Family Nurse Practitioner

Requirements & Program of Study

All AgesThe MSN Program Family Nurse Practitioner Concentration provides an opportunity to complete your online degree. A Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) works with individuals throughout the lifespan...

  • delivering holistic care to individuals of  all ages,
  • conducting client examinations,
  • diagnosing and treating illnesses,
  • and prescribing medications.

Graduates will enhance and advance their practice in settings of greatest need.  

The FNP program is designed for the working Registered Nurse; you may wish to be a part-time or full-time student. Full-time hours are 9-12 credits per semester (Fall & Spring). Part-time hours are less than 9 credit hours per semester (Fall & Spring). The maximum load for the summer semester is 6 credits.   


Sample Program of Study

Some courses are offered sequentially once a year. A nurse working part-time and attending graduate school full-time may complete the program in 6 semesters: five 15-week semesters and one 10-week summer session. A nurse working full-time and attending graduate school part-time may complete the program in 9 semesters: seven 15-week semesters and two 10-week semesters. All courses are offered in the online format.

 CURRICULUM COURSES:


NURS 5000 Nursing Theory 3
NURS 5020 Research 3
NURS 5040 Role Development 3
NURS 5070 Health Policy 3
NURS 5210 Pathophysiology (fall offering) 3
NURS 5280 Pharmacotherapeutics (spring offering) 3
NURS 5100 Advanced Health Assessment (summer offering) 3
NURS 5111 Advanced Health Assessment Clinical (summer offering) 1

MAJOR FNP CONCENTRATION COURSES:

NURS 5150 Primary Care in Adult-Gero Clients (fall offering) 4
NURS 5154 Primary Care in Adult-Gero Clients Clinical (fall offering) 3
NURS 5160 Primary Care in Pediatric Clients (spring offering) 3
NURS 5164 Primary Care in Pediatric Clients Clinical (spring offering) 2  
NURS 5171 Primary Care in Women Clients (spring offering) 2
NURS 5174 Primary Care in Women Clients Clinical (spring offering) 1

 ELECTIVES (6 Hours):

Approved Elective
3
AND
 
Approved Elective 3
See Academic Advisor  

PROJECT OR THESIS (6 HOURS): 

NURS 5200 Thesis Writing 3/3
OR  
NURS 5220 Project Writing 3/3

Total program semester hours = 49 credit hours

Upon program completion the student will have 600 clinical hours. This is only a sample program of study and does not imply a contract for degree completion. Required courses may change. Please consult your academic adviser for additional information.


patient on crutchesPost-Graduate Certificate - FNP

Nurses who hold a Master of Science in Nursing degree from a nationally accredited program and are interested in continuing study for FNP Nursing may be eligible to enter post graduate studies. The three pre-requisite courses required for Advanced Practice Nursing are Advanced Health Assessment (didactic and clinical), Advanced Pathophysiology, and Advanced Pharmacology, and will need to have been completed within five years before beginning courses. If the MSN program from which the applicant graduated did not include any of these courses, they must be taken through TSU before admission to the post-graduate certificate program. The FNP Post-Graduate Certificate requires the successful completion of nine didactic hours (NURS5150, NURS5160, and NURS 5171) and all associated clinical credit hours (NURS5154, NURS5164, & 5174 = 600 total clock hours) to total 15 credit hours.


                                                              For More Information

Tennessee State University-School of Nursing
3500 John A. Merritt Blvd., Box 9590
Nashville, TN 37209-1561
(615) 963-5252
FAX: (615) 963-7614
E-mail: Dr. Donna Kenerson at dkenerso@tnstate.edu