Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program: Online Education in Nursing

Available in select states*

Prepare for exciting new opportunities in a variety of health care settings. Consider earning a post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate online at Kaplan University.

Our program is designed to help professional nurses like you promote holistic health care to adults and children in a family context, and diagnose and manage their acute and chronic health problems. Prepare to serve as an advocate for clients as they interface with the health care system.

The Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate program consists of 65 quarter credit hours. Upon successful completion of this program, you are awarded a certificate.

| Curriculum | Tuition and Fees

Develop Skills Through Hands-On Experience

As a student in the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate program, you will participate in a clinical practice experience at a health care facility or clinical site. The onsite component is designed to provide you with an opportunity to apply theoretical knowledge in a real-world setting.

What are the Career Opportunities?

Nurse practitioners (NPs) function as primary providers of clinical services to specialized groups of patients. They diagnose and treat patients, order tests, interpret results, prepare treatment plans, and, in many states, can prescribe medication.^†‡

Family NPs can serve in many different work environments, including urgent care facilities, emergency rooms, family practices, or retail heath locations. They could also play vital roles in convenient care facilities, nursing care facilities, and universities.

Curriculum for the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate

Course #	Course Title	Credits

MN 550	ROLE OF THE NURSE PRACTITIONER IN PRIMARY CARE	5 ROLE OF THE NURSE PRACTITIONER IN PRIMARY CARE This course prepares the registered nurse to transition into advanced nursing practice by examining the role of the advanced practice nurse within the context of the United States health care delivery system. Students will discuss the scope and standard of practice for advanced practice nurses. Students will investigate the regulatory, legal, and legislative issues affecting the advanced practice nurse role.
MN 551	ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN	5 ADVANCED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN This course integrates knowledge of advanced physiology and pathophysiology across the life span and the clinical implications for the advanced practice nurse. Function and dysfunction of organ systems are analyzed from the cellular level through the integrated organ level. Students will examine the pathophysiological factors that influence the incidence and manifestations of acute, episodic, and chronic diseases in populations across the life span. Disease processes and symptom management approaches are investigated utilizing an evidence-based approach.
MN 552	ADVANCED HEALTH ASSESSMENT	5 ADVANCED HEALTH ASSESSMENT This course provides the student with the skills and knowledge to conduct a focused and comprehensive health history, and a functional, physical, and psychosocial assessment. Relationships between assessment findings and underlying physiology and pathophysiology to the healthy and unhealthy client are investigated. Clinical judgment and clinical reasoning skills are used in establishing differential diagnoses. Students will learn to address variables such as age, culture, ethnicity, and developmental stages into their differential diagnosis and evaluation and management plans.
MN 553	ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN	5 ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY ACROSS THE LIFE SPAN This course integrates advanced knowledge of pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and genomics across the life span and prepares the advanced practice nurse to prescribe pharmacotherapeutics safely and effectively. Students will apply client history and physical examination findings, together with laboratory and imaging studies, in the evidence-based selection of the correct prescriptive and nonprescriptive medications for therapy. Students will examine ethical, legal, regulatory, and cost-effective prescribing practices of the advanced practice nurse. Communication plans for the interdisciplinary team, clients, and/or families for both prescriptive and nonprescriptive drug therapies will be created.
MN 554	PRIMARY CARE ACROSS THE ADULT AGE CONTINUUM I	5 PRIMARY CARE ACROSS THE ADULT AGE CONTINUUM I This first course in a series of three examines the range of illnesses and conditions experienced by clients and presented to the advanced practice nurse in primary care settings. Students will develop a consistent approach to the evaluation and management of illnesses and conditions frequently encountered. Content builds upon previous diagnostic knowledge and clinical reasoning skills in the development of differential diagnosis and appropriate diagnostic workups. Age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based plans of care are created. The course explores health promotion and health maintenance approaches and strategies that incorporate individual health beliefs and practices intended to encourage the client’s participation and adherence.
MN 555	PRIMARY CARE ACROSS THE ADULT AGE CONTINUUM II	5 PRIMARY CARE ACROSS THE ADULT AGE CONTINUUM II This second course in a series of three examines the range of illnesses and conditions experienced by clients and presented to the advanced practice nurse in primary care settings. Illustration of a consistent approach to the evaluation and management of these illnesses and conditions are emphasized. Students expand their diagnostic and clinical reasoning and differential diagnoses abilities through continued application of new and previously acquired knowledge and skills in caring for clients who present acute, episodic, and chronic illness and conditions. Students can determine the diagnostic workup with greater ease based on the differential diagnoses formulated. Students formulate evidence-based management plans that address clients’ health beliefs, developmental and family life cycle stages, health promotion, and health maintenance behaviors.
