Post-Master's Certificate Programs
Adult Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner
Nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate programs are offered for students who have already completed a master of science in nursing.
These certificate programs address the need for advanced-practice nursing in the changing healthcare system. Nurse practitioners are an integral part of the interdisciplinary healthcare team and provide front-line, primary health care in a variety of settings such as community centers, HMOs, schools, workplaces, homes, clinics, hospitals, and industry. Nurse practitioners focus on health promotion and maintenance, and they diagnose and manage injuries and acute, episodic illness as well as stable chronic conditions. Nurse practitioners are widely recognized for offering high-quality, cost-effective services.
The post-master’s certificate curriculum consist of two components:
- core courses that provide a foundation for practice
- clinical courses that provide an opportunity for supervised professional practice
During practicum, students select preceptors who are primary-care physicians or certified nurse practitioners with whom they will complete supervised clinical practice.
Students in the post-master's ANP program are required to take a total of 36 semester hours of coursework and 540 contact hours of supervised clinical practice. The post-master's FNP program requires a total of 48 semester hours of coursework and 675 clinical hours. Both programs' clinical practice should be beyond master's level.
Upon completion, graduates are qualified to take the ANP or FNP certification exam offered through the American Nurses' Credentialing Center or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.