Post-Master Of Science In Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Overview
Take Your Nursing Career to the Next Level with an FNP Certificate
Grand Canyon University’s (GCU) online Post-Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate within the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions is designed for MSN-prepared, experienced registered nurses who wish to work as advanced practice primary care providers.
This post-MSN online FNP certificate program provides you with the skills necessary to complete and interpret head-to-toe diagnosis and care for chief complaints in diverse populations across the lifespan. A three-day experience in FNP-630 will provide opportunities to perform health assessments, suturing and wound care, casting and splinting, as well as classroom instruction in radiologic interpretation, chronic disease management and case study analysis. The one-day experience in FNP-690 will provide in-depth preparation for certification exams, including individual reviews and remediation planning.
GCU’s family nurse practitioner online certificate prepares you to sit for the Family Nurse Practitioner board certification exam through the AACC or AANP. Select states may have additional requirements to meet their standards; reference your enrollment agreement or contact GCU for more information.
Professional Standards
The Post-Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate program is built to meet standards set by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN): The Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing; the American Nursing Association (ANA) Scope and Standards of Practice; the Inter-Professional Collaborative Practice (IPEC) Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice; and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF).
Degree Outcomes
Lead Multidisciplinary Care
Throughout the family nurse practitioner certificate program, learners take part in peer discussions and practice activities along with a 650-hour practicum experience within a community-based primary care setting or family health-focused clinical site.
What You Will Learn
Earn an FNP Certificate for to Care Diverse Populations and Age Groups
Course topics include:
- Advancing physiology and pathophysiology, and interpreting predictive changes in function
- Understanding and utilizing pharmacology in addressing complex conditions
- Diverse applications of advanced practice concepts
- Performing in-depth health assessment and diagnostic reasoning
- Practice management of adult healthcare problems, pediatric and adolescent healthcare problems, women's healthcare issues and geriatric issues
- Reviewing research and applying evidence-based practices to the practice setting
Career Outcomes
Propel Your Nursing Career Forward
With a post-MSN online FNP certificate, you may choose to work in acute or chronic care settings, diagnosing and treating illness either as part of a healthcare team or independently. As a family nurse practitioner, you will work in primary care with pediatric through geriatric populations, prescribing medication and performing diagnostic tests as needed to ensure lasting health and wellness.
Course List
Program Core Courses
Course Description
This course focuses on advanced physiology and pathophysiology principles. This course is used to guide the advanced nursing practice student in understanding normal function and interpreting changes in normal function that result in symptoms and diagnostic markers indicative of illness. Emphasis is placed on the following systems: cellular environment and inflammatory changes; fluids, electrolytes and acid-base balance; genetics, genetic diseases, and the role of the environment; stress, disease, and the development of neoplasms; hematology and alterations in immunity. In addition, the physiology and pathophysiology of the endocrine, pulmonary, renal, digestive and integumentary, cardiovascular and lymphatic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, and neurological systems, including mood disorders, are addressed. Prerequisite: Admission to the graduate nursing program or college approval. NUR-502, NUR-504, NUR-508.
Course Description
This course focuses on the basic concepts and principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and their practical implication in clinical practice. This course also places an emphasis on the strong influence of physiological variables (age, ethnicity, or pregnancy) and pathological conditions (hepatic or renal insufficiency, cardiac dysfunction) on drugs’ pharmacological response. An in-depth understanding of the relationship between patient’s physiological/pathological variables and pharmacodynamics/pharmacokinetics can provide additional insight for practitioners in predicting potential drug interactions, and thus will provide additional guidance in prescribing strategies. This course also includes clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; clinical toxicology; and pathology and pharmacotherapy of cardiovascular, psychiatric, endocrine, respiratory, gastrointestinal, bone and joint, infectious, reproductive, and dermatological disorders. Prerequisite: NUR-631.
Course Description
This course builds upon the student's undergraduate and clinical assessment skills, offering advanced health assessment content to provide the foundation for the advanced practice nursing role. This course addresses the completion and interpretation of a head-to-toe assessment in addition to focused assessments for chief complaints that include physical, psychosocial, spiritual, risk, and functional assessments in diverse populations and across age groups. Students learn a systematic method of diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision making to establish differential diagnoses. Prerequisites: NUR-631, and either NUR-632 or NUR-633.
