University of Southern Indiana

The family nurse practitioner acquires a broad base of knowledge and experience to provide direct health care services to people of all ages for the purposes of health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and management of common acute and chronic illnesses. The family nurse practitioner focuses on care of patients and families, and functions primarily in ambulatory care settings. The population in primary care family practice includes newborns, infants, children, adolescents, pregnant and postpartum women, adults, and the elderly. There are a total of 42 credit hours in the specialty with 665 clinical hours. 

The family nurse practitioner graduate is prepared to:

1. Synthesize knowledge from nursing theories, the humanities, and evidence-based scientific clinical guidelines to guide assessment of health status for patients of all ages.
2. Demonstrate advanced practice clinical decision making, integrating critical thinking, to interpret patient and diagnostic test data and formulate differential diagnoses and a plan of care for patients and families across the lifespan. 
3. Design and implement a mutually agreed upon management plan and therapeutic interventions with patients and families across the lifespan.
4. Evaluate and revise the documented management plan based on patient/family findings, problems and expected outcomes of treatment. 
5. Apply family assessment methodologies and research findings to improve and evaluate the care of adult patients and families across the adult lifespan. 
6. Advocate for patients and families to provide cost-effective, culturally competent, ethical, quality care in and across health care settings. 
7. Model responsibility for continued professional development, integrity, accountability, competence, and credentialing as a family nurse practitioner. 

Clinical Learning Expectations
Graduate nursing clinical practice requirements may be completed in the student's own community. The student is responsible for identifying preceptors and clinical sites in their own community. Approval of selected preceptors and clinical sites must be obtained from faculty prior to beginning clinical hours. Students may be required to visit campus in order to demonstrate clinical competency. Faculty will also validate clinical competency through site visits and/or conference calls with preceptors and students. A written agreement with the agency is required prior to initiation of clinical experiences.

Course Descriptions

Study Plan/Advising Form

MSN Admission Requirements and Registration

Post Masters Credit
The Family Nurse Practitioner option is offered for post-masters credit to students with a Masters Degree in Nursing. The program of study is individualized and based on transcript evaluation and clinical practice experience. 

Continuing Education for Advanced Practice Nurses
A wide variety of continuing education offerings are provided for the APN to maintain licensure and to stay current in practice. Pharmacology CEUs are offered for independent study and in scheduled classes. Internet offerings are also available.