MN 556	PRIMARY CARE ACROSS THE ADULT AGE CONTINUUM III	5 PRIMARY CARE ACROSS THE ADULT AGE CONTINUUM III This final course in a series of three integrates the evaluation and management plans of clients who present an acute, episodic, or chronic state of illness to the advanced practice nurse. Generating an inclusive differential diagnosis reflecting clinical reasoning from a cost-effective diagnostic workup is highlighted. Designing age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based plans of care based on sound diagnostic reasoning and clinical judgment is emphasized. Conditions considered to be office emergencies and the evaluation and management strategies specifically designed to treat or stabilize them are evaluated. Strategies used to support and promote individual, family, and community health promotion and health maintenance activities are explored.
MN 557	PRIMARY CARE OF THE PEDIATRIC CLIENT	5 PRIMARY CARE OF THE PEDIATRIC CLIENT This course uses a developmental framework to explore the evaluation and management of the most common health problems encountered by children from birth through early adolescence. Building on previously obtained knowledge and skills, the student develops new knowledge and applies concepts to assist children and families in managing acute episodic illness as well as stable chronic disease. Concepts of health promotion and health maintenance are integrated throughout the course.
MN 560	ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL I	5 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL I This clinical course focuses on the student applying interviewing and physical examination techniques to obtain accurate historical and physical data. Students apply clinical reasoning to the formulation of differential diagnoses and evaluation and management of acute episodic and chronic diseases across the adult age continuum. Students will have the opportunity to implement the role of the nurse practitioner with adults in a family and community context. Students are expected to assess and manage common acute episodic and chronic health illnesses and conditions in consultation with their clinical preceptor. Initiation of health promotion and health maintenance activities with individuals and groups is stressed.
MN 561	ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL II	5 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL II This course provides the student with opportunities to refine interview and physical examination techniques. Students will develop a comprehensive list of differential diagnoses and order cost-effective diagnostic and laboratory tests for the client’s symptoms and diseases. Applying diagnostic reasoning and clinical judgment, students will develop and evaluate individualized management plans that consider the numerous factors affecting client adherence to prescribed treatment plans such as health beliefs and cultural practices.
MN 562	ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL—PEDIATRICS	5 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL—PEDIATRICS This course provides the student with opportunities to apply advanced interviewing and examination techniques and utilize clinical judgment and diagnostic reasoning when evaluating and managing primary care health issues for children (0 to 12 years of age). Implementation of the role of the nurse practitioner with children and their families in the community occurs under the guidance of an experienced preceptor. The student initiates health promotion and health maintenance activities with pediatric clients and their families and/or caregivers. Collaborative, interdisciplinary practice is emphasized as students evaluate and manage the range of common illnesses and conditions in pediatric patients.
MN 599	ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL III	5 ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE CLINICAL III This final clinical course provides students with the opportunity to immerse themselves in the role of the primary care nurse practitioner. Applying the principles of clinical judgment and diagnostic reasoning to the evaluation and management of clients with acute episodic and chronic illness, the nurse practitioner student will practice more independent decision-making skills while using the preceptor as a clinical resource. Students will explore the impact of regulatory, legislative, and legal factors on the implementation of the nurse practitioner role in primary care. Students will develop a stronger identity as an advanced practice nurse as they implement all aspects of the role, such as provider and educator, and demonstrate a commitment to ensuring quality of care through consultation, collaboration, continuing education, certification, and self-reflection. The student may also begin an evidence-based project proposal that is to be completed in MN 600: Evidence-Based Practice Project.
MN 600	EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE PROJECT	5 EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE PROJECT Students who have successfully completed the core and specialization courses have a theoretical base in nursing, evidence-based decision making, health policy, finance, and organization of the health care delivery system. Students also have a theoretical base in advanced practice issues, ethics, health promotion and disease prevention, and biostatistics. In this capstone course, students demonstrate their depth of knowledge by working with a mentor to identify a problem in the student’s concentration area amenable to an evidence-based solution showing mastery of the program outcomes. Students integrate diverse content areas and submit an evidence-based practice project proposal that addresses the identified problem.

