What you will study
Build upon your nursing experience in UCM’s Post-Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner
certificate program. You’ll learn advanced skills for diagnosing and treating conditions
in primary and urgent care and gain insight into disease processes. Your coursework,
led by actively practicing nurse practitioners, will include these foundational graduate
courses:
- Pharmacology: Explore your role in prescribing, administering and monitoring pharmaceuticals as
therapy for patients.
- Advanced Pathophysiology: Take a deeper dive into the diagnosis of diseases and illnesses in a primary care
setting.
- Advanced Health Appraisal: Expand your assessment skills as it relates to the health and wellness of people of
all ages.
You’ll also take foundational courses in research and theory for advanced practice.
Clinical didactic courses focus on providing care across the lifespan, helping you
be well prepared for clinical rotations and, later, any practice area of your choosing.
Excellence in Nursing
- Best Online Masters in Nursing Programs (U.S. News & World Report, 2021 and 2022)
- Best Online Nursing School Master's Programs (The Princeton Review, 2021 and 2022)
- Top 15%: Most Popular Online Health Professions Schools (College Factual, 2022)
- Best Online Nurse Practitioner Degree Programs (Intelligent, 2021)
Unique learning opportunities in nursing
Your hands-on work as a family nurse practitioner will only be as good as your hands-on
training. At the University of Central Missouri, we ensure your preparedness with
ample opportunities for applied learning both in and out of our classrooms.
- Access on-campus resources: While at UCM’s Missouri Innovation Campus for classes, you’ll gain access to models
and real-world equipment to become proficient in their use for additional skills.
We also engage standardized patients to assist in your learning through the ability
to perform exams.
- Enjoy flexibility and support in clinical experiences: You may complete your clinical experiences near your home, accessing your own network
of healthcare providers to enable your desired learning environment. You’ll have the
support of UCM faculty in the preceptor procurement process and as you enter four
clinical rotations to complete the 750 hours required to sit for a national Family
Nurse Practitioner certification exam with the American Nurses Credentialing Center
(ANCC) or the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
- Expand your professional network: In small classes, you’ll engage with fellow registered nurses as well as faculty who
actively maintain clinical practices. You’ll also meet varied practitioners as you
complete your clinical rotations and establish relationships that enable new career
opportunities.
What can you do with a post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner certificate from UCM?
Your advanced skills gained during completion of UCM’s post-master’s Family Nurse
Practitioner certificate, along with board certification, will qualify you for greater
responsibilities and a higher level of autonomy. You’ll also achieve a greater appreciation
of the value of relationships, not only in your collaborative work with doctors and
other health care personnel but also with patients as you provide quality care throughout
their lifetimes. With these assets, you become more marketable and increase your earning
potential as you provide primary care in these settings:
- Private practice or a doctor’s office
- Urgent care centers
- Community and convenient care clinics
- Specialty practices such as in neurology or endocrinology
- Skilled nursing facilities
- Other health care facilities
When you achieve dual certification with the post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner
certificate, you further expand your value to both employers and patients.
UCM assistance for your career as a family nurse practitioner
As you choose the best environment for your career as a family nurse practitioner,
UCM faculty also serve as career advisors, using their own experience to provide guidance.
You may also use the interactive tool below for insight into opportunities that await
you in your growing career.
Financial assistance options for your post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner certificate
As you expand your skills with UCM’s post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner certificate,
you also increase your earning potential. At the University of Central Missouri, we
seek to help ensure your access to this enhanced future by offering some of the nation’s
most affordable tuition rates. We’ve also been named a top-ranked university for low-student
debt by LendEDU and offer loans, grants and other resources to help finance your education.
Are scholarships available to me?
When also pursuing a degree alongside a UCM certificate, you may qualify for scholarship
opportunities. You can learn more about program-specific scholarships by using the
.
Meet Your Faculty
Active clinical practitioners
At UCM, you’ll have access to faculty who currently maintain a clinical practice and
certification and have first-hand knowledge of rapidly changing health care systems
and practices. As they lead you in coursework for your post-master’s Family Nurse
Practitioner certificate, they’ll share their experiences so that you may apply their
lessons learned in your own work.
Get Hands-on Training at UCM
Nursing at our Missouri Innovation Campus
During your clinical experiences, you’ll have the opportunity to visit our Missouri
Innovation Campus (MIC) in Lee’s Summit and apply your learning in our simulation
center. Under the guidance of our faculty and real-world practitioners, you’ll gain
hands-on experience using simulation mannequins and other modern tools.
Learn More About the MIC
Achieve Dual Certification
Expand your care specialties with this post-master’s certificate
If you’re already certified in acute care, adult gerontology, primary care, psychiatry,
women’s health or pediatrics, completing UCM’s post-master’s Family Nurse Practitioner
certificate will broaden your clinical practice with dual certification.
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Make yourself more marketable.
Further enhance your value to health care employers when you learn to train other
nurses with another certificate also designed for nurses with a master’s degree:
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