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A: Each enrollment of students consists of 24-28 students
A: The MSN, FNP program is 1.7 years (5 semesters) in length if a student takes classes on a full-time basis (taking 2 courses/8 weeks until the clinical courses begin).
A: Students will submit an essay that addresses the following two questions:
A: There are 2 onsite residencies that are scheduled at specified times in Fort Lauderdale, Florida during the MSN FNP program. The first residency is in the Advanced Assessment course and is 3 days in length (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday). The second residency is in the final course, Integration Practicum, this residency is two days in length (Saturday and Sunday)
A: Yes, students can attend the MSN, FNP program on a part time basis. Part-time is considered one course per 8 weeks. We strongly recommend that students complete the program within 5 years of their start date.
A: Yes. Courses are offered in specific sequences and students will receive guidance in developing their program plan from Keiser University’s admission counselors. NUR501 Leadership and Professional Development in Nursing is the first course in the program. NUR650 Advanced Pathophysiology for Practice, NUR661 Principles of Advanced Pharmacology II, and NUR 671 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning as well as the core courses must be completed prior to starting the clinical courses.
A: Yes, it is possible to work during the program. Your ability to balance your work schedule, your clinical schedule, your home responsibilities, and your academic studies is the key to being successful. You will spend approximately 15-16 hours per week in your clinical practicums; 6-8 hours per week in the online course (discussion forums and instruction). Your study and review time is based upon your individual study habits.
A: Students will be required to complete a minimum of 510 clinical hours.
A: KU has designed a rigorous curriculum that includes 510 clinical hours to ensure the highest quality graduates and success in meeting certification requirements.
A: There are 5, eight week clinical practicum sessions that are each associated with a corresponding didactic course. The first two clinical practicums are 2 credits each (with 120 clinical hours each practicum). That averages to approximately 16 hours per week. The second two clinical practicums have 60 clinical hours each that averages to approximately 8 hours per week. The last clinical course includes 150 clinical hours. Taken sequentially, it would take 40 weeks to complete the didactic and clinical component of the FNP program.
A: Student schedules and program plans are individually designed prior to the start of the program. All core courses and the specialty courses, NUR650 Advanced Pathophysiology for Practice, NUR661 Principles of Advanced Pharmacology II, and NUR 671 are to be completed prior to the start of the clinical courses. Both theory and clinical courses must be successfully completed and final grades submitted prior to the student enrolling in subsequent clinical and theory courses.
A: Prior to starting clinical practice experiences, students must show evidence of medical clearance (including appropriate immunization status) and have a clear criminal history background check. All clinical sites will have a contract with the college and all preceptors will be approved by the college before students begin their clinical experiences. Also, students must complete all core courses and specialty courses prior to starting the clinical courses.
A. Students identify their own clinical sites and preceptors. Getting a preceptor can take some time, depending on where you live. Some tips for locating a preceptor are listed below:
Other helpful tips in locating a preceptor:
1. Clinical hours may be completed in Primary care health departments, retail clinics, physician offices, urgent cares, and fast track clinics.
2. Contact your state board of nursing and ask if they have a list of available preceptors in your area.
3. Contact your local, regional, state, or national Nurse Practitioner (NP) Association. You can join as a student member (at reduced rates) and then attend local Association meetings to network with potential preceptors. Some NP Associations operate web sites and/or email list serves that are accessible to members and which allow students to post an “advertisement” for a preceptor.
4. Review organizations online that serve underserved populations:
A: Each clinical course runs over a period of 8 weeks and students average 15-16 hours per week in clinical practice. You will be collaborating with your preceptor to schedule your supervised clinical hours. We highly recommend that you spread the clinical hours over the 8 week session. It is important for you to have time to reflect after and between each clinical session to review the experiences and to perform the appropriate research for learning to occur.
A: Neither the AANP or ACCCN defines exact “hour counts” for certification eligibility. Students must submit confirmation (confirmed by Keiser University) of completion of 500 supervised clinical hours that are reflect care provision to patients across the lifespan. Our program clinical hours are as follows: 120 hours in families with children (pediatrics); 120 hours in families with women including prenatal care, monitoring, and postpartum care; 120 hours in families with young/middle adult health and 120 hours in care of families with older adults;. 150 hours in integrated care of families across the lifespan. Clinical hours and case logs are tracked by the student in a secure website (Typhon Tracking System) which calculates hours by age group and diagnosis.
A: Keiser University does require that students carry their own liability insurance (and provide evidence of this) once they get to their clinical courses. Even though Keiser University and the agency that you will affiliate with may have liability insurance, you must obtain personal liability insurance. You will be practicing under your own RN license and it important that you protect it. There are a number of organizations that provide liability insurance for practicing nurses: the American Nurses Association provides it at a discount if you are a member and Nurses Services Organization (NSO) has been providing insurance to nurses for years. Here are some helpful websites for you to review for malpractice insurance: http://www.nso.com/
http://www.nursingworld.org/nursingliabilityinsurance.aspx.
You may also want to research the Nurse Practitioner Organizations or other professional nursing organizations to see if they offer student discounted malpractice insurance coverage.
A: We strongly recommend that students invest in handheld (such as a Smart Phone) or tablet devices for easy access to electronic (applications or “apps”) and internet resources to research patient diagnoses and best practice treatment guidelines (evidence based practice) during the clinical day. Some clinical sites will have internet access and electronic resources available to the student and others will not. In more remote settings where internet or cell phone signal access not available, students may rely upon print materials (textbooks and journals) for basic information while at the clinical site.
A: There are two recognized, certifying bodies that provide certification for FNPs. The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or AANP (www.aanpcert.org and the American Nurses Credentialing Center or ANCC (www.nursecredentialing.org). Keiser University does not recommend one certifying body over another. We recommend that you visit the two sites and explore their site information.
A: Licensing regulations for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) vary from state to state. All states require that an ARNP is certified (by examination) through a recognized certifying body (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or the American Nurses Credentialing Center). Contact your Board of Nursing for state specific regulations. See the National Council of State Boards of nursing at https://www.ncsbn.org to locate your State Board of Nursing.
A: Both the AANP and the ANCC require a conferred degree and an official transcript prior to finalizing the certification process. The AANP certification exam may be taken prior to degree conferral but the examination results will not be released until the degree is conferred. The ANCC requires a conferred degree and an official transcript on file prior to any candidate taking the examination. Candidates may start the application process for both certifying bodies with a non-official transcript showing all courses completed while awaiting degree conferral.
In addition, both certifying bodies require documentation from the FNP program verifying that a minimum of 500 clinical hours have been completed.
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners or AANP (www.aanpcert.org) or the American Nurses Credentialing Center or ANCC (www.nursecredentialing.org).
A: The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) together with other advanced practice nursing organizations in the country published a Consensus Model for the educational preparation and certification of Nurse Practitioners (2008). The DNP is an option for Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners but at this time, it is not required as “entry level” for nurse practitioners. The Keiser University MSN/FNP program adheres to all of the recommendations of the Consensus Model.http://www.nonpf.org/?page=26.
A: Yes, Keiser University offers a post-Master’s DNP program.
