MSN - Family Nurse Practitioner

At CTU, the College of Nursing & Health Studies recognizes the varying degrees of nursing knowledge our licensed practicing nurses possess when returning to school. As a CTU nursing student, you can expect to:

• Skip the content you know to focus on new knowledge development using CTU’s intellipath^® adaptive learning technology, like the computerized adaptive testing nurses use to enter the profession.
• Experience faculty-led nursing courses infused with intellipath^® assignments, writing assignments, discussion boards, virtual simulation, clinical experiences and journaling, among others.
• Bypass group project assignments due to interdisciplinary collaboration in clinical courses.
• Complete clinical experiences along with additional traditional assignments.

Nursing students receive support from the Clinical Coordinator to identify practicum sites within their community. NRSG660: FNPI takes place at a clinical site that serves the adult, geriatrics and women populations. NRSG661: FNPII takes place at a practicum site that serves the pediatric population. NRSG662: FNPIII takes place at a practicum site that serves patients across the lifespan.

Information about the practicum can be found in the Nursing Learning Center where the Family Nurse Practitioner Handbook (MSN & PGC) is located. The Clinical Coordinator also partners with nursing students to assist with practicum placements.

To speak with an advisor, request information here.

The FNP nursing student is required to complete 630 direct-care clinical hours. Since the FNP nursing student is preparing to care for patients from birth to death, it is essential they have enough time to learn how to care for the varied populations.

NRSG660: FNPI Adult, Geriatrics, and Women’s Health requires 240 total clinical hours.

NRSG661: FNPII Pediatrics requires 180 total clinical hours.

NRSG662: FNPIII Care across the Lifespan requires 210 total clinical hours.

Nursing students must disclose if they are requesting to do their practicum with their employer.

Nursing students may not complete practicum hours in their current department or with in-line supervisors.

The structure of the FNP nursing program is designed to allow the working nurse to advance in his/her MSN degree while continuing to work within the community With an asynchronous (any time of day) classroom format, this allows nursing students to formulate a study schedule that can be incorporated into their professional life. Instructors also provide synchronous chats to support varied adult learning needs. The Family Nurse Practitioner concentration requires rigorous study and strong time management skills with dedicated daily reading and study time.

FNP nursing students are required to visit our Colorado campus in Denver, Colorado for two intensives or labs. The first intensive weekend is required before the practicum courses to ensure students are prepared for safe patient interactions. Hands-on instruction is also provided during the intensive. The second intensive weekend is required before completion of the FNP program to help ensure students are prepared to act as independent practitioners before sitting for certification exams.

The College of Nursing has resources built into the program that assist students in preparing for the Family Nurse Practitioner certification exam. The 3P exam which students take in NRSG653 Advanced Physical Assessment for the Nurse Practitioner Lab, is used to assess students’ synthesis of learning from the advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology and advanced physical assessment courses. CTU also provides APEA (Advanced Practice Education Associates) resources such as MyQBank with hundreds of review questions, a pre and post-predictor exam, along with a certification review course during the final practicum. Students also receive access to the UpToDate database to retrieve the latest clinical evidence to support their practice.