According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the number of new nurse practitioners graduating each year is rising rapidly and within the next few years, will likely exceed the number of new physicians completing training. The shift provides an opportunity for providers and organizations to meet growing healthcare needs in a more cost-effective manner including filling gaps in specializations and populations. For new and aspiring nurse practitioners, the shift provides more autonomy and more career options.
As a graduate-level nursing student, you will strengthen your critical thinking and problem-solving skills in order to coordinate healthcare programs in a time of ongoing reform. You’ll examine the role of the advanced practice nurse in the delivery of care, leadership and collaboration. You’ll earn your degree in approximately 27 months, by completing 6, 12 and 16-week online courses. During your last year of study, you’ll participate in a required on-site skills lab, as well as on-site clinicals 1 or 2 days per week depending on the course requirements in an approved healthcare setting.
Perfect the art of diagnosis and treatment with the help of simulation software
As part of Franklin’s commitment to providing a relevant education, you’ll be exposed to current and emerging technologies. In addition, you’ll consistently merge coursework with your existing knowledge in order to develop a theoretical basis to guide your practice to promote high quality, effective, patient-centered care. In order to provide a dynamic online learning experience, you will have access to Shadowhealth, state-of-the-art simulation software, to sharpen your foundational skills prior to beginning your clinical experience – a unique benefit for Franklin MSN-FNP students. The use of simulation software continues with iHuman, which is used in many of the didactic courses including the clinicals.
Maximize your learning with concept-based study and competency-based clinicals
You won’t attend online lectures as part of your MSN-FNP experience. The highly structured, online MSN-FNP coursework requires a great deal of engagement. It is recommended that you attend our live sessions to enrich your understanding. Because the program is designed for working nurses, the live sessions will also be recorded for viewing at a later time. You will progress through your clinicals and demonstrate mastery in primary care. Once mastery is achieved, you are able to spend time in a specialty practice to enrich your diagnostic and management skills.
Tailor your MSN-FNP to your professional goals
You will have the opportunity to select the location of your clinical practice site. However, it must meet requirements and be approved by the faculty. Once you reach the MSN-FNP courses, you will spend 150 hours at your clinical practice site per semester for four semesters for a total of 600 clinical hours. This equates to about 1 1/2-2 days a week during courses that require clinical.
Earn an accredited nursing degree and qualify to apply to take the national certification exam
The master’s degree program in nursing at Franklin University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). As a student, you can be confident that your MSN will prepare you for advanced practice or doctoral-level study.
Once you complete your degree, you will be eligible to apply to sit for the Family Nurse Practitioner certification examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). Passing the certification exam is necessary to receive a license to practice as an advanced registered nurse practitioner in most states. Currently, Franklin’s first two cohorts of FNP graduates have a 100% pass rate on the certification exam.
Transfer up to 12 credits and finish your MSN faster
If you have previously taken MSN courses at a CCNE-accredited institution, you may be able to transfer credit and save time and money toward your Franklin MSN. Franklin offers course-for-course credit for advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology and advanced physical assessment, as long as they have been completed within 3 to 5 years of your enrollment at Franklin. To see if your previous coursework can be used to satisfy degree requirements, you’ll need to submit a syllabus for the course(s) you’d like to have evaluated for transfer credit. Your admissions advisor will be happy to assist you in any way.
