Family nurse practitioners (FNPs) can offer
cost-effective primary and preventive health care for a population that
includes infants, children, teens and adults. Distance-learning master's
programs provide coursework online, and they help students find
preceptors and primary care sites near their homes for their clinical
practice.
Overview of Online Master of Science in Nursing - Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
Nurse practitioners can provide primary care in remote areas where
physicians and hospital resources are far away or cost-prohibitive.
Family nurse practitioners are advanced care specialists in family
health care, and they are trained to assess and manage the medical needs
of mixed populations in outpatient and ambulatory settings.
Online master's programs for family nurse practitioners are designed
for licensed RNs with at least 1-2 years of clinical experience, and
they consist of 50-65 classroom hours and 750-850 clinical practicum
hours. Full-time students can complete a program in as few as five
semesters, although some part-time schedules extend to five years.
Programs typically offer all classroom material and study resources
online. Courses may be a combination of prerecorded lectures that can be
viewed at any time and online live classroom events, which offer the
remote student a chance to participate interactively.
Remote students need a computer with multimedia capabilities, a
browser and high-speed Internet connectivity. Some schools and
professors may have specific hardware and software requirements, so
students should consult their distance-learning departments before
purchasing new equipment.
In addition to remote coursework, the program may require students to
attend some workshops or seminars in person. In some cases, students
are asked to visit the campus for a final skills assessment at the
conclusion of the program. These on-site visits are typically scheduled
well in advance, so that students have plenty of time to make travel
arrangements. Clinical practice is a vital part of family nurse
practitioner training, and schools work with students to select a
preceptor and primary care site located near the student's home for the
required hours of supervised clinical training.
Students in an online family nurse practitioner program are
experienced RNs, and courses focus on health assessment, health
maintenance, decision-making and leadership required of advanced care
practitioners.
Foundations of Family Health Care Course
This class discusses the diagnosis and management of common acute and
chronic health problems experienced by family patient populations. It
provides students with strategies to help educate clients about good
health practices.
Health Assessment Course
Nurse practitioners require critical thinking and decision-making
skills when assessing the health status and health risks of family
populations. Students are exposed to techniques useful for generating
differential diagnoses and managing treatment options.
Health Care of Childbearing and Childrearing Patients Course
Students develop a scientific knowledge-base for assessing and
managing the health care needs of infants, children, adolescents and
childbearing mothers. Students learn to consider the needs of the whole
family in addition to those of the patient.
Advanced Pathophysiology Course
This course provides a deeper understanding of changes to cells,
biorhythms and primary body systems due to aging, external factors and
disease. The physiologic effects of various treatments are also
explored.
Issues in Health Care Course
The course examines legal, economic and political pressures exerted
on health care organizations and providers. It also investigates their
effect on patient populations and the quality of care.
Family nurse practitioners can be cost-effective primary care
providers in the absence of physicians in remote or rural settings, as
well as valuable staff members in agencies like hospitals, community
health clinics, private practices, government health departments and
nursing schools. According to
PayScale.com, the median annual salary for family nurse practitioners in 2010 was $75,272. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (
www.bls.gov)
projected that advanced practice nurses, including family nurse
practitioners, would continue to be in high demand from 2008-2018.
Graduates of an accredited online master's program are qualified to
sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center's family nurse
practitioner examination. Exams are conducted year-round at testing
sites all over the country. Certification must be renewed within five
years; the renewal can be accomplished by accruing practice hours and
continuing education hours or retaking the exam.
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