The Requirements For Family Nurse Practitioner CerificationBeing a nurse practitioner has many advantages over being a RN. In addition to a higher salary, a nurse practitioner can expect to be more directly involved with patient care on all levels. Taking it a step further by becoming a family nurse practitioner is a career goal for many. In order to do that, an individual must get family nurse practitioner cerification. This varies a little depending on what state the individual plans to practice in. Once a registered nurse decides to pursue their nurse practitioner Masters (in order to become a NP), they may want to consider specializing in family care at this time. The reason being that in many states there are programs that allow nurses to study to become a FNP while taking their Masters. This generally requires a full-time approach to schooling, which includes both classroom time as well as practical time spent in a clinic setting. Depending on the school selected, the clinical element may or may not occur in a hospital setting. The bulk of the coursework is spent teaching the fundamentals of the practice of family medicine. A certified family nurse practitioner will graduate with much of the same skill set as a general practitioner but will have more of a focus on family medicine. FNPs take the stance that they are there to provide life-long care to individuals. This ensures that they are very familiar with their patients’ family health backgrounds and can help guide them towards specific health goals. Some nursing schools do offer part-time studies, but there are drawbacks to that. The course work that is required to become a family nurse practitioner is very intense and involved and it can be difficult for even the brightest students to focus on that as well as maintaining their regular job. For this reason, it’s always advisable to plan on taking time off to study towards a Masters degree. Students are encouraged to devote themselves to their studies, as the course is very challenging. Not all hospitals and universities offer studies in this field so students may have to relocate to pursue their degree. As with any type of secondary education there are financial resources that can aid students who need it. After the coursework and clinical work has been completed, the FNP needs to complete an exam in order to receive cerification that allows them to practice as a family nurse practitioner. In addition, they will be required to take another exam if they choose to work out of state. One exam is the American Nurses Credentialing Center FNP exam and the other is the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner Exam. Once a FNP passes one of these exams he or she is cerified to work anywhere in the country. |