The family nurse practitioner (FNP) track is dedicated to advancement of evidence-based clinical practice within diverse healthcare settings. Graduates are prepared to expand their knowledge of health promotion, disease prevention, and health education with a focus on improving regional health care delivery and overall health of the people and communities of Northwest Indiana, one of the most diverse areas of the state. Graduates are eligible for national certification as family nurse practitioners.
Family Nurse Practitioner
- The MSN- Family Nurse Practitioner degree requires a total of 42 credit hours, which include 21 credit hours of core coursework in the following areas: Leadership for Advanced Practice (N504), Advanced Pathophysiology (Y515), Advanced Pharmacology (Y612), Research (R500), and Intro to Nursing Informatics (I630). An additional 18 credit hours in concentration coursework is required (see curriculum plan for details).
- Applications for FNP are available for spring semester April 1 through September 15. Education and Administration applications are accepted throughout the year and reviewed upon receipt of all required application materials.
- Applicants need to have a grade of B- or higher in a 3 credit, 300 or 400 level statistics class prior to admission. The course may be taken prior (within the past 5 years) to applying or within the plan of study.
- Offers of admission are sent prior to the start of each semester.
- Most of the clinical sites where Indiana University Northwest School of Nursing students complete their hands-on clinical experiences (such as Indiana-based hospitals, clinics, and other agencies) require a national background check before students can be placed in their organization. Based on the requirements of these agencies, as well as state and federal regulations, all students in the School of Nursing must undergo a national background check prior to admission and annually thereafter.
- Indiana University Northwest School of Nursing has selected CastleBranch.com to complete these background checks. The results of a student's background check may impact his or her admission status in the School of Nursing, preclude students from attending clinical, and/or affect ability to obtain certification as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) in the state of Indiana and other states.
- Per the School of Nursing's clinical affiliations, all background checks that are other than negative will be sent to the student's clinical agency/agencies for review. If a clinical agency refuses to allow a student to participate in a clinical at the agency, the student may not be allowed to progress in the nursing program.
Graduates of the IU Northwest School of Nursing MSN program will:
- Model excellence in nursing leadership to improve nursing practice within a complex healthcare system.
- Perform advanced nursing practice within ethical/legal guidelines, professional policies and regulations, and standards of practice associated with a specialty area of practice.
- Synthesize knowledge from nursing as well as biological, behavioral, social, administrative, educational, and communication sciences for application to a chosen domain of advanced practice nursing.
- Demonstrate scholarly inquiry and reflection that exemplifies critical, creative, and systems thinking to advance the practice of nursing.
- Frame problems, design interventions, specify outcomes and measure outcome achievement while balancing human, fiscal, and material resources to achieve quality health outcomes.
- Use information technology and knowledge based resources to manage and transform data that informs clinical practice.
- Systemically apply knowledge from research findings and best evidence to answer clinical questions, solve clinical problems and develop innovative nursing interventions and health policies for selected patient populations.
- Demonstrate collaborative practice and interpret nursing science within an interdisciplinary context.
- Articulate the effects of culture, diversity, values, and globalization in the design, delivery, and evaluation of health services.
- Engage in life-long learning activities that contribute to professional development as well as the advancement of nursing.
Program Features
100%Certification Rates
Outcomes from 2020-2021 Academic Year
- 44 credit hours delivered in seven semesters (including summers). The program runs year-round and is designed to be completed on a part-time basis. The one stipulation: all MSN-FNP requirements should be completed within 4 years (10 semesters) of program enrollment.
- Course scheduling is flexible, using blended methods; classes meet via Zoom 2-4 times per semester.
- The program includes two major learning sections:
- Pre-clinical courses that provide a core foundation for advanced practice
- Clinical courses that build on the pre-clinical foundation and add knowledge and skills used during direct clinical experiences
- The curriculum includes a minimum of 600 clinical hours under the guidance of faculty members and preceptors.
- Students practice in a variety of family practice health care settings in keeping with the student's individual career goals and the program's learning objectives.