Total Program Requirements	65 Total Program Requirements

Certificate Requirements
Total Program Requirements

You Could Save Time and Money on Your Kaplan University Degree

Credit for Prior Learning

Our undergraduate degree programs feature large pools of open electives designed to offer greater flexibility when applying transfer credits toward program requirements. In addition, you can enroll in our portfolio development course, which helps you document your work and life experience in a portfolio you can submit for consideration for college credits. Qualifying transfer credit may reduce your total costs for undergraduate programs. Refer to the University Catalog for our transfer of credit policy.

Students in the Military

Kaplan University is proud to support our military and veterans in their educational pursuits by offering significantly reduced tuition. Undergraduate program tuition is reduced up to 55 percent for active-duty servicemembers and up to 38 percent for veterans. In addition, Kaplan University participates in the Yellow Ribbon program for all of our graduate programs, and both active-duty servicemembers and veterans are eligible for special tuition rates for these programs. A 10 percent tuition reduction is also available to spouses of active-duty servicemembers. For more information, call 866.583.4412 (Toll Free) to speak to a military Admissions Advisor or visit the Kaplan University military site.

Accreditation Notice

Please note that most states require nurses to be nationally certified in order to obtain licensure as a nurse practitioner. Students are responsible for determining whether they will be eligible for state Board of Nursing approval and certification as a nurse practitioner or advanced practice nurse in their state. Students can obtain additional information from their state’s Board of Nursing, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (AACN), and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).^§

Tuition and Fees

Cost per credit hour	$368.00
Total program requirements Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate	65
Total cost of tuition	$23,920.00
This program requires a $100 technology fee per term. Students enrolled in a nurse practitioner specialization or certificate are required to pay a clinical fee of $200 per clinical course in the program and a $25 course fee per course per term while enrolled in nurse practitioner specialization or certificate courses. This fee may be paid using financial aid funds and can be incorporated into the student’s monthly payment plan. A nonrefundable application fee, depending on your program and as described in the Tuition and Fees Supplement, may be required at the time of enrollment. We encourage you to explore the availability of financial aid and scholarships. For more information, contact an Admissions Advisor.

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Due to the number of different certification organizations and the individual state requirements related to nurse practitioner responsibilities, completion of the adult nurse practitioner specialization or certificate does not imply or guarantee certification or licensure. Students are responsible for the investigation of the qualifications and requirements for certification and/or licensure in their specific location.
*At this time, the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate is available only in the following states: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Vermont.
^†O*Net OnLine, Summary Report for Nurse Practitioners, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/29-1199.03.
^‡Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job, eligible for job advancement opportunities, or employed at all. Additional training or certification may be required.
^§Although certain programs at Kaplan University are designed to prepare students to take various certification or licensing exams, the University cannot guarantee the student will pass those exams. In some cases, field experience, additional coursework, and/or background checks may be necessary to take or to successfully pass the exams.

Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate

School of Nursing