Family Nurse Practitioner

Program Description

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Program 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.

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

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, and acute care settings.

The Program Director for the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty is Elizabeth Hall, DNP, MSN, CFNP/CGNP.

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 you can be assigned location at hospitals, out-patient clinics, home care, or schools to name a few.

Admission

Please contact the Office of Admissions for details regarding admission and financial aid packages. Faculty review applications on a rolling admission basis so that students may apply throughout the year. Please note, applications for the Family NP Program can only be submitted online.

Admission criteria include:

*RN's with an associate degree and a non-nursing baccalaureate degree are required to complete 5 credits in community health in addition to the course requirement listed

Curriculum

For Applicants Who Hold an Undergraduate Degree in Nursing
A sample program plan is provided below to make you aware of the academic requirements of the program. Please be advised that this program plan is a sample, and individual plans of study are reviewed and approved upon acceptance to the program. Progression in the program is contingent upon meeting academic policies. The School of Nursing reserves the right to change the course offering schedule as stated in the student bulletin.

Sample Program Plan

Course Number Course Name Credits Type
Summer I: 10 Credits
N6100 Advanced Physiology 3 Core
N8102 Advanced Pharmacology 3 Core
N8290 Incorporating Genetics into Advanced Nursing Practice 3 Core
N8548 Normal Antepartum for Family Primary Care 1 Specialty
Fall I: 15 Credits
N6835 Assessing Clinical Evidence 4 Core
N6920 Health and Social Policy: The Context for Practice and Research 4 Core
N8557 Family Primary Care I 2 Specialty
N8568 Practicum in Advanced Clinical Assessment for Family Nurse Practitioners 2 Specialty
N8786 Advanced Clinical Assessment in Adults 3 Specialty
Spring I: 13 Credits
N6121 Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan 3 Core
N8545 Diagnosis and Management of Illness in Families I 4 Specialty
N8558 Family Primary Care II 1 Specialty
N8560 (Family) Family Theory in Context 3 Specialty
N8693 Family Primary Care: Practicum IIA 2 Specialty
Summer II: 6 Credits
N6930 Interpersonal Violence and Abuse: Prevention, Assessment and Intervention for Health Care Professionals 1 Core
N6940 Management and Advanced Practice Nursing 1 Core
N8566 Family Primary Care: Practicum IIIA 2 Specialty
N8795 Family Primary Care: Practicum IIB 2 Specialty
Fall II: 6 Credits
N8546 Diagnosis and Management of Illness in Families II 3 Specialty
N8559 Family Primary Care III 1 Specialty
N8567 Family Primary Care: Practicum IIIB 2 Specialty
Total Credits 50  

School of Nursing

The School of Nursing has paved the way for professional nursing since 1892 and continues to lead the field as the foremost institution for advanced practice nursing.

The School of Nursing is a designated World Health Organization Collaborating Center for International Nursing Development in Advanced Practice. With urban clinical sites, expert faculty practitioners, cutting edge research, and the strength of the Columbia name and reputation, the School of Nursing produces graduates who possess the skills necessary to bring advanced practice nursing into the new millennium. As medical advances offer a cascade of new and useful therapies, the need for more health care providers will increase exponentially. Our country will face many health care challenges in the next 20 years, and nurse practitioners are essential to providing access to quality primary care.

Founded in 1892 as Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing, the School became part of Columbia University in 1937 and began offering the baccalaureate degree. It is one of the oldest schools of nursing in the US. In 1956, it became the first nursing program in the country to award a master’s degree in a clinical nursing specialty. In 1999, the School granted its first doctoral degree. More than 10,000 nurses have graduated since the School opened.

The School shares the Columbia University Health Sciences Campus with the Mailman School of Public Health, the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Each of these schools adds to the richness and diversity of the educational experience of students and faculty.

School of Nursing faculty have substantial experience in curriculum, instructional design, and research. They maintain expertise in their areas of teaching responsibility through participation at local, regional, and national conferences, involvement in scholarly presentations and publications, and faculty practice.

Columbia University School of Nursing is distinguished by the clinical excellence of its programs and graduates. Columbia nurses are making crucial contributions and improving the health of individuals wherever they practice.

This page was last updated on 05/07/2009 and is subject to change at any time.