The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Certificate program is a nondegree course credit option for nurses with a master’s degree in nursing.¹ This program prepares students with primary healthcare skills through didactic education and clinical supervision. Nurses are eligible to apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing for certification as a nurse practitioner, and may apply for national FNP certification through examination. Note: Students must be admitted to the university before registering for this program (see Admission section below).

¹

Students may be given transfer credits for previous content completed in a master’s degree program. Students who hold current California certification as a nurse practitioner or nurse midwife, and students who hold a master’s degree in nursing and/or national certification as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS), may challenge or request waiver of the coursework required for the Family Nurse Practitioner program, as appropriate to the student’s current specialty. Petitions for challenge or waiver of courses must be initiated upon admission and approved by the MSN chair. Students must show proof of current nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist certification.

Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Advanced Practice Core Courses		10
GNRS 610	Advanced Pathophysiology	3
GNRS 611	Advanced Pharmacology	3
GNRS 612	Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning 1	4 (3/1)
FNP Specialty Courses		21 (9/12)
GNRS 600	Nurse Practitioner Clinical Experience 2	12
GNRS 601	Primary Healthcare I: Adult and Aging	3
GNRS 602	Primary Healthcare II: Population-based Health Interventions	3
GNRS 603	Primary Healthcare III: Restorative and Palliative Interventions	3
Other Specialization Course		3
GNRS 590D	Primary Health Care of the Young Family	3
APRN Intensives		4
GNRS 615	APRN Intensive I	1
GNRS 616	APRN Intensive II	1
GNRS 617	APRN Intensive III	1
GNRS 618	APRN Intensive IV	1
Total Units		38

¹

Units in parentheses are classroom/clinical units.

²

Students may enroll in 2-6 clinical units per semester with faculty approval.

Admission

University graduate admission and program-specific requirements must be met before an application is complete (see Admission to the University). Program-specific application requirements are available online.

International students should contact Graduate and Professional Admissions for application procedures.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:

1. Articulate a Christian worldview, demonstrating respect for the dignity and uniqueness of others, valuing diversity, and applying spiritual concepts.
2. Engage in scholarly inquiry and critical thinking, including evaluation and application of evidence-based research.
3. Appraise and apply knowledge to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions that promote health and prevent disease.
4. Demonstrate thoughtful analysis of the legal, political, ethical, and/or financial factors impacting healthcare.
5. Use information systems and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, promote quality, mitigate error and support decision-making.
6. Demonstrate the ability to coordinate and collaborate with other health care team professionals.
7. Engage in clinical reasoning, effective communication, and act as change agents to develop professional identity and practice skill.