Take your nursing skills and your career to the next level with our Master of Science in Nursing: Family Nurse Practitioner
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN): Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program is designed to provide nurses with the necessary education, competencies, and experiences to assume the role of a primary health care provider in a variety of clinical settings. Didactic and clinical course content focuses on the assessment and management of health promotion and health maintenance strategies, risk reduction, common acute and chronic alterations in health status for individuals and families across the lifespan. The MSN-FNP is a 7-semester program.
Cohorts are established annually in the fall. Clinical placement is a collaborative process between the student and the faculty. Clinical experiences are scheduled at the convenience of the facility hosting the student. Upon successful completion of the program, the student will be eligible to take the national certification exam given by either the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
Priority Deadline
Per Credit Discount
*For Alumni
Semesters Fully Online
This program is offered in a fully online format with weekly synchronous class meetings.
“I truly believe that having the support and assistance that SU provides is invaluable and it would be remiss to overlook the effort and many hours that go into placing entire cohorts of students. As I have become more active in the APRN community the importance of what SU provides has become increasingly apparent, and frankly rather unprecedented. Fellow nurses at other schools have not been so fortunate. I am grateful that I chose to pursue my degree here after speaking with several alumni through the years. Every one of them spoke highly of the graduate school of nursing. Top notch. I will be proud to be a SU APRN and believe that the vigorous plan of study will further contribute to my successes when I eventually pursue my DNP.”
– Ashley Brown ’14, ’22, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Graduate Nursing Programs at Shenandoah
Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing‘s programs are challenging, but the rewards of completing your degree and entering this critical profession are many. We are committed to providing an outstanding education to nurses at all levels— from nurses seeking a master’s degree and advanced practice certifications to existing advanced practice nurses seeking doctoral-level training. Our programs are dynamic and responsive to the needs of our students and the health care industry. We’re excited to share our programs with you.
The curricula for the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs combine important knowledge and skills with a friendly and caring spirit. Our goal is to prepare and challenge you for that next step in your professional career.
Meet the Faculty
Career and Salary Possibilities
Upon completion of the program, you will be prepared to practice in the primary care role in urban, suburban, rural and underserved areas, choose to teach in nursing schools or continue your higher education.
Family nurse practitioners are critical in meeting the primary care needs of rural and/or underserved populations in this country. According to AANP, the average practicing nurse practitioner salary is $110,000 annually.
Classes
All MSN classes start in the fall and are taught in an online synchronous format. Most semesters you will take two courses, totaling 6-7 credit hours.
You will learn:
- assessment and management of health promotion and maintenance strategies
- risk reduction
- evaluation and management of common acute and chronic alterations in health status for individuals and families across the lifespan
- role development
- research and statistics
- advanced knowledge in pharmacology and pathophysiology
Our small classes, combined with a close-knit, caring, compassionate learning environment, create dynamic and collaborative education experiences and make the Shenandoah University programs special. Classes are taught by Nurse Practitioner faculty who maintain clinical practice.
Clinical experiences take place in a wide variety of ambulatory, community, rural and medically underserved health care settings appropriate to the family nurse practitioner track. You will partner with clinical experts throughout the region, as well as have an opportunity to participate in service trips and explore electives with global travel opportunities.
Alumni are eligible for a tuition discount.
Clinical Placement
Clinical placement is a collaborative process between the student and the faculty. We do have articulation agreements with many sites; you may use the Map of Affiliation in EXXAT to see current sites we are already affiliated with by location. We request that students provide three new site or preceptor referrals.. The clinical placement team will then reach out to those referrals, and if they are agreeable to a student placement, we will work to initiate new contracts with those clinical sites. Clinical experiences are scheduled at the convenience of the facility hosting the student.
Clinical experiences take place in a wide variety of ambulatory, community, rural and medically underserved health care settings appropriate to the family nurse practitioner track. You will partner with clinical experts throughout the region, as well as have an opportunity to participate in service trips and explore electives with global travel opportunities.
