If you are interested in nursing as a career and have been learning about this wonderful profession, you may have come across the term "Nurse Practitioner." This is an advanced level of nursing that has been around for a relatively short period of time, since 1965. It requires additional education, training and certification beyond what you need in order to become a registered nurse (RN). In fact, the usual education track toward becoming a nurse practitioner is to first become an RN.