Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner Program
Program
Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Program Focus
Education
The Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) track prepares advanced practice nurses for the current and evolving primary health care system. More specifically, the program focuses on providing students with the skills needed to deliver cutting edge, community-based primary health care to individuals and families across the lifespan. We place a strong emphasis on health promotion as well as the development of positive health behaviors as they pertain to diverse groups at different developmental and age stages. As a result, FNP students share course content with fellow students in the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP), Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PCPNP), and Nurse Midwife (NM) programs where relevant. Some examples of this course content sharing include:
- AGPCNP, FNP & NM students share one course addressing Adult Health Promotion, Well-Woman Care, and Management of Common Acute Illnesses (N566)
- ANP & FNP students share all adult-focused Primary Care courses
- NM and FNP students take the same Antepartum course
- PNP and FNP students take the same Pediatric Wellness and Common Pediatric Illness courses
This structure exposes students to a variety of expert specialty faculty and also helps the development of inter-specialty relationships that may prove fruitful in students' future practices.
Practice
Our program prepares graduates to provide the full range of primary care from the ante partum period, infancy, childhood and adolescence through the adult lifespan. This includes the provision of well care to children and adults as well as the diagnosis and management of common acute and chronic health problems In addition to direct patient care, primary care family nurse practitioner students also participate in research, education, and policy activities relevant to advanced practice nursing and diverse population health care issues. As a result of this broad preparation, our graduates are employed in a wide variety of settings, including, but not limited to, community-based health centers, local health departments, emergency rooms, nurse managed health centers, private practices, managed care organizations, and Indian Health Services.
See the application requirements for this program.
“The Michigan Difference” in Family Nurse Practitioner Education, Practice & Research
A History of Pioneering Leadership and Innovation
At its inception in the mid-1990s, the FNP program was designed to take advantage of the resources of various master’s programs already in existence in the Division of Health Promotion and Risk Reduction (HPRR). Since FNPs provide care across the lifespan, FNP students partake in a highly interdisciplinary curriculum which exposes them to issues in pediatric and adult primary care, as well as in the management of a woman’s ante partum health care needs. Such integration of coursework has benefited students in all HPRR graduate programs since it allows all students to study with course faculty who are experts in their particular areas and it promotes development of strong bonds between students across the various programs. Alumni comment on how these relationships have been helpful in their current practice settings and in the development of a future cadre of consultants.
World-Class Faculty Leaders in Education, Research, and Practice
All faculty in the program’s clinical courses are nationally certified as advanced practice nurses and engage in clinical practice across a broad array of settings. As active participants in local and national educational and policy setting organizations, such as the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners (MICNP), the National Association of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF), the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) and the American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP), faculty stay current in advanced practice education and practice trends and provide leadership to the profession.
The majority of our faculty are also doctorally prepared researchers who regularly involve students in their research in local communities as well as in national and/or international settings. These research initiatives typically involve underserved communities for which nurse interventions may prove helpful in promoting health, identifying health risk, or managing illness. Current research among FNP faculty includes working with homeless families in urban areas, working with high risk youth, promoting health and encouraging smoking cessation in high risk adults, and designing interventions to increase management self-efficacy in individuals with diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Upon completion of projects, students are encouraged to publish their projects and/or present their findings in local or national conferences, often jointly with their faculty mentors.
Diverse Practice Settings and Exposure to the Full Spectrum of Care
As an essential component of the FNP educational experience, our clinical settings expose students to the entire spectrum of care—from clinics located within the community (e.g. Ozone House), school-based clinics, and homeless shelters (e.g. Delonis Homeless Shelter), to high paced specialty clinics affiliated with major hospital systems (e.g. Taylor Teen Clinic). In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in community health fairs, health education, and local and state politics involving nurse practitioners and health care.
Significant International Outreach and Global Opportunities
The School of Nursing is a designated World Health Organization Collaborating Center. As such, primary care family nurse practitioner students have had the opportunity to work with School of Nursing faculty in clinical settings in Africa (Zimbabwe, Liberia, Ghana) and Central America (Honduras).
Innovative, Groundbreaking Research Specific to Health Promotion and Risk Reduction
The University of Michigan School of Nursing is widely known for its excellence in Health Promotion and Risk Reduction research. While much of this comes from professional research faculty, we privilege our students' unique perspectives and so provide ample opportunity for their collaboration on research initiatives that draw on their particular interests. For example, FNP students have collaborated with Dr. Villarruel on her work with HIV prevention among high risk Mexican youth; with Dr. Martyn and Dr. Darling-Fisher to develop interventions that address high risk sexual behaviors in adolescents; with Dr. Brush on measures to promote physical and psychosocial well-being in homeless women and children; with Dr. Sonia Duffy on strategies to facilitate smoking cessation in veterans and blue-collar workers; and with many others to produce quality research and conclusions that contribute meaningful to existing scholarship in the field.
Scope
The University of Michigan School of Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner Program meets and exceeds the Core Competencies for Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioners outlined by the National Organization for Nurse Practitioner Faculties. Upon graduation and entry into practice, family nurse practitioners are proficient in the following areas:
- Providing health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and treatment
- Assessing health status
- Diagnosing health status
- Creating a plan of care and implementation of treatment
- Ensuring a professional, collegial, and collaborative approach to care
- Serving as a teacher and coach to patients
- Committing to advancing the profession
- Assisting patients in managing and negotiating the health care delivery system
- Monitoring and ensuring high quality health care practice
- Demonstrating cultural competence
Curriculum
Listed below are the required courses for the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner Program. The School of Nursing is committed to working with students to help them balance the demands of graduate education with their other personal and professional commitments. As such, students can select from full-time (8 consecutive terms) and part-time (9 terms) program plans. The Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner curriculum is offered in an on-campus format; however, a few of the core courses may be web-blended.
Course Number | Course Name | Course Credits |
|---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
The Theoretical Base for Advanced Nursing Practice | 3 | |
Strategy for Nursing and Health Care | 3 | |
Utilization of Nursing Research in Advanced Practice (An approved statistics course and undergraduate research course must be taken before registering for N536) | 3 | |
Data Management, Analysis and Representation for Advanced Practice in Nursing | 2 | |
Specialty Courses | ||
| N502 | Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan | 4 |
Advanced Health Assessment for Advanced Practice Nurses | 3 | |
Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Across the Lifespan | 3 | |
Common Pediatric Health Problems | 3 | |
Infant, Child and Adolescent Health: Wellness | 5 | |
Advanced Primary Care Nursing: Health Promotion and Management of Acute Health Problems of Adults and Well Women/GYN Care | 5 | |
Critical Elements and the Study of Family and Health | 3 | |
Nursing Care of Childbearing Families (Antepartum Care) | 3 | |
| N646 | Primary Care of Older Adults | 3 |
Advanced Primary Care Nursing of Chronic Illness in Adults and Their Families | 5 | |
Behavioral and Lifestyle Management in Primary Care | 3 | |
Advanced Primary Care Nursing of Families in Complex Systems | 4 | |
Required Cognates | ||
P620 | Pharmacotherapeutics I | 2 |
P621 | Pharmacotherapeutics II | 2 |
Total Credits = 59 | ||