How To Become A Family Nurse Practitioner – You are here: Home 1 / Blog 2 / Career Advice 3 / A Closer Look at How to Become a Family Nurse Practitioner & What…
In a profession as versatile as nursing, every RN has an aspect of the job that they find most fulfilling. Some nurses find that the most fulfilling career paths involve working with diverse populations and caring for patients throughout their lives. They place great importance on building and nurturing long-lasting relationships with their patients, serving as their clients’ primary care providers.
How To Become A Family Nurse Practitioner
If you’re thinking: “This looks like the kind of nurse I want!” you’ll be happy to know that this job description is also attached to one of the most rewarding nursing paths. And when we say reward, we mean it in every sense of the word: professionally, personally, and of course, financially.
How Much Does A Family Nurse Practitioner Make? (fnp)
Family Nurse Practitioner is one of the most attractive career options for nurses. So it’s time we take a closer look at this job, how to become an FNP, your salary potential, and more. If you have questions about Family Nurse Practitioners, you’ll find the answers in this guide.
Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) are Advanced Practice Registered Nurses or APRNs who specialize in providing health care services to all ages, from pediatric to geriatric populations. They will work with people from all backgrounds, but FNPs are often the primary health care providers for individuals from underserved communities.
Generally, Family Nurse Practitioners will care for patients and families throughout their lives. The relationships that FNPs build with their patients often span decades and generations. Because they constantly interact with and care for the same patients, Family Nurse Practitioners develop close, long-term relationships with the people under their care. So, if creating strong relationships is important to you as a nursing professional, this role will fit you like a glove.
The role is broadly about the delivery of family-centred care, with particular attention paid to health promotion and education. Because FNPs are often the primary care providers for families, they usually have to diagnose and treat different conditions and illnesses.
A Closer Look On How To Become A Family Nurse Practitioner & What It Means To Be An Fnp
Becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner is one of the most rewarding nursing careers. It also implies a more significant investment of time and money than other nursing paths. So let’s break down the advantages and considerations you should think about before pursuing a career in family nursing.
Family Nurse Practitioner job descriptions are multifaceted and quite broad, which should come as no surprise to you given the profession’s broad scope of practice. These tasks are primarily patient-centered, including everything from conducting physical exams to prescribing medications or diagnosing illnesses to providing health education to prevent future health concerns.
In this section, we will touch on the role of a Family Nurse Practitioner. Some of their duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Family Nurse Practitioners belong to the subspecialty of the Nurse Practitioner role. However, they account for the majority of all Nurse Practitioners. Data from the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) shows that of the current 355,000 NPs licensed in the US, nearly 70% are certified as Family Nurse Practitioners.
Can You Become A Nurse Practitioner Online?
Family Nurse Practitioners often act as primary care providers for their patients, something they share in common with physicians. FNP also holds prescriptive privileges, including controlled substances, in all 50 states and DC. So, the increasing autonomy and responsibility is similar to that of a doctor or physician.
However, there are some significant differences between FNPs and physicians. Doctors spend more time training for the role. After that, they have a higher level of power compared to FNP. Critically, physicians obtain their licenses from the board of medicine, while FNPs are licensed through the board of nursing.
Family Nurse Practitioners are trusted and expert healthcare professionals who provide quality care to every type of patient population. It is an important role that requires passion, compassion and commitment. On average, it takes almost ten years to become an FNP. Next, we’ll break down the entire process of becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Maybe you always knew you wanted to be a Family Nurse Practitioner. Or maybe your initial goal is to become a Registered Nurse and then let your career take off from there. Whatever the case may be, the first step is always the same. You are enrolled in a nursing program.
Master Of Science In Nursing And Post Master’s Certificate Family Nurse Practitioner Program (fnp)
You have several options at this early stage. You can pursue an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN), or you can enroll in a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (BSN). The former took about two years to complete, while the latter was around four years. If you pursue an ADN, you can always get your BSN later through an RN-to-BSN bridge program.
