A family nurse practitioner (FNP) is a registered nursing practitioner (NP) with specialized master’s level education, training and advanced knowledge in nursing practice. FNPs are higher-level nurses who provide primary, specialty or advanced healthcare and a full range of personalized services to patients, from infants to the elderly. They are an essential part of the health services landscape, providing healthcare guidance and necessary support to patients in distress.
Nursing practitioners looking to further their careers should consider pursuing an advanced degree such as an online master’s of science in nursing and move on to an online post-master’s FNP certificate.
They work alongside physicians and specialists to care for the sick and injured. In today’s world, as patients are struggling to access healthcare recourses, family nurse practitioners are becoming increasingly crucial to the healthcare industry.
What is a family nurse practitioner?
Nursing practitioners, after acquiring master’s qualifications in family nursing and getting certified by appropriate authorities, can become family nursing practitioners. They can operate with autonomy and independence, earn significantly higher incomes and enjoy high levels of job satisfaction and respect.
An FNP provides advanced holistic nursing services for individuals and families of diverse ages and backgrounds. It is a rewarding career for those who have chosen to serve others in need and who enjoy developing long-term relationships with people. In turn, patients also develop confidence in their FNP, feel safer and lead a healthier life.
FNPs have a gratifying career professionally and can also have their own private practices. They provide most of the basic services that a first-level doctor provides and are the first point of care for many patients.
Advantages of becoming a family nurse practitioner
Family nurse practitioners are in increasingly higher demand, and more and more registered nurses are now pursuing further study to become family nurse practitioners. There are multiple reasons and benefits to become a family nurse practitioner apart from career advancement and prospects. Some of these are:
- Job satisfaction with more rewarding work
- Choice of type of work and choice of workplace
- Significant financial advantages
- Geographical work location choice
- Autonomy or independence
- Additional responsibilities
- Working with a wide spectrum of people
- Making a difference in the lives of individuals and communities.
- Taking on leadership roles
- Taking on intellectual challenges
- High return on investment (ROI) of time and resources
In addition, family nurse practitioners are quite respected in the community and are regarded as one of the elite groups of healthcare professionals.
Roles of family nurse practitioners
Family nurse practitioners are an integral part of the healthcare system, providing advanced healthcare services for patients of all ages, races and ethnicities. They play many diverse roles and hold many responsibilities toward the patients under their care. FNPs provide healthcare knowledge, counseling and preventive care services to reduce repeat visits to doctors and avoid emergency or hospital admissions.
A family nurse practitioner delivers family- or individual-focused nursing care that includes carrying out physical examinations of the sick, conducting wellness checks, screening symptoms, getting diagnostic tests, examining and diagnosing conditions and administering preliminary treatment. In essence, the healthcare services that an FNP provides are multifaceted, whether they relate to sickness, injuries or simply age, and they are always patient-centric.
FNPs also help in setting up routine office procedures, developing patient care plans tailored to individuals and creating educational materials. An FNP also educates families and society at large. They impart knowledge about personal care, hygiene and disease prevention. In addition, they educate their patients about healthy lifestyles to promote a healthier society and prevent disease spread.
The roles and responsibilities of FNPs include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Recording patient health histories and maintaining records
- Studying and assessing patient symptoms
- Placing an order for diagnostic tests and interpreting the results
- Conducting physical examinations of the sick
- Developing and administering treatment plans for acute and chronic illnesses
- Prescribing medications
- Performing or assisting with minor procedures
- Diagnosing physical and mental health conditions
- Tracking symptom changes and treatment responses
- Teaching patients about preventive healthcare, including general health, hygiene and wellness
- Promoting healthy nutrition, exercise and lifestyle habits
- Referring to appropriate practitioners/specialists when needed
- Managing and overseeing prescribed patient care
- Communicating with families
- Acting as the primary care point of contact in underserved rural settings
- Collaborating with other healthcare providers
FNPs are able to work independently with authority as provided by their certification. The healthcare authority of an FNP varies by state. They are also able to collaborate with medical professionals and all other individuals in a healthcare team. FNPs work in private nursing homes, community clinics, hospitals and government or occupational settings.
Skills and personal characteristics for a family nurse practitioner
A family nurse practitioner must have a strong balance of skills and personal traits. Many of these are acquired through advanced education, training and on-the-job experience. In addition to formal qualifications and experience, FNPs should have skills for the following:
Core competencies required for a family nurse practitioner:
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- An empathetic nature
- Interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence
- Critical thinking and decision-making skills
- Organizational capabilities and multitasking
- Understanding of digital technology for recording and analyzing patient health records
- Leadership for guiding co-workers, families and the public
Personal characteristics required for a family nurse practitioner:
- Empathy for patients’ needs and beliefs
- The ability to develop treatment plans and executing
- Collaboration with teams and other healthcare providers
- Resilience for operating under high pressure and stress
- The capability of making autonomous decisions and being responsible for them
Nurses can enhance their knowledge and skills to excel in any nurse practitioner role by pursuing an advanced degree. They can find an online master’s of science in nursing degree that concentrates on a nurse practitioner career. Such programs can help students become family nurse practitioners and thereby become essential medical resources in primary, specialty and acute healthcare settings.
How do you become a family nurse practitioner?