Course Description
This course covers preventive health care practices and integrates cultural and spiritual considerations, environmental factors, genetic influences, and national public health objectives. Emphasis is placed on development of the advanced practice registered nurse-patient relationship to enhance the effectiveness of patient education, counseling, and promotion of healthy lifestyle changes. Students explore concepts relevant to primary care, including family systems theory and developmental theory. Students are also introduced to well visits across the life span and build upon advanced health assessment skills in assessing the well child, adolescent, woman, and man. Specific emphasis is placed on clinical diagnostic reasoning and interpretation and the development of differential diagnoses based on clinical practice guidelines. Students examine professional and patient community resources and evaluate the use of integrative healing strategies in assisting patients to achieve health goals using evidence-based research. This course includes a required 3-day, on-campus experience. Prerequisite: NUR-634.
Course Description
This course covers preventive health care practices and integrates cultural and spiritual considerations, environmental factors, genetic influences, and national public health objectives. Emphasis is placed on development of the advanced practice registered nurse-patient relationship to enhance the effectiveness of patient education, counseling, and promotion of healthy lifestyle changes. Students explore concepts relevant to primary care, including family systems theory and developmental theory. Students are also introduced to well visits across the life span and build upon advanced health assessment skills in assessing the well child, adolescent, woman, and man. Specific emphasis is placed on clinical diagnostic reasoning and interpretation and the development of differential diagnoses based on clinical practice guidelines. Students examine professional and patient community resources and evaluate the use of integrative healing strategies in assisting patients to achieve health goals using evidence-based research. This course includes a required 3-day, on-campus experience. Prerequisite: NUR-634.
Course Description
This course focuses on the three levels of prevention and comprehensive primary care management of individuals with common, acute, and chronic conditions across the life span within a culturally and spiritually diverse environment. Evidence-based research is utilized to develop comprehensive, cost-effective, least invasive, quality health care. Care includes health promotion counseling, screening, and patient education to optimize patient and family health. Emphasis is placed on critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning to guide clinical decision making. Management of patient illness includes ordering diagnostic tests, prescribing pharmacological and nonpharmacological integrative healing therapies, collaborating with other health professionals and community agencies, and pursuing appropriate follow-up. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: FNP-630.
Course Description
This course deepens its focus on the three levels of prevention and comprehensive primary care management of individuals with common, acute, and chronic conditions across the life span within a culturally and spiritually diverse environment. Students integrate evidence-based research in the development of comprehensive, cost-effective, least invasive, quality health care. Care includes health promotion counseling, screening, and patient education to optimize patient and family health. Students further advance their critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills to guide clinical decision making in the management of patient illness. Students also further develop their competence in ordering appropriate diagnostic tests, prescribing pharmacological and nonpharmacological integrative healing therapies, collaborating with other health professionals and community agencies, and pursuing appropriate follow-up. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: FNP-652.
Course Description
This practicum course is the final synthesis of the theoretical and clinical foundation of advanced practice nursing in the primary care management of individuals and families across the life span. Emphasis is placed on scope of practice, roles, contract negotiation, prescriptive authority, licensure, certification, and credentialing. Updates on legislation and health policy are incorporated utilizing multidimensional clinical case studies. Students also examine ethical issues that arise in clinical practice. This course includes a required 1-day, on-campus experience. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: FNP-654.
Course Description
This practicum course is the final synthesis of the theoretical and clinical foundation of advanced practice nursing in the primary care management of individuals and families across the life span. Emphasis is placed on scope of practice, roles, contract negotiation, prescriptive authority, licensure, certification, and credentialing. Updates on legislation and health policy are incorporated utilizing multidimensional clinical case studies. Students also examine ethical issues that arise in clinical practice. This course includes a required 1-day, on-campus experience. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: FNP-654.
Program Locations
Online
Evening
* The Department of Education defines how an institution must calculate a program's On-Time Completion rate for federal disclosure purposes. The On-Time Completion rate is based on a program’s published required number of months to complete all degree requirements as provided in the institution’s catalog. Completion statistics are updated every January and are based on the cohort of students who graduated between 7/1 – 6/30 of the preceding year. The On-Time Completion rate is determined by the number of students in the cohort who completed the program within the published program length divided by the number of students in the cohort who graduated.
Online and Evening program disclosures (33 month program) Additional Disclosures* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.