Family Nurse Practitioner
Established in 1973 as the first of its kind, our top-ranked Family Nurse Practitioner program is an innovative combination of diverse clinical experiences—from the inner city to the suburbs—and rigorous coursework, to prepare you to work with patients from all backgrounds and circumstances.
Program modality
Although this program is in-person, to accommodate the busy schedules of our students some courses will be offered in an online or hybrid format. All clinical experiences for this program are in-person on Penn’s campus or at affiliated clinical sites.
Our program
We emphasize hands-on, real life care in all aspects of the program. All of our faculty members are currently in practice, an important cornerstone of our program, giving you indispensable exposure to the kind of work you’ll step into after graduation. You’ll also have opportunities to do clinical work here and abroad, interacting with patients speaking languages other than English and gaining experience with culturally diverse populations.
Coursework
Your coursework will include four core courses (graduate research and sciences), one elective, and nine theory/clinical courses. The clinical courses include classroom work, lab sessions, and clinical preceptorships focused on physical assessment and pathophysiology, health maintenance, and the management of common acute and chronic health problems. Plus, we take the burden of finding a preceptor off of your shoulders.
There are several minors available to FNP students including the Global Health Minor. Please note that all minor-related coursework must be completed prior to entering the clinical portion of the program.
Study options
Our flexible FNP program offers full-time, part-time, and BSN/MSN study. The full-time program begins each August, is 16 months in length, and concludes the following December.
Certification
After graduation, you’ll be eligible to become certified by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a Family Health Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP). You’ll also be eligible for prescriptive authority. Successful completion of the program qualifies you to apply for national certification from either the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).