DNP-FNP Concentration Courses

Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Courses

Course Descriptions

Prior to beginning any specialty courses in the FNP program, students must successfully complete and pass with a B, N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning, N615 Advanced Pathophysiology, and N619 Advanced Pharmacology. Students must also have completed (or take concurrently) N703 Pharmacotherapy Management and N670 Family Systems and Interventions when enrolled in the first specialty courses in the sequence, N614 Advanced Health Assessment.

In the FNP program curriculum, there is a series of five theory courses with five concurrent practicum courses that provide content and experience in the specialty area of advanced primary care/family nurse practitioner. After completing these specialty courses, students will engage in the Final Immersion Practicum taken during their final semester in the DNP program. All FNP students are required to take these courses unless they have a master’s degree in a nurse practitioner specialty and have received some course waivers at the time of admission. These courses build upon each other and must be taken in the sequence outlined in the plan of study.

Course Descriptions

• N614 Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning- 3 credits
  Content focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to perform comprehensive health assessments and develop enhanced capacity for clinical reasoning and laboratory test interpretation.
• N615 Advanced Pathophysiology- 3 credits
  This course provides the conceptual basis and specific knowledge of pathophysiology and disease recognition for children and adults as observed in the primary care setting.
• N619 Advanced Pharmacology- 3 credits
  This course provides and in-depth look at the principles of pharmacology for classes of drugs commonly used in various health care practices. The most pertinent drug classes for nursing practice are included in this course.
• N703 Pharmacotherapy Management- 3 credits
  Integration of principles of pharmacology and therapeutic patient care management to construct, implement and evaluate optimal pharmacotherapeutic regimens for patients in various healthcare settings. This course includes an assignment with a local pharmacist.
• N670 Family Systems and Interventions- 3 credits
  Selected concepts, theories and research related to family dynamics and family coping, with an emphasis on practice strategies to support family well-being and mental health.
• N643 Assessment and Diagnosis of Psychiatric and Mental Health Disorders- 3 credits
  This course provides an introduction to the diagnostic processes in mental health/mental disorders using DSM 5 diagnostic criteria, ICD coding, and other mental assessment tools while considering family, community, and cultural influences.
• N610 Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults- 3 credits & N698E Practicum: Primary Health Care of Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults- 3 credits (must be taken concurrently)
  Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse children, adolescents, and young adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698E. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 184 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698E UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who services infants through young adults either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of children and young adults. Primary care and family practice NPs and MDs or pediatric NPs or pediatricians are appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.
• N620 Primary Health Care of Adults and Older Adults- 3 credits & N698X Practicum: Primary Health Care of Adults- 3 credits (must be taken concurrently)
  Content and practicum focus is on acquiring the knowledge and skills needed to assess, maintain, and promote the health and well-being of culturally diverse adults and older adults. Application of this knowledge occurs in the concurrent clinical practicum N698X. Students will select an agency and a preceptor in their community and engage in 184 hours of practicum experiences to meet course objectives. The N698X UMass faculty will supervise this practicum course in conjunction with the student’s approved preceptor. Students must recruit a provider who adult patients either in a family practice or in a practice that specializes in the care of adults and older adults. Primary care NPs and MDs and ANPs are preferred choices for preceptors. Internal Medicine Specialists, GNPs, or Geriatricians can be appropriate choices for preceptors for this semester as approved by the faculty. Students will concentrate their experiences with patients with simple acute or stable chronic health problems.
• N723 Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare in Primary Care- 3 credits & N798K Practicum: Sexual and Reproductive healthcare in Primary Care - 2 credits (must be taken concurrently)
  Content and practicum focus is on building knowledge and skills beyond the provision of primary These courses are intended to provide advanced practice nurses with the knowledge and skills required to assess, diagnose, and manage patients presenting for sexual and reproductive health care in the primary care setting. Topics include the most common sexual and reproductive health promotion/maintenance issues and challenges across the life cycle. Common abnormalities in sexual and reproductive well-being that are within the scope of practice of the advanced practice nurse practitioner and conditions that require collaborative management and/or referral will be included. Application of this knowledge occurs in a concurrent clinical practicum.
  
  These courses are included in a sequence of required clinical courses for FNP DNP students specializing in Primary Care Nursing/Nurse Practitioner Role. In their area of clinical specialization, the nurse practitioner applies expert knowledge and skills aimed at advancing the science and practice of Primary Care Nursing. The practicum course will consist of a supervised clinical practicum experience 128 clinical practicum hours in a community-based health care agency providing sexual and reproductive health to adolescents and adults.
• N898D Practicum: FNP Final Direct Care residency- 2 credits
  This final practicum provides an intensive immersion opportunity for students to further enhance and integrate their prior learning and to gain experience with designated DNP essentials and specialty competencies while completing the final 128 hours of clinical practicum.