Nurses play a significant role in our healthcare systems and the quality of care that patients receive. Fortunately, the field of nursing is broad, meaning there are many different career paths within it, as well as many opportunities for growth. Some of those paths require an associate or bachelor’s degree, while more advanced positions require a graduate level nursing degree. If you are interested in advancing your nursing career to the next level, you may be considering becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).

Many aspiring nurse practitioners wonder, what does a Family Nurse Practitioner do? A Family Nurse Practitioner job description cannot be summed up in one or two sentences — and that is because Family Nurse Practitioners have a broad scope of practice. In general, FNPs provide lifelong, comprehensive care to patients across multiple age groups, from infants to geriatrics. Because Family Nurse Practitioners have such an extensive knowledge base and experience with all patient population age groups, their role is often times compared to that of a primary care physician.

What does a Family Nurse Practitioner do on a daily basis?

Family Nurse Practitioners care for their patients by providing preventative health services, health education, as well as disease management care and guidance. Unlike registered nurses, FNPs are qualified to prescribe medicine to patients. They are also qualified to perform a variation of different tasks, such as treating minor acute injuries, providing health and wellness care to children and babies, and managing chronic conditions like hypertension. While this is just a snapshot of some FNP’s daily duties, their complete scope of responsibilities depends on the specific healthcare environment in which they practice. Some of the different healthcare environments that Family Nurse Practitioners could work in include hospitals, schools, state health units, doctor’s offices, private practices, and community clinics.

Although not required, many Family Nurse Practitioners choose to earn additional clinical certifications in certain specializations, like emergency medicine, neonatology, and women’s health. While a Family Nurse Practitioner can handle a wide scope of responsibilities, often times they work with other specialists, like Oncologists, to co-manage some patient conditions. The FNP and specialist would work together on a collaborative, holistic health plan for that patient.

Now that you have an idea of a Family Nurse Practitioner job description, you may want to know more about how to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. To start, all FNPs must already be a registered nurse (RN). They must also become certified to be an FNP by completing a reputable Family Nurse Practitioner program, like the one at Goodwin University.

When researching different Family Nurse Practitioner programs, you will want to consider a program that offers an advanced FNP curriculum that focuses on real-life scenarios and applications, and that provides valuable, immersive clinical experiences. Goodwin’s Family Nurse Practitioner program could be a good fit, if you are looking to enroll in an FNP program that focuses on primary care careers. Goodwin’s FNP program has a robust curriculum that covers everything from current nursing concepts, to policy and politics of healthcare, to advanced reasoning and physical assessment. All courses are taught by a team of talented, experienced staff and faculty — and all classes (excluding clinicals) are offered entirely online.

If you are still wondering, “What does a Family Nurse Practitioner do?”, or if you are ready to take the next step to becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner, then contact Goodwin University. The Goodwin nursing advisors will provide you with all the information needed to take the next step in your nursing career. Call 800-889-3282 or visit us online to learn more.