Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Role Specialty
The Family Nurse Practitioner program will help you work with people of all ages to diagnose and treat conditions, prescribe medication, and order tests, working from a strong focus on health promotion and education to improve outcomes.
FNP at Glance:
- Online coursework + one required on-campus clinical intensive
- 50 credit hours + 585 practicum contact hours These bullet points apply specifically to the MSN-entry program. The BSN-entry DNP is 71 credit hours + 1,035 practicum contact hours and designed to take 12 trimesters (4 years) to complete. The Post-Grad Nursing Certificate is 31 credit hours and 585 practicum contact hours.
- 8 trimesters (2.7 years), although acceleration options are available* These bullet points apply specifically to the MSN-entry program. The BSN-entry DNP is 71 credit hours + 1,035 practicum contact hours and designed to take 12 trimesters (4 years) to complete. The Post-Grad Nursing Certificate is 31 credit hours and 585 practicum contact hours.
- Sept., Jan. & May start dates, plus midterm starts
*Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress, traditional vs. accelerated pathway, credits transferred and other factors.
You're needed
In-demand specialization
In the United States today, family nurse practitioners are in more demand than ever because of our aging population and the shortage of primary care physicians. The employment of nurse practitioners in health science is projected to grow a robust 40% during the current decade, 2021-2031. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners,” last modified January 6, 2023
FNPs and other advanced practice RNs are increasing access to primary care for adults, children, and families from historically underserved populations. Today, 83.2% of full-time NPs see Medicare patients and 81.9% see Medicaid patients.American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), “NP Fact Sheet,” updated November 2022
In our Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) role specialty, you can prepare to answer this call-while expanding your responsibilities and positive impact on patient care. With your health science FNP credential, you can serve as a primary care provider across settings, from private nursing practice to hospitals to community health centers. The Family Nurse Practitioner program will help you work with people of all ages to diagnose and treat conditions, prescribe medication, and order tests, working from a strong focus on health promotion and education to improve outcomes. Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), BSN-entry DNP, and Post-Graduate Nursing Certificate students at USAHS may pursue the FNP role specialty.
FNP Clinical Intensive
The FNP or Family Nurse Practitioner role specialty features one required clinical intensive, where you can fine-tune your advanced practice nursing skills in one of our state-of-the-art Centers for Innovative Clinical Practice. Guided by expert faculty, you will participate in simulated real-world clinical scenarios with your peers and receive personalized feedback and support. For example, you will join other health professions and learn to provide differential diagnoses, perform needle aspirations of joints, read x-rays, and suture the wounds of standardized patients.
Practica
This specialty in nursing education requires 585 hours of practica over three courses. The 585 requirement applies to MSN and Post-Grad Nursing FNP role specialty certificate. You may complete your practica with a preceptor who is a nurse practitioner or other appropriate clinician and who meets accreditation and state licensure requirements. You’ll gain experiential learning about the role of a family nurse practitioner from a mentor who is working in this capacity. A dedicated advisor on our clinical education team will work with you to secure practica sites. (Students should plan on the need to travel and on some occasions, relocate for practica.)
FNP Role Specialty Learning Outcomes
In addition to the FNP program learning outcomes, graduates of the Family Nurse Practitioner role specialty are expected to achieve the following learning outcomes:
- Perform comprehensive health assessments that incorporate diagnostic reasoning and the interpretation of diagnostic procedures.
- Engage patients and families in planning for health promotion, prevention of disease or disease progression, and symptom management.
- Apply critical thinking in the diagnosis and problem identification of complex issues related to clinical practice, individuals, populations, and systems of care.
- Provide ethical, patient-centered care based on best evidence, clinician expertise, patient preference, and circumstances.
- Evaluate outcomes of care using individual and aggregate data.
- Implement the role of an FNP in a professional, respectful, and ethical manner.
More Nursing Role Specialties
Nurse Executive Role Specialty
As a nurse executive, you’ll have the opportunity to innovate new processes, influence policies, and improve patient care. As you lead diverse teams and mentor staff, you can advance the role of nursing in your healthcare organization.
Nurse Educator Role Specialty
In our Nurse Educator role specialty, you’ll learn strategies for teaching various groups, including nursing students, practicing nurses, other healthcare providers, and patients.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner–Primary Care Role Specialty
In our Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner–Primary Care (PMHNP-PC) role specialty, you will learn to provide a full range of specialized services that together constitute mental health and psychiatric care and treatment.
Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Role Specialty
Manage the care of patients from young adulthood to old age. Top practice settings for AGNPs include hospital outpatient clinics, hospital inpatient units, and private group practices.
Let's Connect
We're here to support you on your educational journey.
Please complete our contact form. An enrollment advisor will reach out to provide information and answer your questions.