholarship program runs year-round, awarding $2500 scholarships to students four times per year.
- NURSE Corps Scholarship Program: Students selected for this program receive large scholarships in exchange for spending two years in a Health Professional Shortage Area.
- NHSC Loan Repayment Program: You may minimize student debt with loan repayment programs. This federal option repays up to $50,000 of student loans for those who complete a two-year stint in an approved location.
Licensing and Practice Requirements in Ohio
As a registered nurse, you should already be familiar with the Ohio Board of Nursing and their licensure requirements. To become a licensed nurse practitioner, you need a valid registered nursing license, a graduate degree, and national certification in your area of practice.
When you begin working, note that Ohio requires nurse practitioners to work within a reduced scope of practice (AANP, 2016).
Nurse Practitioner Careers in Ohio
Not only are your clinical rotations a great way to build your skills and become comfortable in a leadership role, they are the perfect opportunity to scope out local employers and figure out where you would like to start your nurse practitioner career.
Depending on the area of specialty you choose, you may be able to choose from nursing homes, clinics, hospitals, and other healthcare settings.
Overall, Ohio nurse practitioners claim an average salary of $96,520 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016).
Between 2014 and 2024, job openings for Ohio nurse practitioners may increase 28% (O*Net, 2016).
Selected Nurse Practitioner Schools in Ohio
NP programs for Ohio nurses include strictly online programs, such as the nurse practitioner track offered by Georgetown University, and blended or on-campus programs, like the ones offered by:
- Case Western Reserve University. Case Western offers one particularly unique NP program: a master’s-level acute nurse practitioner program with a flight nursing sub-specialty. A cardiovascular nursing sub-specialty is available in the acute care, pediatric and family nurse practitioner programs. Family nurse practitioners and adult-gerontology nurse practitioner can sub-specialize in gerontology.
- Kent State University. Kent State offers different master’s-level NP programs such as: adult health, acute care, pediatric, women’s health, adult psychiatric/mental health, family and geriatric.
- Ohio State University. Ohio State now offers distance-learning options for nurses who want to pursue NP education without leaving their home communities. The family nurse practitioner and psych/mental health nurse practitioner programs are completely online; clinical courses may be completed at suitable locations near students’ hometowns.
