Family Nurse Practitioner

Students in the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty are required to attend two mandatory on-campus visits that include basic skills workshops, simulation labs, and clinical exams. These visits are called Phase 1 and Phase 2. For both mandatory visits, students will only attend ONE of the dates listed and will have an opportunity to request a preferred date once notified by the simulation department.

Phase 1: The first mandatory on-campus visit will be during the spring semester when the student is enrolled in the first clinical course (CMN 573).

Family NP Clinical Skills Intensive Orientation Session Phase 1:

• January 4-5, 2023 (W/Th)
• January 9-10, 2023 (M/T)
• January 11-12, 2023 (W/Th)
• January 17-18, 2023 (T/W)
• January 19-20, 2023 (Th/F)
• January 23-24, 2023 (M/T)
• January 25-26, 2023 (W/Th)
• January 30-31, 2023 (M/T)
• February 1-2, 2023 (W/Th)

Please note these dates are for Simulation Intensives only. The coordinator for each specialty track will provide full orientation dates.

Phase 2: The second mandatory on-campus visit will be during the fall semester when the student is enrolled in the last clinical course (CMN 576).

Family NP Clinical Skills Intensive Orientation Session Phase 2:

• September 6-7, 2022 (T/W)
• September 8-9, 2022 (Th/F)
• September 13-14, 2022 (T/W)
• September 15-16, 2022 (Th/F)
• September 20-21, 2022 (T/W)
• September 22-23, 2022 (Th/F)
• September 27-28, 2022 (T/W)
• September 29-30, 2022 (Th/F)

Please note these dates are for Simulation Intensives only. The coordinator for each specialty track will provide full orientation dates.

Orientation for students in the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty will be online.

A Sakai Project Site will open in July for students planning to enroll in CMN 568 and CMN 571 in the fall to assist in making preparations for clinicals. Students will be invited to join this site by the clinical coordinator. In order to provide students with consistent, accurate, and official information about clinicals, please refrain from contacting Clinical Affairs or other departments to make requests or inquiries, and if at all possible, await the opening of the Sakai Project Site. Students will have ample time to set up clinical rotations once information is received from the site.

General Summary Schedule of the information given above. Some exceptions may apply.

• Spring-notification by the sim staff to sign up for preferred session for on campus visits
• Summer-notification by clinical coordinator to join Sakai site for clinical preparation information
• Fall-CMN568 and CMN571
• Spring-CMN572 and CMN573, attend Phase 1 on campus, Skills, Simulation Labs. 180 clinical hours required (140 hours in Outpatient Primary Care AND 40 clinical hours in Women's Health OR 90 hours in Outpatient Primary Care AND 90 hours in pediatrics)
• Summer-CMN574 and CMN 575, 180 clinical hours required in internal medicine OR 120 hours in internal medicine AND 60 hours in outpatient urgent care)
• Fall-CMN576, CMN577, attend Phase 2 on campus, Final Clinical Exam (Pass/Fail), 240 clinical hours required (150 hours in outpatient primary care and 90 hours in pediatrics OR 200 hours in outpatient primary care AND 40 hours in Women's Health - whichever one is lacking from the Spring)

Specialty tracks within the College of Nursing’s graduate program require a practice component. Although faculty assists students in locating appropriate practice/clinical sites, it is the student’s responsibility to secure a site and preceptor if indicated. Students who are unsuccessful in being accepted by an agency in their home community may have to travel to another area to complete practice requirements. Please review the list of Clinical Affiliations on the College of Nursing Web Site. If there is not a clinical site listed near you or you are interested in a site not listed, negotiations should be initiated as soon as you begin the program through the Track Coordinator for your specialty.

The program does not require a thesis or dissertation; however, students are required to complete an evidence-based scholarly project that results in a quality improvement change and has a substantial effect on healthcare and patient outcomes. Residency requirements for the scholarly project can be completed in the student’s home region with an approved mentor.

BSN-DNP students complete all support, MSN specialty, DNP Core, DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency courses for a total of 69 credit hours. The following DNP core courses are required for the completion of the MSN degree: NU 607, NU 608, NU 610, and NU 613.  Both MSN and DNP degrees must be completed within seven years. The MSN portion must be completed within the first five years of the program.

MSN-DNP students adding a new specialty must complete the support courses if they have not previously completed the courses in their MSN program.  They must complete the specialty courses and support courses, if needed, to complete the Post-Graduate Certificate. The DNP core, DNP Project Planning & Development, and Residency courses are required for completion of the DNP degree.  This program is a total of 60 credit hours or 69 credit hours if support courses are needed. The Post-Graduate Certificate must be completed within two calendar years. The student has seven years to complete both the Post-Graduate Certificate and DNP degree for this program.

MSN-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles must only complete the DNP core, DNP Project Planning & Development, and Residency courses to complete the DNP degree. This is a total of 36 credit hours. The student has a total of five years to complete the degree requirements.

Curriculum
Support Courses
NU 518 - Advanced Nursing Assessment 3 credit hours
NU 545 - Physio-pathological Basis of Advanced Nursing 3 credit hours
NU 578 - Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses 3 credit hours
Family NP Specialty Courses
CMN 568 - Introduction to Family NP 3 credit hours
CMN 571 - Health Promotion/Disease Prevention & Issues for Family NP 2 credit hours
CMN 572 - Family NP I 3 credit hours
CMN 573 - Family NP Practicum I - 180 Clinical Hours 3 credit hours
CMN 574 - Family NP II 3 credit hours
CMN 575 - Family NP Practicum II - 180 Clinical Hours 3 credit hours
CMN 576 - Family NP Practicum III - 240 Clinical Hours 4 credit hours
CMN 577 - Family NP III 3 credit hours
DNP Core Courses
NU 607 - Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice 3 credit hours
NU 608 - Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement in Healthcare 3 credit hours
NU 610 - Healthcare Policy and Finance 3 credit hours
NU 613 - Organizational & Systems Leadership 3 credit hours
NU 611 - Translating Evidence Into Practice Systems 3 credit hours
NU 612 - Clinical Prevention and Population Health 3 credit hours
NU 615 - Quality Improvement and Outcomes Assessment 3 credit hours
NU 616 - Data Management & Decision Making in Complex Healthcare Systems 3 credit hours
Family NP DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency
CMN 680 - Family NP PP&D 3 credit hours
CMN 681 - Family NP Residency I - 180 specialty clinical hours 3 credit hours
CMN 682 - Family NP Residency II - 180 specialty clinical hours 3 credit hours
CMN 683 - Family NP Residency III - 180 specialty clinical hours 3 credit hours

The University of South Alabama Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program provides the skills necessary for a rewarding career. Graduates are eligible and prepared to complete the appropriate national certification exam and apply for licensure to practice as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). It is the graduate’s responsibility to ensure the program meets the requirements to practice in their selected state or U.S. territory.

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