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

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Overview

Provide Care for Your Community as a Family Nurse Practitioner

The MSN Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program can prepare experienced professional nurses for advanced practice as primary care providers. The family nurse practitioner makes independent critical judgments in all levels of prevention, including health promotion, illness prevention, and diagnosis and management for individuals, families, communities and populations.

The FNP performs comprehensive health assessments, diagnoses illnesses and prescribes pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic treatments to manage acute and chronic health problems to achieve quality, cost-effective outcomes in a culturally sensitive context.  

Male and female nurses reviewing patient charts in hospital

Program available in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas.


Why GCU

Benefits of the MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Program

Your preparation in the family nurse practitioner program includes a comprehensive curriculum that can help you provide primary healthcare to individuals of all ages and locales, including underserved urban and rural areas. You will also analyze case studies in accordance with the guidelines of evidence-based practice and current standards of care. Your MSN family nurse practitioner education can prepare you for professional roles including patient care, education, consulting and collaborating with other healthcare providers, and using research to make practice decisions and influencing professional and public policies.

Woman sitting at desk in home office while earning MSN FNP online

Complete Your MSN FNP Program Online With GCU1

At GCU, you have the option to complete classes for your FNP program online.1 Online learning can provide you with the same comprehensive curriculum and in-depth knowledge as an in-person program. You will have access to various online learning resources and support that can help you as you pursue your program.

Coursework

Elevate Your Standard of Care With Advanced FNP Concepts

MSN FNP classroom instruction includes radiologic interpretation, chronic disease management, coding and billing, public health and case study analysis. A two-day experience in the FNP-690 course provide family nurse practitioner students an in-depth certification exam practice with individual exam review and remediation planning, systems and topic reviews. This program is designed to support collaboration, discussion and hands-on skills.

The MSN FNP program includes 675 hours of directly supervised clinical practice with qualified preceptors and two separate on-campus experiences. 

Close up image of woman sitting at table earning MSN: FNP online

Primary Subjects Taught in MSN FNP Program

The family nurse practitioner program online curriculum focuses on teaching students to become well-rounded primary care providers through in-depth study of the following subject areas:1

  • Performing comprehensive health assessments, including documentation and diagnosis
  • Understanding the individual as the client, functional health patterns, community resources and the teaching-learning process
  • Reviewing the research process and applying evidenced-based research to the practice setting
  • Advancing physiology and pathophysiology principles, understanding normal function, and interpreting changes in normal function that result in symptoms and diagnostic markers indicative of illness
  • Utilizing pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and their practical implication in clinical practice
  • Recognizing and applying ethical, moral leadership
  • Integrating knowledge of population health into culturally relevant health promotion and intervention
  • Evaluating the implications of and healthcare informatics in strategies for managing care resources and systems

Study Transferrable Skills and Experience

The clinical practicum experience at GCU’s nursing school allows you to collaborate with faculty members to select a local primary care or family care site. This portion of the family nurse practitioner program can provide you the opportunity to apply clinical decision-making skills and health management of primary problems for diverse clients across the human life span. In addition, you can interact with patients in the role of care provider and educator.

During your MSN family nurse practitioner program with GCU, you will participate in two on-campus experiences designed to provide collaboration with peers, hands-on skill development with patient actors and interdisciplinary faculty. The first on-campus experience is a three-day requirement in the FNP-630 course that provides opportunities to perform health assessments, suturing and wound care, casting and splinting, EKG, radiology, male and female exams, and newborn and obstetrics assessments.

A Post-Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate program is also available to nurses who already have an MSN degree.

Post-MSN: FNP Certificate
Female FNP professional smiling with arms crossed in conference room
Careers

MSN Family Nurse Practitioner Career Opportunities

MSN FNP graduates may choose to pursue a career in a variety of healthcare settings.

Some of these options may include:

Hospitals

Physicians’ offices

School clinics

Outpatient care centers

College classrooms

Female FNP student reviewing charts on tablet with male instructor in hospital
Accreditation

MSN FNP Professional Standards

The Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner program is built to meet standards set by recognized, reputable nursing organizations, including:

  • National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculty (NONPF)
  • American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN): The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing 
  • Inter-Professional Collaborative Practice (IPEC) Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice 
  • American Nursing Association (ANA) Scope and Standards of Practice

For more information on the accreditation of nursing programs and other university approvals, please visit our University Accreditation and Regulations page.

FAQ

Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner Program FAQs

If you strive to have a positive effect on the healthcare in your community by serving as an FNP, read some frequently asked questions below to learn more about earning your MSN.

Male and female FNP professionals talking in hospital

Make an Impact in the Lives of Families

If your goal is to become a family nurse practitioner, GCU can help you get there. Fill out the form on this page to learn more about our program and get in touch with a university counselor.

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  1. Clinical, practicum and immersion hours completed locally.

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