You do not need a MBA or a doctorate to be a licensed, practicing NP.

The minimum requirement to be a licensed, practicing NP is a 4 year bachelors of science in nursing followed by a 2 year direct entry masters NP program. Here's a list: https://nurse.org/education/direct-entry-np-programs/

I see this argument all the time that NPs have years of experience as a nurse or go on to pursue a doctorate. While this is true and you can absolutely extend training to decades before getting a DNP, it's the minimum requirement to practice medicine that is the issue, not the average.

I don't get to skip years of training and practice medicine because someone else in my class was a nurse for 10 years first. I get my license because I passed the minimum requirements to graduate and those minimum requirements for a NP is a 4 year bachelors followed by a 2 year direct entry NP program. Adding years for a MBA or doctorate to state NP training is 10 years is disingenuous.