Degree Options
Master of Science in Nursing
Family Nurse Practitioner
The family nurse practitioner major is a 42-credit-hour program that prepares students for the advanced practice of nursing of people of all ages. Focus is on the comprehensive study of health concerns of well, at-risk, and chronically ill individuals and their families. Students provide direct care in ambulatory settings, neighborhood clinics, extended-care agencies, and private clinical practice. In collaboration with other health care professionals, students learn health assessment, health promotion, clinical decision making, diagnosis, and treatment of illness, client education, and follow-up for family self-care. The major allows either full- or part-time study. Most students finish in three to four years, including the nursing study.
The family nurse practitioner major exists within a unique narrative-centered curriculum. We believe the family is the identified unit of care, not merely the context for care provided to individuals of various ages. In this major, students are expected to define and resolve their own learning needs. Classroom activities reflect faculty commitment to building meaningful connections among learners, teachers, families, and clinicians. The curriculum demonstrates that experience is the best teacher, and that clinical stories and other narratives provide students with ways to reconstruct, interpret, and learn from experience. Notable educational strategies in this major include patient-based learning (PBL), paradigm case study analysis, learning issue resolution, and frequent self-evaluation of progress toward individual goals.
What is a nurse practitioner (NP)?
Nurse practitioners are advanced practice nurses who use theory, research, and clinical expertise to improve the health of people of all ages. As a health care provider, the nurse practitioner may:
- Assess patients' health status
- Provide disease prevention and health promotion services
- Diagnose and treat common acute health problems
- Manage care for stable, but chronically ill, patients
- Manage prenatal care during pregnancy
- Participate in, or manage, clinical research projects
Potential employment opportunities for family nurse practitioner graduates include:
- Collaborative clinical practice
- Nurse-managed clinics
- Rural health clinics
- Occupational health
- Migrant clinics
- Specialty practice
- Clinical research
- Group clinical practice/HMOs
- Parish clinics
- Medically underserved areas
Curriculum
Please note: The application materials for the Family Nurse Practitioner major are to be postmarked on or before February 15 for fall admission. This major admits only once a year.
Review the list of School of Nursing course descriptions.
| Core courses (9 credits) | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| N502 | Nursing Theory I | 3 |
| N504 | Leadership for Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 |
| R500 | Nursing Research | 3 |
| Courses in the major (27 credits) | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| Y515 | Pathophysiology | 4 |
| Y535 | Dynamics of Family Health Care | 3 |
| Y612 | Pharmacology for Nurse Practitioners | 3 |
| F570 | Assessment of Individuals, Families, and Communities | 3 |
| F572 | Primary Health Care of Children | 3 |
| F574 | Primary Health Care of Adults | 3 |
| F576 | Primary Health Care of Women | 3 |
| F578 | Primary Health Care of Families-Clinical | 5 |
| Directed study (3-6 credits) | Credits | |
|---|---|---|
| R590 | Nursing Study | 3 |
| OR | ||
| R699 | Master's Thesis in Nursing | 3-6 |
If you are interested in the RN-MSN option (you have an ASN or nursing diploma) please contact Janet Moon, Graduate Advisor, jakmoon [at] iupui [dot] edu first to discuss any prerequisites needed.
Those who have completed their BSN and have two years of experience as a certified RN may e-mail Dr. Swenson for an interview appointment.
Dr. Melinda Swenson.
mswenson [at] iupui [dot] edu
