Program Overview

Introduction to the Family Nurse Practitioner Program

The Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Columbia University School of Nursing is designed to prepare nurses to deliver primary health care to families in a variety of settings. Students follow patients through the life cycle, utilizing obstetric, pediatric, gynecologic, as well as adult and geriatric primary care diagnostic and management skills.

Program Overview

The scope of practice of the family nurse practitioner is based on a team approach. An interdependent member of the health care team, the FNP provides primary care through the following means:

• Documentation of individual and family health history
• Physical assessment
• Diagnostic, therapeutic, and educational care plans
• Collaboration with physicians and other health care professionals
• Referral to appropriate health care providers
• Coordination of health care

Clinical Sites

Clinical sites are available in the tri-state area and beyond, and can be permanent or rotating. Clinical sites vary in setting, and students are assigned at hospitals, outpatient clinics, home care, or schools.

Graduation and Career Opportunities

Graduates are eligible to take the certifying examination offered by the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Graduates find positions in a variety of settings, such as:

• Outpatient clinics
• Community health centers
• Private practice offices
• Health departments
• Homeless shelters
• Chronic care facilities
• Schools
• Day care programs
• Hospices
• Homes
• Acute care settings

Curriculum

Students will complete approximately two years of coursework to complete degree requirements. Courses will include lecture, clinical, simulation, and final intensive practicum.

Full-Time Program

The full-time program: Students will complete approximately 2.5 years of coursework to complete degree requirements.

Part-Time Program

The part-time program: Students will complete approximately 3.5 years of coursework to complete degree requirements.

Courses

The following courses are part of the program:

• NURS8685N: Advanced Clinical Assessment Across the Lifespan
• NURS8102N: Advanced Pharmacology
• NURS7001N: Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan I
• NURS7002N: Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan II
• NURS7331N: Complex Care Across Settings: Practicum
• NURS8321N: Diagnosis and Management in Primary Care I
• NURS8322N: Diagnosis and Management in Primary Care Across the Lifespan II
• NURS8331N: Diagnosis and Management of the Complex Patient Across Settings
• NURS9730N: DNP Intensive Practicum
• NURS9735N: DNP Portfolio Advisement
• NURS8549N: Prenatal and Postpartum Care Essentials
• NURS8560N: Family Theory in Context
• NURS9465N: FNP Specialty Practicum
• NURS7568N: Fundamentals of Primary Care for the FNP
• NURS7005N: Health and Social Policy in the Context of Practice
• NURS9481N: Health Policy and Advocacy
• NURS7003N: Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
• NURS9290N: Incorporating Genetics and Genomics in Advanced Practice Nursing
• NURS9412N: Informatics for Practice
• NURS6930N: Interpersonal Violence and Abuse: Prevention, Assessment, and Intervention for Health Care Professionals
• NURS7000N: Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice
• NURS6940N: Management and Advanced Practice Nursing
• NURS7303N: Pediatric Primary Care for the FNP
• NURS7301N: Pediatric Primary Care for the FNP: Practicum
• NURS7305N: Pediatric Primary Care for the FNP: Seminar
• NURS9405N: Practice Leadership and Quality
• NURS8568N: Practicum in Advanced Clinical Assessment for Family Nurse Practitioners
• NURS7321N: Practicum in Primary Care Across the Lifespan II
• NURS7311N: Primary Care Across the Lifespan I: Practicum
• NURS7310N: Primary Care Across the Lifespan I: Seminar
• NURS9672N: Principles of Epidemiology and Environmental Health
• NURS9150N: Scholarly Writing and Dissemination I
• NURS9151N: Scholarly Writing and Dissemination II
• NURS7330N: Seminar in the Complex Patient Across Settings
• NURS7320N: Seminar in Primary Care Across the Lifespan II
• NURS8777N: Sexual and Reproductive Health for Primary Care
• NURS9910N: Translation and Synthesis of Evidence for Optimal Outcomes

Total Credits

The total credits required for the program are 83-86.