How Do I Become an Outpatient Nurse?

Outpatient nurses care for patients who are receiving outpatient healthcare services, which do not require an overnight stay in the hospital. Examples include the patient getting a yearly physical examination from his or her primary care provider, diagnostic screenings like a mammogram or colonoscopy, and infant immunizations. Also referred to as ambulatory care nursing, to become an outpatient nurse you must complete several years of training and education as well as obtain licensing to practice.

Nursing schools provide education and training to become an outpatient nurse, typically in colleges and universities and less commonly in trade schools. There are several paths that you can take depending upon your individual situation and future nursing career plans. Most programs require prerequisite courses such as those in anatomy, microbiology, and chemistry for admission, which adds approximately two additional years to the length of education. The Bachelor's of Science in Nursing (BSN) is the traditional nursing degree which can take about six years to complete, while the associate's degree takes around four years.

There are several different steps in the educational process towards becoming a nurse. Courses typically taken by students generally include those focused on the nursing of adults, pathophysiology, and contemporary issues in nursing. Theory instruction takes place in the form of classroom teaching and testing, and then those principles are applied to actual healthcare settings during clinical rotations. Designed to provide hands-on nursing training, clinical rotations take students through a series of supervised experiences in various areas of nursing practice, including pediatrics, mental health, and community health. Clinical rotations occur in many settings including hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and doctor's offices.

​All nurses are required to be licensed to practice in their regions, so you will need to pass a licensing examination before a license will be granted. Licensing examinations assess several essential areas such as pharmacology, case management, and medical-surgical nursing of both adults and children. Your regional nursing organization determines whether the nursing education that you have received qualifies you to sit examination for your license. For this reason, it is essential to contact them to locate properly accredited and approved nursing programs to become an outpatient nurse. Upon approval of your license, you will be added to the nursing register in your practice region.

Specialty training is necessary to become an outpatient nurse, which is done after licensing. Ambulatory care nursing programs are part of post-baccalaureate training or master's degree programs in nursing. In order to be admitted to an ambulatory care program, you must have nursing experience. The specified number of hours is determined by individual programs and schools, so this could vary depending upon where you live or intend to practice.