Training required to become a Family Nurse Practitioner
A Family Nurse Practitioner is an Advanced-practice nurse with a specialty in Family
Medicine. In order to be certified, licensed and qualified, you will need a Master of
Science in Nursing degree and have successfully completed both national and state board
exams.
Training does not end with employment. All nurses need to continue their education
through Continuing Education credits to meet state and national licensing requirements.
What do Family Nurse Practitioners do?
With a concentration on family, FNPs work with all ages of patients throughout
their lives. Similar to a Family Physician, Family Nurse Practitioners grow with
their patients learning about their medical, social and lifestyle choices. FNPs try
to focus on health promotion and disease prevention. There are many common services
such as physical exams, patient histories, and health diagnosis which FNPs can do in
place of Family Physicians.
Depending, a Family Nurse Practitioner may work in cooperation with a Family Practice
physician or they may work independently.
Within the specialty of Family Medicine a Nurse Practitioner can become even more
specialized such as pediatrics, geriatrics, or women's health. Often FNPs stay with
their patients and develop long-term relationships which allow the nurse to see medical
changes over time and impacts of lifestyle choices on people's medical status.
An average expected salary for a Family Nurse Practitioner is between $65,000 and $90,000.
Typically, FNPs will begin working as Nurse Practitioners after completing their Bachelor
degrees and then through continuing education begin to specialize in the areas they
enjoy most.
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