Nursing, Nursing Advanced Practice, Exam Prep
The Ins and Outs of Being an FNP
Jan 22, 2019
(With excerpts from Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review: Fast Facts and Practice Questions, Fourth Edition, by Maria T. Codina Leik MSN, ARNP, FNP-C, AGPCNP-BC)
Thinking about the next step in your career? Maybe you're thinking about being an FNP. The nursing profession is a robust field, with certifications running the gamut of clinical, managerial, and educational specialties. But which is the best choice for you? Here, we’ll take a deep dive into what it means to be a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Family Nurse Practitioner: What Does Being an FNP Mean?
Frequently referred to by its acronym, FNP, a Family Nurse Practitioner has achieved additional educational and clinical training focused on family practice. You must have completed a family nurse practitioner master’s or doctoral degree before becoming certified. Unlike an AGNP, FNPs are not limited to working exclusively with adults—they specialize in serving both children and adults. They help patients maintain long-term health and wellness, placing a unique focus on preventative care.
FNPs can practice independently in some states and have prescribing privileges in all states, although the types of drugs nurse practitioners can prescribe outside a physician’s supervision vary by state. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners provides a useful summary of the scope of practice by state here.
What Does an FNP Do?
At a family practice, the patient pool can be extremely diverse. You’ll see families from all types of backgrounds with any number of health concerns. That’s why it’s so critical that an FNP receive both the practical and educational experience needed to work with these varied patient populations. On any given day, an FNP will be monitoring the general health and wellness of patients and treating minor acute illnesses. And again, because of the family-centric nature of this certification, these duties will be performed on patients of all ages.
Another key component of working as an FNP is being hyper-aware of the community in which you’re serving. It’s common for FNPs to work in underserved areas, making it important for them to have a deep understanding of the challenges that their patients face. FNPs also track their patients’ health histories over the long term; many FNPs (and their patients) find this long-term relationship to be rewarding.
FNPs often work in a primary care office, but you’ll also find them in urgent care clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, home care agencies, and in various medical specialties, which may require additional certification, such as dermatology, gastroenterology, and orthopedics, just to name a few.
What Type of Person Is an FNP?
Because an FNP is likely going to be working closely with the same patients for many years, compassion, empathy, and communication are highly valued skills. Being an FNP means having strong organizational skills with the ability to track health issues over time regarding such things as medication interactions.
How Do I Become an FNP?
To become an FNP, nurses must—at minimum—have a master’s degree in nursing (MSN) from an accredited Family Nurse Practitioner program. However, many programs are transitioning to DNP programs (Doctor of Nursing Practice). In fact, according to the National Organization for Nurse Practitioner Faculty, all nurse practitioner degree programs will need to be doctoral degrees by 2025. To enroll in an FNP program, you’ll need a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) first. You can also have a bachelor’s degree in another field, but the route to the final degree will be longer, as there will be many undergraduate nursing courses you’ll need to get through first. There are also RN to MSN and RN to DNP programs available if you are an RN without a bachelor’s degree.
FNP certification can be obtained from either the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. An application fee is necessary, and you’ll have to pass an exam. But once you’ve done that, you’re officially able to market yourself as a certified Family Nurse Practitioner!
Are You Preparing for the FNP Exam?
Start off by taking a free FNP practice test. For more study options, choose from our FNP book, FNP flashcards and immediate digital access FNP products, featuring 500 practice questions to help you make the grade!
Resources
State Practice Environment. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://www.aanp.org/legislation-regulation/state-legislation/state-practice-environment
Leik, M. C. (2018). Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Intensive Review: Fast Facts and Practice Questions, Third Edition. New York: Springer Publishing.
NONPF. (2018, May). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree: Entry to Nurse Practitioner Practice by 2025 [Press Release]. Retrieved from https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.nonpf.org/resource/resmgr/dnp/v3_05.2018_NONPF_DNP_Stateme.pdf