Roberts Wesleyan College announced a new graduate degree offering that will address a growing need for nurse practitioners in the health field. The Master of Science degree in family nurse practitioner program is designed for working registered nurses who hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing and are seeking licensure and certification to provide primary care as a family nurse practitioner for infants through older adulthood.
All coursework will be delivered exclusively online with the exception of a one-week on-site diagnostics and skills laboratory course.
The 54-credit-hour program registered by New York state and accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, will be available to prospective students starting in January 2022 and can be completed on a part-time basis within three years.
“For many years, people have asked if we had a nurse practitioner program,” said Cheryl Crotser, dean and graduate program director of the school of nursing at Roberts Wesleyan College. “We made every effort to meet that growing demand through the development of this new offering to help address the need for nurse practitioners and to meet the health care needs of our community and beyond.”
Grounded in nursing science, the research and evidence-based curriculum will develop the knowledge and skills needed to manage the health care of individuals and their families by providing preventive and primary care, promoting health and managing chronic conditions. The program is designed to build knowledge and skill in nursing science, leadership, quality, technology, policy, health delivery systems and independent clinical practice.
Assistant Professor Amy Rama will lead the program. Rama specializes as a family nurse practitioner and has held positions in older adult care and home health settings. “Nurse practitioners are established nurses first,” Rama said. “This program will build on those nursing skills to prepare students to comprehensively treat, diagnose, prescribe and educate a wide range of patients.”