The Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate program provides a formal program of study for Master’s-prepared nurses interested in taking the national certification exam to practice as a Family Nurse Practitioner. To be eligible for the certification exam, students must “successfully complete graduate didactic and clinical requirements of a Master’s nurse practitioner program through a formal Master’s level Nurse Practitioner program in the desired area of practice.” The Certificate program offers a formal program of study to meet this need for students who already have the Master of Science in Nursing degree without requiring them to complete a second Master’s degree.
The Family Nurse Practitioner Program prepares nurse practitioners with extensive clinical practice and role preparation for advanced practice in caring for patients across the lifespan. Students work with physicians and nurse practitioner preceptors, and are given access to a wide variety of clinical agencies and practice settings. The most versatile NP role allowing graduates to care for patients, families and communities in a wide array of practice sites from community-based clinics to primary care offices and from retail clinics to urgent care centers.
Our core courses prepare you with the foundational knowledge required of all graduate students. Our clinical courses enable you to build on your existing clinical skills, broaden your knowledge base related to care of the family and individual across the lifespan, and gain the knowledge and skills essential to independent for collaborative practice in primary care settings. We place our students with preceptors who serve as mentors and role models throughout the clinical practice experience. Our graduates are highly respected for their knowledge and expertise and are employed in primary care settings across the country.
At completion of this track, graduates will be able to:
Integrate advanced knowledge and experience in delivering safe, effective quality care of patients across the lifespan in primary care. Demonstrate competence in managing the health/ illness status of patients in primary care. Monitor and ensure quality health care for clients in primary care. Incorporate an understanding of family systems and dynamics in planning and providing primary health care for a wide range of patient populations. Demonstrate leadership and competence in implementing the role of the primary care nurse practitioner. Engage in counseling, communication, collaboration and teaching in a manner that reflects caring, advocacy, ethics and professional standards. Conceptualize one’s individual role as a primary care nurse practitioner and one’s personal philosophy of primary care practice.
The Post-Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner program of the Decker School of Nursing is designed for nurses with a Master’s Degree in nursing who seek advanced clinical preparation as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Upon completion of the program graduates are eligible for certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner in New York State and are eligible to sit for the national certification examination. Graduates of the program are prepared to provide primary care to families. Supervised clinical practice is an integral part of the program. Whenever possible, clinical experience will be arranged near the student’s place of residence.
The Department of Nursing offers the Post-Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program for students who completed a master’s of science degree in nursing. The certificate of advanced practice is designed for those individuals with a master’s degree in nursing who wish to expand their practice into the role of a family nurse practitioner. The specialty area prepares nurses to provide comprehensive care that includes health promotion, maintenance and restoration for persons across the life span. Depending on educational background and previous coursework in master’s program, students accepted into the certificate program are required to take as few as 3 and as many as 12 courses. Successful completion of the required curriculum qualifies the RN to sit for the Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination.
The School of Nursing offers a post-masters Nurse Practitioner (NP) certificate for nurses holding a master of science in nursing degree in a different nursing specialty. The three specialty concentrations offered are acute care, primary care family, and primary care pediatrics. The NP certificate curriculum reflects a comprehensive approach to the provision of primary (family and pediatric) and secondary care to individuals, aggregates, and communities. Students acquire advanced assessment skills, a specialized clinical knowledge base, and advanced clinical management and decision-making skills. Admission to the certificate is competitive and follows the same admission guidelines as the MSN Nurse Practitioner major. The post-masters curriculum consists of core advanced practice courses (if not taken previously) and specialized courses in the major. Completion of the NP post-masters certificate requires a minimum of three semesters of full-time study. Instruction is online and includes clinical experiences. Graduates of the post-masters certificate are eligible to sit for national certification exams given in their specialty.
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