Offered in a Hybrid Format – THIS IS NOT AN ONLINE PROGRAM

Master of Science (MS) in Family Nurse Practitioner

View Advanced Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner

The Family Nurse Practitioner program is designed to prepare expert advanced practice primary care clinicians capable of providing care to families in primary care settings. The program builds on the undergraduate foundation and develops advanced assessment, planning, and evidence-based clinical management skills. Family nurse practitioners provide primary and preventive care in such areas as pediatrics, family health, women’s health, and gerontological care. They are advocates and health educators for patients, families, and communities.

The SUNY Poly Family Nurse Practitioner program emphasizes clinical competence through theoretical understanding and practical application to primary care practice. Clinical expertise is acquired through clinical experiences in a variety of public, private, and community-based primary care agencies. The FNP student will complete approximately 750 hours of clinical practice in this 45 credit-hour program of study. In addition, the program provides a strong foundation for future scholarship, research and doctoral study.

The MS program accommodates both full-time and part-time students. Full-time students can complete the program in two years; part-time completion typically takes four years.

Program Outcomes 

MS in Nursing with a major in Family Nurse Practitioner

At the completion of the Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program, the graduate will:

1. Integrate sciences, humanities, theories and frameworks to advance nursing science, professional identity, and lifelong learning.
2. Engage in the spirit of inquiry, scholarship and best evidence to inform practice decisions
3. Guide policy development aligned with professional nursing values to direct improvements and quality outcomes across organizational systems.
4. Collaborate with interprofessional healthcare teams and multiple stakeholders as a member and leader to coordinate and manage the diversity and complexities of family healthcare across the lifespan.
5. Utilize technologies, data, and communication networks to enhance family healthcare services and promote client-centered outcomes.
6. Manage family health care across the lifespan utilizing models of health prevention, health protection, disease prevention and concepts of cultural competence.
7. Evaluate clinical judgements, intervention strategies, and inter-professional consultations based on a specialized body of knowledge within the advanced practice role as a family nurse practitioner across a variety of settings.
8. Practice critical reflection through self-evaluation and peer evaluation processes to enhance care and practice as an advanced practice nurse.

Program Requirements

The MS in Nursing with a major in Family Nurse Practitioner consists of 45 credit hours distributed as follows:

• NUR 500 Theoretical Foundations for Nursing Practice (3 credits)
• NUR 503 Advanced Nursing, Health Policy and the Health System (3 credits)
• NUR 531 Family Theory (2 credits)
• NUR 555 Clinical Pharmacology (3 credits)
• NUR 560 Nursing Research Methods (3 credits)
• NUR 568 Advanced Health Assessment (4 credits)
• NUR 570 Clinical Pathophysiology (3 credits)
• NUR 572 Family Health Promotion & Disease Prevention Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
• NUR 580 Beginning Level Family Clinical (2 credits)
• NUR 652 Family Primary Health Care I (3 credits)
• NUR 658 Women’s Health Care (2 credits)
• NUR 668 Family Primary Health Care II (4 credits)
• NUR 670 Intermediate Level Family Clinical (3 credits)
• NUR 680 Advanced Level Family Clinical (4 credits)
• NUR 692 Culminating Seminar for Nurse Practitioners (2 credits)

Clinical Experiences

Students must have a clear and unencumbered nursing license to participate in clinical experiences. Failure to report any license sanction or condition will result in automatic course failure and probable dismissal from the nursing program.

All students are expected to perform clinical duties with the utmost professional, ethical, and caring behaviors. All students, regardless of level, will be expected to adhere to legal and ethical standards as established by regulatory agencies and nursing professional standards. There is a zero tolerance for breaches of ethics or professionalism. Unsafe clinical performance is care that seriously jeopardizes a patient’s well-being, and/or causes potential or actual harm to self or others. No student demonstrating unsafe performance will be allowed to continue in clinical settings. Any acts of omission or commission by a student that are deemed unsafe, unethical or unprofessional are grounds for course failure, and probable program dismissal.

Degree Requirements and Program Notes – Family Nurse Practitioner Program

All students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to graduate.

• Students must achieve a minimum final grade of “B” (82%) in each course in the program.
• Students must receive a minimum grade of ”B” or 82% in all required components (clinical and theory) of a course to receive a minimum final grade of “B” or 82% for the course.
• Students that do not meet the minimum final course grade requirement of “B” (82%) may repeat the course once with a maximum of two (2) repeated required courses while enrolled in the program.
• Students may transfer up to twelve credit hours, if applicable, from another graduate program.
• Students must maintain continuous registration, equal to or greater than one credit while completing degree requirements. MS Nursing students can do this by registering for CMT 600 – Continuous Registration. This only applies to students who have an incomplete in their last semester and it can only be applied once. Students must be registered at SUNY Polytechnic Institute during the term they intend to graduate.
• All students must satisfactorily complete a culminating examination to graduate.

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Advanced Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner