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Family Nurse Practitioner (Graduate Certificate)

Are you looking to expand your role in patient care? In this program designed for advanced practice nurses, you'll build the skills to diagnose, treat and manage health conditions across the lifespan.

Apply now
A student discusses care with a pediatric patient during a primary care visit, reflecting the field explored in the Family Nurse Practitioner (Graduate Certificate).

Quick facts

Additional facts

Accreditation and professional licensure

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Certificate description

The certificate program for the family nurse practitioner specialty is an advanced nursing practice offering. If you are a board-certified nurse in a different advanced practice registered nurse specialty area who seeks additional certification as a family nurse practitioner, or a doctorate-level nurse who seeks to become a family health nurse practitioner, this program is designed for you.

You prepare to provide holistic, client-centered primary care to individuals of all ages within traditional, nontraditional and culturally diverse families. You train to meet the physical, psychological and social needs of individuals and families across the lifespan.

All programs are offered in a hybrid format, requiring you to travel to an ASU campus for up to one week for orientation at the beginning of the program, and two to three times per semester.

Core courses include pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology and advanced health assessment. Any additional coursework determined by your specific gap analysis must have been completed in the past five years to be eligible for credit.

Specialty courses focus on assessment, diagnosis and evidence-based management of common, chronic and complex health conditions in individuals, from infants to geriatrics, within traditional, nontraditional and culturally diverse families. Content that includes epidemiology, differential diagnosis, and sociocultural variations in evidence-based treatments, including health promotion, is emphasized.

Focused clinical experiences are arranged for you if you are residing in Maricopa County, Arizona. You should expect to travel throughout Maricopa County and, in some cases, throughout Arizona to complete your assigned clinical placement.

If you are residing outside Maricopa County, you are responsible for identifying the required number of clinical sites in your area of residence and for identifying preceptors and sites willing to accommodate clinical rotations. Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation must approve these sites before you start any clinical experience; the doctoral program office doesn't guarantee a clinical placement site if you are outside Maricopa County. If, during the program, faculty determine that you need additional supervision for clinical progress in the program, you must complete clinical experiences in the Phoenix area.

The program offers practicum experiences (clinical rotations) in health profession shortage areas throughout the state, in both urban underserved and rural areas, that provide you with multicultural experiences to enhance your professional development.

As a participating National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements member, ASU is authorized to offer distance education to students in individual SARA member states, in accordance with the council's established policies and standards. California is not a SARA member, and the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education doesn't regulate out-of-state public institutions offering online and in-person education from Arizona. ASU may offer educational activities in California. There are some exceptions for specific programs at Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation; these exceptions are noted on the ASU state authorization website.

Curriculum

This graduate degree includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below.

22 credit hours

Required Core (22 credit hours)
DNP 633 Family Health Promotion (3)
DNP 634 Family Health Promotion Practicum (3)
DNP 635 Management of Common Health Problems in Children, Adults and Families (3)
DNP 636 Management of Common Health Problems in Children, Adults and Families Practicum (5)
DNP 637 Management of Complex and Chronic Health Problems in Children, Adults and Families (3)
DNP 638 Management of Complex and Chronic Health Problems in Children, Adults and Families Practicum (5)

Additional Curriculum Information
Nurses who complete this certificate program meet the eligibility requirements to take a national family nurse practitioner certification examination. In addition to completing didactic courses, students complete 13 credit hours (585 clock hours) of family practicum experiences in a community setting.


What you'll learn

The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.

  • Integrate evidence-based guidelines to support advanced clinical judgment in the assessment, diagnosis, and management of acute and common health conditions in primary care to individuals and families across the lifespan.
  • Synthesize evidence-based guidelines to support advanced clinical judgment in the assessment, diagnosis, and management of complex and chronic health conditions in primary care to individuals and families across the lifespan.

Admission requirements

Here are the admission and application details

All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.

U.S. applicants (opens in new window) | International applicants (opens in new window) | English proficiency (opens in new window)

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.

Applicants must have earned a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

  1. graduate admission application and application fee
  2. official transcripts
  3. proof of a current unencumbered RN license
  4. three professional letters of recommendation
  5. resume
  6. goal statement
  7. admission essay
  8. health and safety requirements (submitted after admission)
  9. proof of English language proficiency

Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

International students who need an F1 or J1 visa need to apply to and be accepted into a graduate degree program before being considered for the certificate program. International students residing in the United States on other types of visas must adhere to all Graduate College policies and procedures regarding admission to be considered for admission to this certificate program.

A current unencumbered RN license in the state in which the student plans to do clinical practicums is required. All students are also required to have an unencumbered Arizona RN license or an unencumbered compact state RN license as mandated by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. The RN license must remain unencumbered throughout enrollment in any nursing program.

Applicants must be board certified in a different Advanced Practice Registered Nurses specialty.

One year of clinical experience working within the specialty population is preferred.

Applicants offered admission must meet health and safety requirements, which include a passing disposition on a background clearance, satisfactory completion of a substance screen, and required health and safety documents. Students offered admission must complete health and safety requirements by the provided deadlines or their offer of admission is withdrawn.

An interview with program faculty is required.

An admission examination is not required.

Applicants requesting review of previously completed courses must have a gap analysis review. Applicants must submit primary source documents (i.e. syllabi) for faculty review to demonstrate advanced physiology and pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, advanced pharmacology, and advanced role courses. Depending on the courses completed in the master's degree program, additional courses may be required to complete this specialty. Courses must have been completed within the past five years to be eligible or actively board certified and practicing.

Applications are reviewed on a space-available basis after the priority deadline.

Application deadlines

Fall
Session Modality Deadline Type
Session A/C In Person 12/15 Priority*

*A priority deadline means that applications submitted and completed before the priority deadline will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted after the priority deadlines will be reviewed in the order in which they were completed and on a space-available basis. An application is complete after all materials are received by Admission Services.


Explore expanded study opportunities

Students can complete two graduate certificate programs and combine them into a Master of Advanced Study degree, giving ultimate flexibility to build their own master's degree. Interested students can learn more about MAS requirements and the admission process.

Paying for college

Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students recieve financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.

Get an estimate

Career opportunities

The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation prepares graduates for excellence upon entering the workplace. Graduates of the family nurse practitioner certificate program have the knowledge and training to provide health care to patients across the lifespan in a wide variety of settings. The broad base of comprehension and clinical expertise enables graduates to effectively participate and lead within clinical, community and academic arenas.

Career examples include:

  • business owner
  • community advocate
  • nurse practitioner
  • professor

Contact information

Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation | HLTHN 113
nursingandhealth@asu.edu
602-496-0937

Frequently asked questions about degree programs

Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

Accelerated master's

These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.

ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.

The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.

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