The Patricia A. Chin School of Nursing offers a postmaster’s Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner for nurses who have a master’s degree in Nursing and who would like to take existing courses within the Master of Science degree in Nursing. The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) program prepares advanced practice nurses as providers of primary care to manage the health of urban families.

Emphasis of this specialty is on health promotion, disease prevention, and management of common acute episodic illnesses and chronic health problems among culturally diverse clients across the life span. Care for individuals, families and the community is experienced through direct advanced nursing care, consultation, collaboration, coordination and referral in a variety of community-based and ambulatory care settings. The graduate of this program will provide leadership and promote research in the delivery of quality health care services to multicultural and vulnerable groups in a variety of settings including primary and ambulatory care such as family practice private offices or community clinics, K - 12 schools, women’s health clinics and practices, pediatric offices, occupational health, urgent care, specialty clinics, sports medicine, or travel medicine. Graduates are prepared to be recognized as advanced practice nurses by the California State Board of Nursing and to take the Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination through the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners

This postmaster’s certificate has different requirements for students admitted with a Master’s degree with a nurse practitioner specialty and who is certified as a Nurse Practitioner compared with those students who hold other nursing master’s degrees. At the completion of the course work, individuals who are not currently Nurse Practitioners and complete one of the Nurse Practitioner certificates will qualify to apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing for state certification as nurse practitioners.  All who complete a Nurse Practitioner certificate program will be eligible to sit for a national certification examination in that Nurse Practitioner specialty.  

Admission Requirements to the Program

• Current California Registered Nurse License
• Master’s degree in Nursing (MSN or MN)
• Completion of a second application to the School of Nursing including 2 references and an essay
• Completion of a basic recent (within five years) physical assessment course unless currently certified and practicing as a nurse practitioner
• Completion of the program prerequisites: NURS 5280, NURS 5660, NURS 5720, NURS 5730, total 12 units.
• BRN requires Pharmacology to be completed within 5 years prior to the time of completing the furnishing number application.

Requirements for the Certificate

This program consists of 20 units of specialty theory and clinical practice. Students successfully completed the program courses with a 3.0 or higher GPA are qualified for the certificate.