Nursing, Post-Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner, Graduate Certificate*

General Program Information

Dr. Lisa Haddad, PhD, RN, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs
207 Roy S. Nicks Hall
Box 70629
(423) 439-5626
e-mail: HaddadL@etsu.edu

The Post-Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner certificate offers a Post-Master’s certificate for nurses who have completed a Master of Science in Nursing degree. This customized special studies program provides education and clinical training in the FNP role. Upon completion of the program, graduates are eligible for the national certification examination and to assume practice and leadership positions in the healthcare team. 

Prospective students must submit a completed application to the School of Graduate Studies which includes official transcripts from all previous undergraduate and graduate coursework, a completed personal essay, a vitae/résumé, and three (3) professional letters of recommendation. GRE reports are not required. Criteria for admission includes:

• A Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) from a program accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE);
• A “B” average (3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in the nursing major; and
• Licensure in the United States as a registered nurse and eligibility for licensure in Tennessee or compact state.
• Admission to the post-master’s certificate program will be accomplished in the same manner as for the master’s nursing degree program. A minimum of twenty-four (24) credits is required for the certificate in Advanced Nursing Practice.

For application terms and deadlines please refer to the College of Nursing website.

Progression Policy

1. Students in graduate nursing programs must meet the requirements of the School of Graduate Studies to remain in good standing. An overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or better must be maintained.
2. In addition, a nursing student must achieve a “B” or better in every graduate nursing course. Policies of the School of Graduate Studies for progression will apply.
3. Students who receive less than a “B” in a course will have one opportunity to repeat the course.
4. If a student’s cumulative grade point average falls below 3.0, she/he will be placed on academic probation the following semester. If the student does not achieve a 3.0 cumulative grade point average at the conclusion of one probationary semester, the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the Associate Dean Graduate Programs in the College of Nursing will determine if the student should be dismissed from graduate study or continued on academic probation. No student will be allowed more than two probationary semesters, whether consecutive or cumulative. At the end of a second probationary semester, a student whose cumulative grade point average is still below 3.0 will be dismissed from graduate study.
5. Students whose performance results in a GPA so far below 3.0 as to make it mathematically impossible to attain an overall GPA of 3.0 after one semester may be subject to dismissal without a probationary term.
6. An incomplete grade (“I”) indicates that the student was passing the course at the end of the semester, but due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, was unable to complete the course work for which the “I” is assigned. The “I” grade cannot be used to allow a student to do additional work to raise a deficient grade or to repeat a course. An “I” grade must be removed no later than one calendar year from the time the grade is awarded. Students with more than one “I” grade cannot progress in the program.  Time extension requests for removal of an “I” grade must be submitted to and approved by the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies before the allotted time expires. An “I” grade not removed under the guidelines in the Graduate Catalog will be converted to an “F.”
7. Students may have grades of “WF” in no more than one semester within an academic year. 
8. Students must maintain an unencumbered registered nurse license in all states where they are currently licensed throughout the duration of the graduate program and in the state(s) where they fulfill clinical course requirements. If at any time during enrollment in the graduate program a student’s nursing license becomes encumbered, is suspended, or revoked, the student must immediately report this to the Associate Dean Graduate Programs in the College of Nursing. If a student’s registered nurse license is suspended or revoked, or if a student fails to report any changes in licensure status to the Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, the student will be administratively withdrawn from the graduate program. A student’s ability to continue enrollment in the graduate program with an encumbered license will be reviewed on an individual basis considering the restriction/limitations placed on the student’s practice as a registered nurse by the board of nursing in the state issuing the encumbered license.
9. Grade Scale: A=93-100; B=84-92; C=75-83; F=less than 75. Grades may be rounded at the discretion of the faculty.
10. The student is referred to the Graduate Catalog for more detailed progression information.

Post-Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner, Graduate Certificate Requirements: 24 credits

Required Courses: 24 credits

• NRSE 5011 - Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner I (3 credits)
• NRSE 5012 - Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner I Practicum (3 credits)
• NRSE 5013 - Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner II (3 credits)
• NRSE 5014 - Health Promotion, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Clinical Management: Nurse Practitioner II Practicum (3 credits)
• NRSE 5021 - Life Span Assessment and Clinical Management: Women’s Health (2-3 credits)
• NRSE 5022 - Life Span Assessment and Clinical Management: Women’s Health Practicum (3 credits)
• NRSE 5023 - Health Promotion Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Children and Adolescents (3 credits)
• NRSE 5024 - Health Promotion, Diagnosis and Clinical Management of Children and Adolescents Practicum (3 credits)

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  Total Contact Hours - Advance Family NP Clinical/Practicum: 780 Hours