About the Online Family Nurse Practitioner MS & DNP Degree

The focus of UConn’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Online program is on the delivery of care to the individual within the context of the family and community including health promotion, disease prevention, and disease management activities to support healthy lives. Family nurse practitioners (FNP) typically work in clinics and other outpatient settings where they may provide comprehensive, chronic and continuous evaluation and treatment of people, but not for those patients with unstable or critical conditions.

The purpose of the FNP programs offered by the School of Nursing is to prepare advanced practice nurses with specialized knowledge, skills, and values. Graduates assume leadership roles in the health care system and advance practice and the discipline of nursing by applying existing nursing knowledge and using a spirit of inquiry to examine and test nursing knowledge.

The clinical setting presents unique challenges and responsibilities for advanced practice nursing students caring for patients in a variety of health care environments. In addition to academic qualifications, UConn advanced practice nursing students must possess the ability to consistently demonstrate a proficiency in five core areas for nursing students, specifically motor, sensory, communication, behavior, and critical thinking skills. These areas reflect the reasonable expectations of a nursing student performing the common functions of a registered nurse and/or an advanced practice nurse. In adopting these standards we are mindful of the patient's right to safe and quality health care.

The ability to consistently demonstrate these personal and professional competencies are essential from admittance to graduation. Students must be capable of performing the skills of an advanced practice nursing student.

The following video guide provides an overview of UConn's MS in Nursing, FNP curriculum and application to the program.