North Carolina Family Nurse Practitioner Programs
As a licensed registered nurse in North Carolina, you may expand your nursing knowledge and enjoy the autonomy of providing care as a family nurse practitioner (FNP). With educational support and high quality training in an FNP graduate program, you may explore numerous options to define your career as a medical professional in primary care.
FNPs are in high demand in North Carolina and currently practice in some of the most prestigious, progressive hospitals in the country. FNPs provide expert care for all ages of the spectrum and are welcomed into the community as an esteemed healthcare provider. To find out how you can become an FNP, request information from the schools on this page, and take the time to read more about what nursing programs like these entail.
Family Nurse Practitioner Curriculum in North Carolina
FNPs care for individuals, families and communities with the medical authority to diagnose, treat and provide follow up care. You may enjoy the collaboration of a physician as required by the current state laws for FNP practice. However, the Institute of Medicine has recommended to policy makers and legislators that removal of all barriers of the advanced practice nurse is necessary to improve the health of North Carolinians and lower the costs of health care.
As legislation moves forward to provide FNPs with full practice authority in all areas of care, the graduate programs in North Carolina support your independent practice with in-depth scientific knowledge and a series of well-designed clinical experiences in a primary care setting.
With numerous options to complete your state-approved graduate FNP program that offers flexible schedules for the working nurse professional, you may select a program track such as:
- ADN or BSN to FNP master’s degree
- MSN to postgraduate certificate or doctoral FNP program
- Non-nursing degree to FNP master’s degree
Programs are offered in part or full time schedules that prepare you to take your national certifying examination in family health for your FNP credentials.
Your Family Nurse Practitioner program builds on your existing knowledge and experience to advance your scope of practice and prepare you as an independent practitioner in family health. Through critical analysis of nursing theories, research and health assessment skills, your core courses focus on diagnosing, treating and managing drug therapy for all ages across the lifespan.
Classes in your curriculum may include topics such as:
- Introduction to healthcare in the 21st century defines the policies, procedures and contemporary issues of the current and future practices of the FNP in providing healthcare.
- The FNP role in the financial aspects of the healthcare system explores the navigation of financing healthcare via Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance resources.
- Advanced pathophysiology and pharmacology are integrated to provide you with evidence-based health interventions and diagnostic reasoning skills
- Theoretical and clinical nursing models discuss the approach of advanced nursing care in community-based models for culturally diverse populations
- Clinical practicum experiences provide four semesters of performing primary care for all ages of the spectrum
Program completion times vary by schedule and selected degree track. However, a full-time FNP program may be completed in two or three years of study.
Family Nurse Practitioner Careers in North Carolina
The Affordable Care Act has created challenges for North Carolina that demand lower healthcare costs, more access to care for the previously uninsured and increased preventative health measures as part of treatment. As outlined by a white paper by the AACN, FNPs provide expert care that exceeds the guidelines and ambitions of healthcare reform. As reported by the North Carolina Health News in 2013, NC desperately needs nurse practitioners to care for communities as primary care physicians dwindle in numbers and an aging population experience the complications of chronic conditions. In 2013, Forbes Magazine reported FNPs as one of the top 20 careers in demand.
As an FNP, you may discover numerous positions for practice such as:
- Hospitals, medical centers and ambulatory care settings
- Medical and pharmacological research
- Transplant teams and specialty areas of medical care
- Community-based hospitals and clinics
- Governmental and state medical centers
- Occupational settings and retail health
- Physician offices and group practice settings
According to ONET Online, FNPs in North Carolina may enjoy a median annual salary of $88,400. The demand of FNPs has provided an increased access to nursing scholarships and tuition reimbursement programs. NurseCorps is a federally funded program that provides tuition assistance and loan forgiveness in return for two-years of practice in underserved areas of care. In addition, the North Carolina Nurses Association offers scholarships from several resources.
As an FNP in North Carolina, your expert care can provide you with the self-satisfaction of caring for your community and beyond. With the challenges of healthcare reform and the changes in advanced nursing practice, today is an exciting time to advance your practice as an FNP in a challenging and rewarding time of growth and change.
