Program Overview
St. John Fisher College, through Fisher Nursing Online, offers a comprehensive Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner (PCFNP) program designed for nurses passionate about delivering compassionate and ethical care across the patient lifespan. This online PCFNP program prepares graduates to confidently pursue Family Nurse Practitioner certification and excel in diverse healthcare settings. The Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher College is committed to developing highly skilled nurse practitioners ready to meet the evolving demands of modern healthcare.
This rigorous program is structured to provide a balanced and thorough education:
- 46 Credits: A comprehensive curriculum ensuring in-depth knowledge and skills.
- 600 Clinical Placement Hours: Extensive hands-on experience in real-world clinical settings.
- 1 Immersion: An on-campus immersion experience to enhance practical skills and community connection.
Flexible Online FNP Program Tracks at St. John Fisher University
Recognizing the diverse needs of aspiring nurse practitioners, St. John Fisher University provides two flexible program tracks to complete the online Primary Care FNP program at your preferred pace:
- Accelerated Program Track: Ideal for highly motivated students, this track enables you to complete the program in a focused 24 months.
- Part-Time Program Track: Designed for working nurses or those needing greater flexibility, the part-time track can be completed in as few as 28 months, offering a balanced approach to earning your M.S. in Nursing degree.
Curriculum and Experiential Learning in the Online PCFNP Program
The curriculum at the Wegmans School of Nursing is meticulously crafted to integrate robust academics with practical clinical rotations. This approach ensures graduates are not only knowledgeable but also confident and practice-ready, prepared to serve diverse communities effectively.
Comprehensive Coursework
All nursing programs at St. John Fisher College include a foundational 30-credit core curriculum covering essential skills for all nurse practitioners. The online Primary Care FNP program then builds upon this foundation with 16 credits of specialized clinical core coursework, specifically focused on the unique demands of family nurse practitioner roles.
This specialized coursework is designed to equip you with the expertise to care for patients across all age groups, covering vital areas such as:
- Utilizing evidence-based practice to address prevalent health issues.
- Mastering the skills to evaluate, diagnose, and manage a wide range of health challenges relevant to diverse populations.
- Developing crucial patient education, advocacy, and diagnostic reasoning capabilities.
For detailed course sequences, you can view the full-time and part-time PCFNP program outlines:
Explore the complete course catalog for a full list of courses offered in the program: View Course Catalog
Hands-on Experiential Learning
A cornerstone of the St. John Fisher PCFNP program is the emphasis on experiential learning. You will gain invaluable practical experience through 600 hours of clinical rotations within your own community. These rotations provide opportunities to perform comprehensive examinations, prescribe treatments, order and interpret diagnostic tests, and more, all under the guidance of experienced advanced practitioners. Clinical settings for Primary Care FNP rotations may include community health centers, private practices, and hospital environments, offering diverse exposure to patient care.
Furthermore, the program includes one pre-clinical immersion experience on our Rochester, New York campus. This immersion is a valuable opportunity to refine critical nursing skills in a hands-on setting, utilize our state-of-the-art nursing facilities, and build lasting connections within the St. John Fisher community.
Launch Your Family Nurse Practitioner Career at St. John Fisher
Family Nurse Practitioners are vital members of healthcare teams, providing essential and compassionate care to patients of all ages. A career as an FNP is both rewarding and in high demand.
To become a certified Family Nurse Practitioner, an advanced nursing degree and professional certification are required. Graduates of the online M.S. in Nursing program at St. John Fisher University are well-prepared to pursue board certification and credentialing from leading organizations, including the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Become a Compassionate Primary Care FNP Your Community Needs
If you are driven to make a significant impact on community health, the online Primary Care FNP program at St. John Fisher University is your ideal pathway. Request information today to discover how you can advance your nursing career and contribute to healthier communities as a Primary Care FNP.
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References:
- American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Are you considering a career as a family nurse practitioner?. 2019 National NP Sample Survey: Compensation and Practice. Accessed Oct. 22, 2020.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nurse Anesthetists, Nurse Midwives, and Nurse Practitioners Pay. Accessed Nov. 20, 2020.
