Physician supply is lagging behind patient demand in many states, including Washington. Currently, every county in Washington is designated a health professional shortage area, with low-income citizens disproportionately affected; by 2030, the state is projected to be short by over 6,000 doctors, with primary care alone projected to be short nearly 1,700 providers.
Luckily, nurse practitioners (NPs) are uniquely positioned to step in and fill these care gaps. Washington State offers NPs full practice authority, allowing them to independently evaluate patients, order and interpret diagnostic testing, diagnose, manage treatments, and prescribe medications, including controlled substances. NPs can even open private practices in this state, giving them a unique opportunity to forge their own careers.
If you’re interested in becoming an NP in Washington, consider some of the following programs available in the Evergreen State.
Program Overview:
Gonzaga University, a Jesuit Catholic university, was founded in 1887. Its School of Health Sciences offers a variety of NP programs and has been pioneering distance education for more than 30 years. The school has three options for those who wish to pursue careers as NPs, including an MSN, a second MSN (formerly the post-master’s certificate program), and a DNP program.
The master’s level FNP program is for BSNs, though students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing will be considered and will need to take bridge classes before beginning master’s level coursework. For those with a BSN, the 47-credit program requires 660 clinical hours and takes about nine semesters to complete. Courses are online, but there are six on-campus immersions throughout the program. During these visits, students will participate in Culminating Objective Structured Clinical Evaluations or OSCEs, where they obtain a history and assess a scripted patient model, develop a differential diagnosis, identify the most likely diagnosis, and then come up with a plan of care.
The BSN to DNP FNP program is 78 credits with 1,000 practicum hours and generally takes around five years to complete. Students complete most classwork online, but there are a minimum of eight on-campus immersions throughout the program. These immersions take place toward the middle and end of the program, generally starting around the fifth semester.
The Second Degree MSN to FNP is designed for nurses who already have a master’s in another specialty. It’s a 47-credit program that can be completed in nine semesters with 660 clinical hours. Like the above programs, classes are online, but there are on-campus requirements. Students come to campus six times throughout the program to participate in OSCEs.
Program Overview:
Pacific Lutheran University is a small private Lutheran university in Tacoma. Its School of Nursing began offering BSN programs in the 1950s with MSN programs following forty years later in 1990. The school offers a variety of hands-on learning opportunities for students, including a simulation lab with infant, male, female, and geriatric manikins and a lab where future nurses can get experience with equipment that they will use in their practice, like bladder scanners, central lines, and ports.
PLU offers three NP options. The Master’s level FNP track offers two entry points, one for non-nurses who have a degree in another field and one for those with a BSN. The Entry-Level Master of Science in Nursing option gives students a focused immersion in nursing before they begin graduate study.
For those with a BSN, the program takes 15 months to complete. Students advance through the program in a cohort model, and the program emphasizes underserved populations. The university arranges all clinical placements in medically underserved regions.
The DNP program offers three entry points. BSN-prepared nurses can complete the program in three years full-time or four to five years part-time. Nurses with an MSN will complete a gap analysis to determine what courses they can transfer and get a personalized plan of study but will generally complete the program in two to three years of part-time study. The third entry option is for those who are already advanced practice nurses; these students can usually complete the program in two years of part-time study.
PLU also offers a post-graduate certificate for nurses with a master’s in another specialty.
Program Overview:
Seattle University is a Jesuit university located in the heart of the city. The Department of Nursing was officially established in 1935 but has roots as far back as 1877. Today, the College of Nursing offers a variety of programs, including two doctorate-level NP options, and is home to the first Healthcare Simulation Standards Endorsement from the International Nursing Association of Clinical Simulation and Learning in the state. The on-campus Clinical Performance Lab offers multiple high-fidelity simulation areas as well as a 24-bed acute-care laboratory where students get hands-on experience to prepare them for their future careers.
Seattle University offers two doctorate programs for those wishing to become NPs. The DNP FNP/AGNP program offers a unique opportunity for students to dual specialize. For nurses entering the program with a BSN, it takes three years to complete on a full-time basis. Other entry points are also available, including for RNs with a diploma or associate’s degree.
Seattle U also offers a doctorate program for AGNPs in acute care. Like the FNP/AGNP option, this program offers multiple entry points. Bachelor’s-prepared nurses can complete the program in three years full-time. Nurses with MSNs will have an individual program of study developed by their advisor.
Program Overview:
The School of Nursing at the University of Washington was one of the first nursing schools on the West Coast, opening in 1918 as a response to the worldwide flu pandemic to educate nurses about public health. It became the first West Coast university to offer a bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1923. The UW School of Nursing is dedicated to advancing nursing science and care with multiple research centers and providing cutting-edge nursing education.
University of Washington Seattle offers more NP programs than any other school in the state, all of which are DNP tracks that only offer full-time study. They include a BSN to DNP FNP, BSN to DNP AGNP Acute Care, BSN to DNP AGNP Primary Care, BSN to DNP PNP Acute Care, and BSN to DNP PNP Primary Care program. This university is also the only school that offers programs for those wishing to work as PNPs, offering doctorate degrees in both acute and primary pediatric care.
Program Overview:
Washington State University was part of a consortium that introduced a BSN program that graduated its first students in 1969 and later introduced the state’s first RN-to-BSN program in the 1990s. Current students can take advantage of the school’s Center for Experiential Learning, where they get unique experiences working with both high-fidelity manikins and standardized patient actors.
The FNP option at WSU is a doctorate-level program that can be completed in three or four years. The program has 74 credits with 1,000 clinical hours. This hybrid program offers many classes online, but there are some on-campus requirements, particularly for lab experiences. There is also an in-person skills intensive for three of the courses that require students to be on campus.
NP Programs in Other States
Alaska
Hawaii
Oregon
Idaho
Nevada
California