To become a family nurse practitioner, one requires strong zeal and determination. One has to invest money and time and go through extensive education and training to meet the job requirements. Though it may sound difficult, the investment is worth your time, effort and money. Becoming a family nurse practitioner will certainly reward you in many ways.
It may take 8 to 10 years to become an FNP after becoming a registered nursing practitioner. The duration can vary depending upon the path taken to pursue the degree, such as whether you do so full-time or part-time, in person or online, etc.
You will be licensed as a registered nurse or nursing practitioner after completing a 4-5-year bachelor’s degree in nursing practice from an institution accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), the National League for Nursing (NLN) or other authorized agency for nursing education.
After gaining 2-3 year’s clinical experience in working with patients, an NP is eligible to prepare for the family nursing practitioner program.
A 2-3-year master’s degree in nursing or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is required from an accredited institution for family nursing practitioner eligibility. It can be a part-time or full-time program, and students can take classes in traditional campus settings or online. The program may include both classroom learning and hands-on patient clinical learning.
After completing the master’s degree, you will need to pass the FNP certification exam conducted by the appropriate authorized agency of your state, such as the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
An FNP post-master’s graduate certificate is the alternative to the regular FNP route. A bachelor’s-level NP can consider advancing their career as an FNP as it adds specialty to the NP’s expertise, opening up many more avenues.
FNP post-master’s graduate certificate
The above provided a broad and generalized scope of the role of the family nurse practitioner and how to become one. The FNP post-master’s graduate certificate is a direct certification to become a professional FNP if one already has the relevant experience and education. It is an alternative to the regular FNP route. For a bachelor’s-level nursing practitioner looking to advance their career and serve the community as an FNP, the online FNP post-master’s graduate certificate is the solution.
The pros and cons of the online FNP post-master’s graduate certificate are:
Pros
- Can continue working while pursuing the FNP post-master graduate certificate
- More cost-effective than a DNP
- An option for an NP who wants to become an FNP without enrolling in a regular master’s degree program
Cons
- You end up with a certificate and not a degree
- Undergrad nursing degree graduates are ineligible
- Not for NPs who wish to enter administrative or other indirect patient care roles
Pursuing an FNP post-master’s graduate certificate program can be a great option for some individuals. For nursing practitioners (NPs/RNs) who wish to upgrade to a specialty like a family nurse practitioner, the FNP post-master’s certificate route is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to the formal master’s degree track. With online certificate programs becoming a norm, prospective students need to pick wisely.
Some highlights of the FNP post-master’s graduate certificate program:
- Prepares for the FNP board certification exam
- Very high (~100%) pass rate for the FNP certification exam
- Complete clinical rotations in the student’s home state
- After the certificate, students are ready for the FNP national certification exam
- Affordable tuition rates
The careers that are open to FNPs are available for post-master’s graduate certificate holders and are superior to NPs. FNPs are commonly employed in:
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Private practice clinics
- Community health centers
- Health insurance companies
- Outpatient care
- Telemedicine
- Urgent care
Many academic programs are now available online as well as in hybrid modes for FNP post-master’s certificate programs near you. You’ll find a wide range of universities offering online post-master’s FNP certificate courses, such as Carson-Newman University, which provides support during the clinical placement process as you focus on developing as an FNP.
Online vs. classroom-based FNP post-master’s certificate programs
Traditionally, the classroom was the only place for getting an education, but with the advent of technology, online and hybrid modes of acquiring education have become widely available. One of the main benefits of choosing an online program is the flexibility of learning at your own pace with a healthy work-life balance. It allows working nurses to pursue an advanced degree where they can study after working hours or on weekends.
However, online learning requires a computer, internet access, webcams and other equipment. This, in turn, amounts to extra costs for the student. Some students may also perform better when they learn face-to-face and with in-person peer support. Learning styles differ among students, and for some, online learning isn’t the most effective method.
The hybrid option allows you to complete much of the theoretical coursework online and then requires you to come to campus a certain number of times for face-to-face interaction with faculty members. For clinical experience, you must visit labs on campus or in real work situations. Students will be able to choose between full-time or part-time study options.
Admission requirements for an FNP post-master’s certificate
There are specific admission requirements for the family nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate program. The minimal requirements include:
- Active nursing practitioner license
- A master’s degree from an accredited school
- Specific minimum number of clinical hours
- Letters of recommendation and statement of purpose
FNP post-master’s certificate curriculum
The FNP post-master’s certificate program curriculum must meet your state’s requirements to ensure proper preparation for licensing. The curriculum may include some of the following courses (the course title/content may vary from institution to institution):
- Primary care of the family, infants, children, adolescents and older adults
- Pediatric/family healthcare
- Advanced physical/health assessment and differential diagnosis
- Advanced pharmacology
- Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced nursing
- Advanced practice nursing role
Over 700 clinical hours with hands-on patient care are also a part of the FNP post-master’s certificate curriculum.
Choosing FNP post-master’s certificate program
These days, online and hybrid options are becoming more prevalent for family nurse practitioners to obtain their post-master’s certificate. It’s important to choose an accredited FNP post-master’s certificate program. Accreditation status, learning options, program duration, credits, fees and internship/externship options should all be considered before you finalize which FNP post-master’s certificate program you ultimately choose.