MSN - FNP 7-Semester Student Curriculum
MSN-FNP 7-Semester Plan of Study
Fall I
- Advanced Practice Roles, Ethics & Policy 3
- Advanced Concepts in Physiology & Pathophysiology 3
Spring I
- Advanced Pharmacology & Therapeutics 3
- Advanced Health Promotion & Assessment Across the Lifespan (Didactic & Lab) 4
Summer I
- Research and Evidence Based Practice 4
- Mental Health in Primary Care 3
Fall II
- Primary Care of Families:Chronic 3
- Primary Care of Families Practicum (180 Clinical Hours) 3
Spring II
- Primary Care of Families: Acute 3
- Primary Care of Families Practicum (180 clinical hours) 3
Summer II
- Women’s Health in Primary Care 1
- Primary Care of Pediatrics 2
- Data Interpretation & Informatics 3
Fall III
- Advanced Nurse Practitioner Role Development 2
- Diagnostics & Procedures 1
- Primary Care Advanced Practicum (240 clinical hours) 4
Total: The degree requirement is 45 total credit hours. Clinical practicum includes at least 600 hours of patient care.
Pediatrics and Women’s Health competencies are met through clinical experiences in various settings included in the above clinical hour totals.
Application Information
We’re excited you’re interested in one of our graduate nursing programs! Shenandoah reviews applications on a rolling basis, which means we will begin evaluating your application once all your documentation has been submitted. Students submitting completed applications before our priority deadlines will be considered first.
Program Prerequisites
- A bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) from a CCNE or an ACEN accredited institution. Recommended 3.0 cumulative GPA.
- Applicants must have completed or will complete the following prerequisite course requirements prior to enrolling at Shenandoah:
- Health Assessment, Pathophysiology, and Pharmacology courses. Recommended grade of “B” or better.
- Undergraduate Statistics course with a grade of “C” or better.
- Undergraduate Chemistry course with a grade of “C” or better.
Admissions Requirements
- Graduate application along with $30 application fee
- Unofficial transcripts for initial admission from all institutions of higher education previously attended
- 3 letters of recommendation
- One from previous nursing faculty (if graduated in last five years)
- Two professional references to attest to clinical experience (with Master’s degree or higher preferred)
- Current resume/C.V.
- Essay (250-500 words) answering the following question:
- Why are you choosing to pursue the FNP role?
- Documentation of one full year of direct patient care prior to specialty courses
- Unencumbered RN license – multi-state or individual state (must obtain licensure in the state(s) in which you will do clinical rotations.
- Interview with graduate nursing faculty will be required
- Language Proficiency Requirement must be met. Submission of TOEFL, IELTS, PTE, or Duolingo English Test (DET) may be required. See our policy for full details. https://www.su.edu/admissions/international-students
- Upon admission, up-to-date immunizations and health records, a criminal background check, a urine drug screen, and CPR (from AHA only) will be required.
For international students who require a visa, due to limited on-campus hours, F-1 visas are not issued for this program.
HOW DO I APPLY?
Submit the Graduate Application
Graduate Program Assured Admission
Beginning Fall 2024, the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing at Shenandoah University will offer assured graduate program admission to its BSN or MSN alumni who are interested in earning an MSN, post-master’s specialty certificate, and/or a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.
Alumni must meet minimum admission requirements to the MSN, post-master’s, and DNP programs, and will be required to submit an application by the application deadline. Alumni are strongly encouraged to apply by the priority deadline of February 15 to secure placement within their desired cohort.
School of Nursing alumni are assured entry into the following graduate programs:
- Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) MSN
- Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) MSN
- Nurse-Midwifery (NM) MSN
- All Post-Master’s Certificates – FNP, PMHNP, NM
- Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
We encourage alumni to learn more about this benefit and our graduate programs. For more information, please contact Associate Dean of Graduate Nursing Programs Robbie McCauley, DNP, at rmccaule87@su.edu.
