Graduate Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Graduate Certificate is available to nurses who already have a graduate degree in nursing and are certified as psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, adult nurse practitioners, women’s health nurse practitioners or pediatric nurse practitioners. The program expands their scope of practice to assist them to acquire the theory, knowledge and skills needed to provide primary care for families. Courses and seminars are scheduled to allow students to attend classes with content specific to expand their specialty practice to include a family scope. The curriculum includes didactic, seminar and clinical hours in practicum coursework.

Graduates of the FNP certificate option will be eligible to take the family nurse practitioner examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) to become certified as a family nurse practitioner.

Scheduling of Courses

The FNP clinical courses are in a hybrid format with some short face-to-face intensives required (usually 1-2 campus visits/semester). Additional course work is held throughout the semester at scheduled times, with distance students participating live via software programs or video conferencing. All FNP clinical must be completed in the state of Alaska and in most instances clinical is done in the students’ own community. Decisions for clinical sites are based on there being adequate experiences and preceptors locally that allow the student to meet the course and program outcomes.

Licensure and/or Certification

This program is designed to meet the educational requirements for professional licensure or certification in the State of Alaska. However, the program might not meet the educational requirements for professional licensure or certification in other states. Please see UAA’s Licensure and Certification website for more information.

Admission Requirements

School of Nursing Admission Deadlines

Information on admission deadlines can be found on the SON website. The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program admits once a year and has a specific deadline for the application.

School of Nursing Admission Requirements

To be eligible for the FNP Graduate Certificate applicants must submit documentation of the following:

  • Graduate degree in nursing (master’s or doctoral) from a school of nursing accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
  • Registered professional nurse license in the state of Alaska. License must remain active and unencumbered while in the School of Nursing (SON) graduate program. There are different reasons for a license to be encumbered and some may not preclude admission to the program. Students with encumbered licenses should meet with the graduate chair to determine program eligibility.
  • Active unencumbered license as an advanced practice nurse in the state of Alaska. License must remain active and unencumbered while in the graduate certificate program.
  • Documentation of national certification as an advanced nurse practitioner.
  • Meet with faculty advisor to develop an academic plan of study based on a gap analysis (see SON website for advisor contact information).

School of Nursing Admission Process

The UAA School of Nursing application process can be found on the SON website.

Additional School of Nursing Requirements

Prior to the commencement of the nursing program, students must provide documentation for the following:

  • Immunizations: Proof of rubella, rubeola, and mumps vaccination or titer; varicella (chickenpox) vaccination or titer; Hepatitis B titer demonstrating immunity; Hepatitis A titer demonstrating immunity; diphtheria/tetanus vaccine within the past ten years; influenza vaccine within the previous twelve months.
  • Freedom from active tuberculosis: Verified annually by a negative PPD skin test or by a health examination conducted by a nurse practitioner, physician, or physician's assistant.
  • Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): Required for infants, children, and adults. 
  • Additional requirements: May include, but are not limited to, drug screening, additional vaccinations, and/or clinical facility-specific requirements.
  • Eligibility determination from a national-level criminal background check.
  • Professional liability insurance: Specific information regarding acceptable policies can be obtained directly from the program.
  • Proof of health insurance: The school assumes no responsibility for illnesses and injuries experienced by students during their clinical experiences. Students who are injured while completing clinical assignments are responsible for all associated medical costs.
  • Proof of registered professional nurse license in the state of Alaska: License must remain active and unencumbered while in the School of Nursing (SON) graduate program. Students with encumbered licenses should meet with the graduate program chair to determine program eligibility.

Furthermore, students enrolled in clinical courses must arrange their own transportation to clinical assignments and will need to purchase uniforms and specialized equipment.

FNP Clinical Requirements

Alaska clinical site decisions are based on the availability of qualified preceptors and agencies that provide adequate experiences so the student can meet the course and program outcomes. Whenever possible we assign sites in or near a student's home community. Student clinical hours must follow the preceptors' work schedules (usually M-F). All students are encouraged to take advantage of clinical learning opportunities throughout Alaska in both urban and rural settings. The certificate requires 750 clinical hours of direct patient care.

Academic Requirements

Students enrolled in the FNP Graduate Certificate program must make continuous progress toward completion of the certificate and remain in good standing with the SON. A detailed schematic of the SON good standing policy can be found in the SON Graduate Handbook. Noncompliance with the good standing policy and academic progress expectations will result in probation and possible dismissal from the program. In order to remain in good standing students must:

  • Maintain professional and academic standards at all times.
  • Maintain continuous registration each fall and spring semester until certificate is granted.
  • Earn a minimum grade of 3.00 (B) in all required coursework.

Graduation Requirements

The program requirements are based on what type of nurse practitioner certification the individual already has; additional coursework may be required based on the transcript gap analysis that is done by the academic advisor.

Requirements for Practicing Adult Nurse Practitioners
NSG A660Family Nurse Practitioner I5
NSG A661Family Nurse Practitioner II4
NSG A663Family Nurse Practitioner IV7
Total16
Requirements for Practicing Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
NSG A661Family Nurse Practitioner II4
NSG A662Family Nurse Practitioner III5
NSG A663Family Nurse Practitioner IV7
Total16
Requirements for Practicing Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners
NSG A601Advanced Pathophysiology3
NSG A602Advanced Health Assessment in Primary Care4
NSG A660Family Nurse Practitioner I5
NSG A610Pharmacology for Primary Care3
NSG A611Psychopharmacology for Advanced Nursing3
NSG A661Family Nurse Practitioner II4
NSG A662Family Nurse Practitioner III5
NSG A663Family Nurse Practitioner IV7
Total34
Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
NSG A660Family Nurse Practitioner I5
NSG A662Family Nurse Practitioner III5
NSG A663Family Nurse Practitioner IV7
Total17

A total of 16-34 credits is required for the certificate.1

1

Students need to have had an advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology and health assessment course in their original nursing master’s program; if their program did not include some or all of these courses, they may need to be taken for the graduate certificate.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a Graduate Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner will be able to:

  • Apply nursing theory, best practices and scholarly evidence to the advanced nursing practice role for which the student is being prepared.
  • Apply ethical, legal and professional standards and policy to advanced nursing practice with an emphasis on the role for which the student is being prepared.
  • Collaborate across disciplines and in partnership with key stakeholders to improve health for diverse populations.
  • Create a plan for self-directed, lifelong learning and professional development.
  • Demonstrate professional competence in the advanced nursing practice role for which one is being prepared.
  • Use emerging information, health technologies and healthcare data to promote safety and quality care to improve health.