MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner

This MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares registered nurses for leadership in providing primary care for children and adults alike in any number of clinical settings. With a focus on delivering high-quality, patient-centered primary care, we offer didactic and clinical experiences to prepare you to care for the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual health of patients, families and communities.

Ranked #5 for Best Online Family Nurse Practitioner Master's Programs, US News and World Report 2020 Rankings

Who Should Apply

If you’re already working as a nurse and are interested in advancing your education to provide care for children and adults of all ages, you should consider our MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner program.

 

Deadlines

Fall 2020
Applications
Priority: 10/15/2019
Final: 6/1/2020
Spring 2021 Applications
Priority: 8/1/2020
Final: 9/1/2020

Requirements

Overview

The MSN: Family Nurse Practitioner program consists of 48 (54 for RN to MSN) credit hours and 700 clinical hours. Questions about program requirements should be directed to the program director, Carol Braungart.

Programs of Study

MSN options

RN to MSN options

*Please note, the RN to MSN Option is being sunsetted and is no longer accepting students. If you are a current RN to BSN student admitted before Spring 2020 and would like to pursue the RN to MSN Option please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your interest.

Courses

For full listing of courses and descriptions, please visit the University Bulletin.

On-Campus Requirements

You must complete two on-campus components, for which you will be responsible for all travel-related expenses.

Campus Learning and Skills Intensive (CLASI)

You will come to campus the during the semester you are enrolled in NURS 6222: Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning to participate in CLASI, which prepares you to perform a complete history and physical examination.

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs)

Near the end of your final semester, you will return to campus to work through a series of exams. Using standardized patients in faculty-constructed case scenarios, you are afforded a safe learning environment to demonstrate critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning. Following OSCEs, you will be required to complete a final skills assessment.

Program Test Outs

All nurse practitioner students are required to complete an end of program skills assessment. During this final on-campus simulation-based learning event, students have an opportunity to showcase their assessment, diagnostic reasoning, and patient management skills.

Technology Requirements

Beginning fall 2018, each student admitted to the MSN program is expected to own and have ready access to a laptop or tablet with basic productivity software for classroom use. View Policy.

Complete applications that are submitted by the priority deadline will be reviewed first. Applications do not have to be verified by the priority deadline, only completed and submitted. Questions? Contact the Office of Admissions at [email protected]

A completed application includes the following components:

  • Bachelor's degree in nursing from a regionally accredited college or university
  • Preferred scholastic GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from a regionally accredited college or university
  • Official transcripts (from all post-secondary schools)
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Current resume
  • Personal statement
  • Active and unencumbered nursing licensure

Note:

  1. GW Nursing is subject to state authorization requirements in order to offer an approved nursing curriculum. View available states.

None

At the conclusion of this MSN program, you will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate leadership based upon advanced knowledge.

  2. Promote and improve quality in the workplace through quality improvement practices.

  3. Synthesize knowledge of nursing practice, theory and research as a foundation for advanced nursing practice.

  4. Demonstrate continued professional development through ongoing education.

  5. Build an interdisciplinary professional network that includes collaboration and teamwork.

  6. Promote positive changes in health care delivery and nursing practice.

  7. Engage in caring and collaborative relationships with patients/clients for shared decision-making.

You must record a minimum of 700 hours of clinical experience with an approved preceptor. You are encouraged to find your own preceptor, but we can provide information on local clinical sites if needed.  A clinical site visit will be conducted, usually during your second or final clinical course, by a faculty member.

The following clinical courses are required

  • FNP I (150 clinical hours) – Adult (Internal Medicine or Primary Care Clinics; Family Practice site is recommended)
  • FNP II (300* clinical hours) – Pediatric (Outpatient Pediatric Clinics) & Women’s Health (Women’s Health Clinic; Students MUST be able to deliver routine prenatal and postpartum care to women)
  • FNP III (250 clinical hours) – Family Practice Outpatient Clinical Setting

*Pediatrics (150 hours) & Women’s Health (150 hours)

Required Documentation

  • Current CPR certificate
  • Immunization records including vaccination or immunity to hepatitis B, MMR, varicella, diphtheria, polio and tetanus
  • Documentation of negative test results for tuberculosis (PPD and/or chest x-ray)

Questions about clinical placement requirements should be directed to [email protected].

3 Great Reasons to Choose GW Nursing

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Online Learning
These specialties are delivered in a hybrid format with online courses and some on-campus experiences for testing and training.
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Flexible Format
Some specialties require you to complete a set number of clinical hours to complete the curriculum.
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Exceptional Faculty
Our faculty members are nationally recognized leaders in nursing who actively engage and inspire students to improve global health care for all.

Frequently Asked Questions

On-campus requirements vary by program and specialty. Students enrolled in our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program spend the duration of the program on our Virginia Science and Technology Campus (VSTC) in Ashburn, Virginia.

Most graduate programs are delivered in a distance format with online courses and some on-campus experiences for testing and training, which typically take place in our state-of-the-art simulation facilities at VSTC. For example, nurse practitioner students are required to come to campus for Campus Learning and Skills Intensive (CLASI) when enrolled in NURS 6222 and for Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) during their second clinical course. For specific on-campus requirements for graduate programs, please visit the webpage for your respective specialty area of interest.

All nurse practitioner students are also required to complete an end of program skills assessment. During this final on-campus simulation-based learning event, students have an opportunity to showcase their assessment, diagnostic reasoning, and patient management skills.

Students enrolled in our Accelerated or Veteran Bachelor of Science in Nursing program may only attend the program on a full-time basis due to its accelerated format.

Students enrolled in our RN to BSN or RN to MSN programs may only enroll on a part-time basis.

Students enrolled in a graduate program have the ability to enroll in most tracks on a part-time basis. To review your program of study options, visit the MSN, DNP or certificate webpage in the specialty area of your choice. PhD applicants should contact the program director directly.

Our clinical placement model provides students with faculty and staff support to ensure clinical sites align with clinical course objectives and nurse practitioner (NP) competencies. Our approach includes a clinical placement team dedicated to processing legal documentation required to clear students for clinical placement. Although we offer as much support as possible to students who are unable to locate a preceptor, our process is driven by student submission of a request for placement. We are dedicated to ensuring adequate and robust clinical experiences, however, GW Nursing is not required to locate clinical sites and preceptors for our NP students. 

Applicants with a direct-entry MSN and/or Clinical Nurse Leader degree are ineligible to apply to our Post-Master's DNP and our Post-Master's Certificate programs. However, you may submit an application to one of our MSN tracks, which are considered on a case-by-case basis. Please contact us at [email protected] if you need additional information.

We are currently unable to accept applicants OR offer clinical assignments for online programs for individuals who reside in Alabama, Louisiana and North Dakota. Applicants from New York and Tennessee should contact [email protected] for additional information, as clinical placements in those states are extremely limited. View our state authorizations. 

Prospective students from these states are welcome to apply to our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program located on our Virginia Science and Technology Campus. 

At this time, the only program available to students needing an F-1 visa (student) is our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program taught in person in Ashburn, Virginia. International students who have permanent residence or are currently on a visa that allows them to study, in addition to holding a valid U.S. RN license, are eligible for any graduate program.