With the ranks of primary care physicians in decline, family nurse practitioners are helping to fill the void. The College of Health Professions and Natural Sciences offers a Post-MSN Nurse Practitioner Graduate Certificate with a choice of two concentrations: Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
Hands-on experience is a vital part of the specialty. Family Nurse Practitioner students have participated in a clinical seminar at Wilmington University’s Dover campus led by Dr. Lynn Thomas-Bauer, the assistant chair of the program, and Dr. Julie Rollins, an assistant professor in the program and an active FNP.
Students learned how to suture cuts, manage simple and complex wounds, biopsy skin lesions, and medically manage patients with uncontrolled diabetes.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts demand for advanced practices nurses will grow 31% between 2016-2026. A Family Nurse Practitioner is an advanced practice registered nurse who provides a wide range of primary care services to patients of all ages, from babies to senior citizens. FNPs can perform physical exams; order or perform diagnostic tests; prescribe medications; develop treatment plans; and treat acute and chronic illnesses, conditions and injuries that fall under primary care.