Doximity polled 3,419 U.S. clinicians in September, 95% of them NPs, on whether NP programs should require a minimum number of years of RN experience before admission.
What the poll found:
89% of NPs agree or strongly agree RN experience should be required before admission.
94% of CRNAs, who already train through an RN-first pipeline, agree.
Just 7% of NPs disagree.
The context: The American Association of Colleges of Nursing has recommended that RNs complete at least one year of clinical experience before entering an NP program, though that guidance reflects professional consensus rather than a federal mandate, so schools enforce it differently.
Most NP programs already list one to two years of RN experience as a typical admissions preference or requirement.
Some schools skip that requirement entirely through direct-entry MSN or BSN-to-DNP pathways, while others enforce firm minimums of documented bedside experience.
Why it matters: NPs at every career stage, from early-career to retired, show 88% to 95% agreement. That suggests the profession is converging on bedside experience as part of what makes an NP, even though stricter rules could create more friction for the next generation of NPs.
The exception: Women's Health NPs and Certified Nurse Midwives break from the trend. These two specialties show the highest disagreement of any group in the data, nearly double the next-highest rate (RNs, at 10%):
76% of Women's Health NPs agree, with 19% disagreeing.
78% of Certified Nurse Midwives agree, with 20% disagreeing.
A generational split: Support for stricter standards generally climbs with age. Support rises through the 30s, dips at 40-44 (82%, small n=16 for the youngest bracket), then climbs from the mid-40s onward into the mid-90s among the oldest respondents. The youngest bracket (25 to 29) is the least supportive at 75%, but with only 16 respondents, it's a small sample.
The bottom line: The NPs closest to today's admission rules are the least convinced that more RN experience is needed. Those further removed from that path are the strongest advocates for building a more experienced generation of NPs behind them.
Methodology:
Doximity polled 3,419 verified U.S. clinicians in September 2026 on a five-point agree/disagree scale.
Respondents were 95% NPs (n=3,236); the rest included RNs (n=99), CRNAs (n=53), and NP students (n=19). Results come from a self-selected, non-probability sample, so no margin of error applies. Figures are rounded, and "agree" combines "agree" and "strongly agree."
