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Nursing Post Graduate Certificate - Family Nurse Practitioner

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) post-graduate certificate program will help the MSN prepared nurse prepare to become an advanced practice Family Nurse Practitioner capable of managing the health care of individuals across the lifespan by providing preventive and primary care, promoting optimal health and wellbeing, and management of chronic illnesses.

Nurse practitioners are involved in patient history taking, physical examination, diagnostic testing, diagnosis, and treatment. Nurse practitioners are educated at the graduate level, prepared to take the national certification exam, and then licensed by the state to practice at an advanced level.

The FNP certificate integrates a foundation of evidence-based practice, population health, policy, informatics and nursing theory, with concentration courses in pathophysiology, pharmacology, and assessment, to help the student prepare for rigorous FNP didactic and clinical coursework. The program’s 630 direct-care clinical hours are designed to provide the student with the clinical experience needed to develop in their new role and deliver primary care for families. Combining didactic coursework with direct care clinical experience, students study how to manage care that is interdisciplinary, collaborative and culturally appropriate as well as provide primary care to diverse, underserved, and vulnerable populations across the lifespan.

FNPs work independently as well as collaboratively with other clinicians and health care and social service professionals in a variety of settings, such as clinics, schools, hospitals, homes, workplaces and community-based organizations.

The PGC-FNP prepares nurses for advanced licensure and to sit for the national certification exam. Certification exam applicants may be denied exam eligibility based on a past criminal record.

Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration Outcomes
• Integrate technology in patient care management to improve health outcomes.
• Operate as an independent practitioner in the management of healthcare for patients across the lifespan.
• Formulate ethical plans of care which incorporate knowledge from current research, clinical guidelines, practice and assessment to improve health outcomes.
• Employ complex and advanced leadership skills in guiding change to improve health outcomes.

Certificate Requirements

Courses - Concentration

NRSG650Advanced Pathophysiology for the Nurse Practitioner

4
NRSG651Advanced Pharmacology for the Nurse Practitioner

6
NRSG652Advanced Physical Assessment for the Nurse Practitioner

4
NRSG653Advanced Physical Assessment for the Nurse Practitioner Lab

2
NRSG654Role of the Nurse Practitioner

3
NRSG655FNPI Advanced Nursing Practice: Care of the adult, geriatric and frail elderly

6
NRSG656FNPII Advanced Nursing Practice: Women’s Health

2
NRSG657FNPIII Advanced Nursing Practice: Pediatrics

2
NRSG660FNPI Practicum: Advanced nursing care of the adult, geriatric and women patients

8
NRSG661FNPII Practicum: Advanced nursing care of the pediatric patient

6
NRSG662FNPIII Practicum: Advanced nursing care across the lifespan

7
NRSG663FNPIII Advanced nursing care across the lifespan, Lab

2
Total Credit Hours:52
Admission Requirements
•Possess a Master of Science in Nursing (in non-FNP concentration) from a programmatically accredited program
•MSN GPA of 3.0
•Provide a current resume which demonstrates a minimum of one year recent direct care experience.