5 Great Reasons to Become a Family Nurse Practitioner

If you’ve been thinking about advancing in your nursing career, consider becoming a family nurse practitioner (FNP). FNPs assess, diagnose, and treat patients holistically through all of life’s stages. They are licensed and certified to treat the whole family, from infants to seniors. Some of the common tasks FNPs perform include maintaining patient records; developing treatment plans; ordering or performing diagnostic tests; prescribing medications; and treating illnesses, injuries, and conditions. Here are five great reasons to become a family nurse practitioner.

1. You can develop a lifelong relationship with your patients.
   FNPs can treat patients of all ages. That means you can work with your patients throughout their life span. You can be the trusted health partner of your patients from childhood to old age.
2. You may be able to work independently.
   Family nurse practitioners are often the primary care provider for their patients. They make diagnoses, and ultimately, patient outcomes are their responsibility. In fact, as of early 2022, nurse practitioners can work independently, without physician supervision, in 24 states and the District of Columbia.¹
3. You can care for patients in a variety of settings.
   Most FNPs work in physician’s offices, but they can also choose to work in healthcare systems or hospitals, urgent care centers, universities, or community health centers, or in private practice.
4. You can join a field that is in high demand.
   Family nurse practitioners are in demand! Healthcare needs are increasing due to a growing emphasis on preventive care and a population that is aging. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that nurse practitioner jobs will increase by 52% through 2030—while jobs for RNs will increase just 9%.^{2, 3}
5. You will always be challenged.
   Nursing is a fast-paced and ever-changing field. In the course of a day, you could encounter any number of patient needs—from preventive care to serious illnesses, injuries to prescription management plans. Your critical thinking skills will be put to good use as you think through possible treatment plans, and you’ll regularly be introduced to new health technologies.

If you want to become a family nurse practitioner who is committed to quality healthcare for your patients throughout their life span, the first step is education. Walden University is No. 1 in Master of Science in Nursing graduates in the U.S.⁴ And Walden’s MSN online degree program, which has a Family Nurse Practitioner specialization, is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).

Walden’s online MSN Family Nurse Practitioner degree program can help you reach your career goals and move from an RN to MSN. Walden’s MSN program offers two tracks to meet your needs:

• BSN to FNP: If you have earned your Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, this is your track.
• RN to FNP: If you haven’t yet earned your BSN, choose this track.

If you have earned your BSN degree and a doctoral degree is your goal, a BSN track is offered in both the Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN to DNP) and PhD in Nursing (BSN to PhD) programs. Walden’s DNP program also offers a specialization in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Walden University Practicum Pledge^™
Walden University understands that finding a site or preceptor can be challenging and we are dedicated to supporting you at every step of the way to ensure a timely and successful placement. Walden University Practicum Pledge^™ creates a collaborative search process between our MSN NP and DNP NP students and our large network of field sites and preceptors. If after several tries you’re unable to identify your own site and preceptor, we pledge to help match you with a preceptor and site. We’ve added a dedicated Field Placement Team to explain the process and requirements and proactively partner with you to offer site and preceptor matching. The Walden University Practicum Pledge^™ gives our students added confidence as they embark on their NP journey.

Walden University’s College of Nursing offers several programs with CCNE accreditation for nurses at all stages of their careers. If you want to become a family nurse practitioner, you can pursue your education at Walden and continue to make a positive impact on the health of your community.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering a Master of Science in Nursing with a Family Nurse Practitioner specialization. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.

¹Source: www.aanp.org/advocacy/state/state-practice-environment
²Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nurse-anesthetists-nurse-midwives-and-nurse-practitioners.htm#tab-6
³Source: www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/registered-nurses.htm
⁴Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) IPEDS database. Based on the most recent year of completions survey data available, using CIP code family 51.38 “Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research, and Clinical Nursing” for Master’s degrees (Award level 7). Available at https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/use-the-data. (Retrieved January 2021; may consist of or include provisional release data.)

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing (BSN), master’s degree program in nursing (MSN), post-graduate APRN certificate program, and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at Walden University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).

Note on licensure: The PhD in Nursing is not a licensure program and will not prepare students as nurse practitioners.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.