Program Overview
MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner
Take your nursing skills and your career to the next level with our Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN): Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program is designed to provide nurses with the necessary education, competencies, and experiences to assume the role of a primary health care provider in a variety of clinical settings. Didactic and clinical course content focuses on the assessment and management of health promotion and health maintenance strategies, risk reduction, common acute and chronic alterations in health status for individuals and families across the lifespan. The MSN-FNP is a 7-semester program.
Program Outcomes
- Synthesize evidence-based practice, clinical guidelines, and clinical judgment to improve the quality of clinical practice in diverse populations with consideration for social determinants of health.
- Apply ethical, cultural, legal and social factors that influence access, equity, quality and cost-effectiveness to advance nursing practice.
- Demonstrate, through competency-based evaluation, the delivery, management, health policy process, and leadership of advanced practice nursing and population health in primary care settings.
- Create interprofessional dialogues and utilize healthcare technologies to optimize clinical decision making and evidence-based practice to support and strengthen patient outcomes.
- Construct a sustainable professional family nurse practitioner identity and practice that reflects compassionate, holistic, and wellness-focused patient-centered care for diverse populations.
Clinical Placement
Clinical placement is a collaborative process between the student and the faculty. We do have articulation agreements with many sites; you may use the Map of Affiliation in EXXAT to see current sites we are already affiliated with by location. Clinical experiences are scheduled at the convenience of the facility hosting the student.
MSN – FNP 7-Semester Student Curriculum
- N 532: Advanced Practice Roles, Ethics & Policy
- N 560: Advanced Concepts in Physiology & Pathophysiology
- N 504: Introduction to Graduate Writing
- N 550: Advanced Pharmacology & Therapeutics
- N/NLAB 580: Advanced Health Promotion & Assessment Across the Lifespan
- N 507: Data Interpretation & Informatics
- NP 526: Mental Health in Primary Care
- NP 610: Primary Care of Families: Chronic
- NPLB 650: Primary Care of Families (180 Clinical Hours)
- NPLB 530: Family Nurse Practitioner Foundational Immersion
- NP 620: Primary Care of Families: Acute
- NPLB 670: Primary Care of Families – Practicum (180 Clinical Hours)
- NP 631: Women’s Health in Primary Care
- NP 632: Primary Care of Pediatrics
- N 522: Research & Evidence-Based Practice
- NP 690: Transition to APRN Practice
- NPLB 641: Advanced Family Nurse Practitioner Immersion
- NPLB 680: Primary Care Advanced Practicum (240 Clinical Hours)
Total credits: 47 Total clinical hours: 600
Application Information
- A bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) from a CCNE or an ACEN accredited institution. Recommended 3.0 cumulative GPA.
- Applicants must have completed or will complete the following prerequisite course requirements prior to enrolling at Shenandoah:
- Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology courses. Recommended grade of “B” or better.
- Undergraduate Statistics course with a grade of “C” or better.
- Undergraduate Chemistry course with a grade of “C” or better.
- Graduate application along with $30 application fee
- Unofficial transcripts for initial admission from all institutions of higher education previously attended
- 3 letters of recommendation
- One from previous nursing faculty (if graduated in last five years)
- Two professional references to attest to clinical experience (with Master’s degree or higher preferred)
- Current resume/C.V.
- Essay (250-500 words) answering the following question:
- Why are you choosing to pursue the FNP role?
- Documentation of one full year of direct patient care prior to specialty courses
- Documentation of 2,080 RN or APRN direct patient care hours
- Unencumbered RN license – multi-state or individual state (must obtain licensure in the state(s) in which you will do clinical rotations.
- Interview with graduate nursing faculty may be required
- Language Proficiency Requirement must be met. Submission of TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or Duolingo English Test (DET) may be required. See our policy for full details.
Career and Salary Possibilities
Upon completion of the program, you will be prepared to practice in the primary care role in urban, suburban, rural and underserved areas, choose to teach in nursing schools or continue your higher education.
Family nurse practitioners are critical in meeting the primary care needs of rural and/or underserved populations in this country. According to AANP, the average practicing nurse practitioner salary is $110,000 annually.