Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The family nurse practitioner (FNP) program is a hybrid master’s degree program that prepares post-baccalaureate registered nurses to provide high-quality, integrative care for patients across the lifespan in a variety of settings. Graduates will be prepared to skillfully translate research and utilize evidence-based practice knowledge to provide healthcare for individuals, families, and populations with an emphasis on primary care.

The MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program is a 48-credit hour lockstep program in which Registered Nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree advance their skills to the entry level for eligibility for certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner and apply for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. Instruction will be an online format with required on campus learning intensives typically scheduled two times per semester at the St. David’s School of Nursing in Round Rock. The on-campus learning intensives augment the online course work and allow assessment of students to ensure that advanced level competencies have been met. Of the 48 semester hours required, 13 hours are allotted to practicum courses.

Faculty facilitate practicum course work online and during the on-campus intensives through skills labs and simulations; however, required clinical hours will be spent with individual preceptors in a clinical setting. The total curriculum requires students to log 705 clinical clock hours as a combination of on-campus clinical experiences and preceptors over the course of the program.

The focus of the MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner program is primary care of families and individuals across the lifespan. As a result, graduates will be prepared to treat diverse populations, with knowledge to promote health and to assess patients of all ages.  Beyond focusing on the family as a population, the program emphasizes the primary care environment and recruitment of applicants interested in practicing in rural areas, to mitigate the burgeoning shortage of primary care providers in these areas.

In addition to acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary for certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner, graduates of the program will have developed competence in the theory and techniques of integrative health. MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner graduates are required to meet professional competencies related to their focus area of study and population. The graduates are qualified to apply to sit for one or more of the following certification examinations:

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Certification Exam (FNP)
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Certification Exam (FNP).

The MSN-FNP program is offered as a full-time or part-time track, allowing students to determine how best to manage school, work, and lifestyle. The full-time track is completed in 5 semesters.  The part-time track can be completed in 8 semesters. Either option is a 48-hour lockstep program, requiring specific sequencing in courses. Students in the full time or part-time tracks are required to be advised before each semester by a graduate advisor.

NOTICES

Our Master of Science in Nursing and Post Graduate Certificate Nurse Practitioner Programs meet the educational requirements for national certification in all states. Some states have unique regulatory requirements that are found on the NCSBN website. As a result of the varied requirements by state, we have elected to only accept students into our programs who reside in and hold a license to practice as a Registered Nurse in Texas.