Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Role Specialty
The Family Nurse Practitioner role specialty 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 Role Specialty at a Glance:
- Online coursework + one required on-campus clinical intensive
- RN to MSN:
- 59 credit hours + 585 practicum contact hours
- 10 trimesters (3.3 years), although acceleration options are available*
- Sept. & May start dates
BSN-entry MSN:
- 50 credit hours + 585 practicum contact hours
- 8 trimesters (2.7 years), although acceleration options are available*
- Sept., Jan. & May start dates, plus midterm starts
BSN-entry DNP:
- 71 credit hours + 1,035 practicum contact hours
- 12 trimesters (4 years), although acceleration options are available*
- Sept., Jan. & May start dates, plus midterm starts
Post-Graduate Nursing Certificate:
- 31 credit hours + 585 practicum contact hours
- 5 trimesters (1.7 years), although acceleration options are available*
- Sept., Jan. & May start dates
*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,” visited July 3, 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 role specialty 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. You will interact with healthcare industry experts to learn the hands-on nurse practitioner skills to prepare for your practicum courses and future practice. These skills may include incision and drainage; subungual hematoma; wound management; skin biopsy; suturing and wound closure; splinting; joint injections and aspirations; breast and pelvic exams on standardized patients and more.
Practica
This specialty in nursing education requires 585 hours of practica over three courses for RN to MSN, BSN-entry MSN and Post-Graduate Nursing Certificate students. Those students taking the BSN-entry DNP program will complete 1,035 practicum contact hours. 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.
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