Having a BSN education is an important part of becoming an FNP. Before long, you will need to advance your education to the MSN level, and most programs require prospective students to complete a BSN degree before enrolling in a more advanced degree program.
The College’s BSN program is comprehensive and follows a combined distance format, with online didactic instruction and field-based learning. It took about 32 months to complete. Also, if you’ve started your nursing career as a Licensed Practical Nurse, you’ll be happy to hear that our program offers advanced placement for LPNs.
If you took other options and went on to earn your Associate’s Degree first and now plan to earn your BSN, our RN-to-BSN program is your best option. It’s 100% online and career-friendly, so you can continue working as an RN while furthering your education.
Journey To Become A Family Nurse Practitioner
Once you’ve ticked off Step 1 and enrolled in an ADN or BSN nursing program, you’ve only got to the good part: studying hard and finishing the program. Once that’s done, one more hurdle before you can boast your RN status: You must pass the NCLEX-RN. An RN license can only be obtained by completing this five-hour exam that tests your knowledge and readiness to become a Registered Nurse.
Now that nursing school is over (for now) and you proudly hold your RN license, you can move on to the next step: working as a Registered Nurse. It is very important for prospective Family Nurse Practitioners to have hands-on nursing experience.
Practicing as an RN will help you sharpen your skills and become a better professional. The FNP career comes with great responsibility, so gaining clinical experience as a Registered Nurse is important. Nursing school is very influential, but so is applying all the theoretical knowledge to real-life scenarios
The minimum level of education that qualifies you for a career as a Family Nurse Practitioner is a Master’s Degree. For the most part, Master’s programs take about two years to complete and require prospective students to complete a Bachelor’s Degree in nursing.
Family Nurse Practitioner Post Master’s Certificate
The College offers an attractive CCNE-accredited MSN FNP Program designed explicitly for BSN holders who wish to become Advanced Practice Registered Nurses with a particular emphasis on the Family Nurse Practitioner role. We strongly believe that a quality education is the foundation of a successful career, and our College programs convey that belief. The FNP Master’s program combines online instruction, an in-person seminar, and a preceptorship experience.
Certification is not mandatory for Registered Nurses. However, it is strongly recommended that the FNP pursue this qualification. Being certified comes with many benefits for nurses:
A great certification option for Family Nurse Practitioners is the Family Nurse Practitioner Certification (FNP-BC) offered by the American Nursing Accreditation Center (ANCC). This credential is valid for five years, after which you can renew if you meet the renewal requirements.
Family Nurse Practitioners can also obtain certification in Diabetes Management, Pain Management, Obesity Management, Acute Care or Emergency Care.
Msn Vs. Dnp: Which Nursing Degree Is Right For You?
Being a nurse is being a lifelong learner. So, continuing education will be part of your experience as a Family Nurse Practitioner. You may need to meet continuing education requirements to renew your nursing license, nursing certification, or APRN certification. Always check with your state board and credentialing center about continuing education requirements to keep your RN license and certification active.
Continuing education is not a task or another step that you have to cross off the list. This is a great way to keep up with the latest developments in your field. Ultimately, it makes you a better nurse. And everyone will benefit from that.
The road is hard and long – almost ten years worth! But now you are ready to fulfill your rightful role. Being a Family Nurse Practitioner is a great honor and responsibility, and you should cherish both!
Family Nurse Practitioners are some of the best compensated nurses in the industry. Because of their advanced training, APRNs typically have significantly higher salaries than Registered Nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary for an APRN in 2021 is $123,780. More specifically, Nurse Practitioners bring in an annual salary of around $120,680.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Nurse Practitioner (np)?
Since the BLS doesn’t show the number of certified NPS earnings in family nursing, we turned to ZipRecruiter. According to the job platform, the national average salary for FNPs is $111,541, with the highest salaries being in
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