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, 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.
Certificate Requirements
Courses - Concentration
| NRSG650 | Advanced Pathophysiology for the Nurse Practitioner | 4 |
| NRSG651 | Advanced Pharmacology for the Nurse Practitioner | 6 |
| NRSG652 | Advanced Physical Assessment for the Nurse Practitioner | 4 |
| NRSG653 | Advanced Physical Assessment for the Nurse Practitioner Lab | 2 |
| NRSG654 | Role of the Nurse Practitioner | 3 |
| NRSG655 | FNPI Advanced Nursing Practice: Care of the adult, geriatric and frail elderly | 6 |
| NRSG656 | FNPII Advanced Nursing Practice: Women’s Health | 2 |
| NRSG657 | FNPIII Advanced Nursing Practice: Pediatrics | 2 |
| NRSG660 | FNPI Practicum: Advanced nursing care of the adult, geriatric and women patients | 8 |
| NRSG661 | FNPII Practicum: Advanced nursing care of the pediatric patient | 6 |
| NRSG662 | FNPIII Practicum: Advanced nursing care across the lifespan | 7 |
| NRSG663 | FNPIII Advanced nursing care across the lifespan, Lab | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 52 |
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.
CTU has made a determination that this curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in the following states: Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
CTU has made a determination that this curriculum does not meet the state educational requirements for licensure or certification in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Delaware, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, and West Virginia.
This information is subject to change; CTU will update these lists as information becomes available.