Nursing: Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (M.S.)

Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner

This program prepares primary care family nurse practitioners (PC-FNPs) with specialized knowledge and clinical competency to practice as licensed independent practitioners across the life span. PC-FNPs practice in ambulatory and long-term care as primary providers to individuals, families, and groups. The UNH program prepares these advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to diagnose and manage acute episodic and chronic illnesses across the life span and simple-to-complex continuum. Health promotion, disease prevention, teaching, counseling, and coaching are emphasized. At the completion of the program, students are eligible to sit for national certification as a family nurse practitioner. Students are also prepared to enter doctoral study. Upon licensure, PC-FNPs may practice autonomously as well as in collaboration with other health professionals.

Degree Requirements

The goal of the BSN program is to prepare baccalaureate generalist nurses. At the completion of the program, graduates are expected to:

• Synthesize core knowledge from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing as the foundation of professional practice.
• Integrate knowledge and skills to assess, design, implement, and evaluate nursing care in a safe, compassionate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based manner.
• Engage clients, families, and communities in collaborative decision-making incorporating evidence-based knowledge and anticipatory guidance.
• Employ team leadership and collaborative skills with other health professionals to optimize client and system outcomes.
• Recognize the influence of complex health systems on health care practice and advocate for policies that promote a socially just, patient centered healthcare system.
• Engage in scholarly inquiry to identify, evaluate and integrate the best current practice.
• Integrates health promotion, clinical prevention strategies when providing care at the individual or population level.
• Incorporates principles of patient safety and risk mitigation when using healthcare technology and therapeutics in the provision of care.
• Uses effective written, verbal, and nonverbal communication strategies when engaged in professional practice.
• Embrace professional values embodied in the ANA code of ethics.

In addition to the BSN outcomes above, at the completion of the Master's nursing program, the graduate student is prepared to:

• Serve in a healthcare leadership and change agent role as part of a diverse, complex,and patient-centered health care system.
• Act as a practice scholar to design, direct and evaluate system changes to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care.
• Use data analytic methods, information systems and technology to evaluate,integrate and apply knowledge that will improve programs of care, outcomes of care and care systems.
• Use translational science and analytic methods to develop, identify, implement, and evaluate best practices to improve health care and health care systems.
• Design and implement health promotion and clinical prevention strategies across the health/illness continuum to optimize health and disease management.
• Systematically use improvement methods to monitor and evaluate care processes and outcomes and applies data for continuous improvement and safety
• Advocate for social justice through policy, professional and political engagement.
• Applies leadership principles that support inter-professional practice.

In addition to the Master's Outcomes:
The Family Nurse Practitioner graduate will:

• Utilize advanced assessment, diagnostic reasoning, and evidence-based practice when partnering with individuals, families, and communities to optimize health
• Judiciously prescribe treatment modalities to manage acute and chronic conditions within state and federal scope of practice regulations
• Function as an independent practitioner to manage comprehensive primary careacross the lifespan.