In the world of advanced practice nursing, a nurse practitioner (NP) role allows you to specialize in an area like pediatrics, women’s health, or adult geriatrics.
While NPs are a type of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) that typically work with a specific age group or population with a type of health condition – such as cancer, for example – if family medicine piques your interest, you have the option to become a family nurse practitioner (FNP), which is just one of the many types of NP.
Are you curious to learn more about becoming a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)? Stay with us as we expand on the roles and responsibilities of an FNP, as well as pathways to enable you to become one.
What is an FNP?
An FNP is a type of NP that focuses specifically on caring for patients of all ages and their families. Usually the primary health care provider, an FNP often provides care through the lifespan of each patient. Although somewhat similar to being a primary care practitioner, the role of an FNP is slightly more specialized, as it focuses on delivering care to families.
The FNP role’s focus on family medicine still leaves options for variety, however, as FNPs have the opportunity to treat patients from all walks of life – from infants to the very elderly. The ability to provide treatment to patients from all age groups allows FNPs to develop extensive knowledge and experience in delivering patient care. As such, no day is ever the same – keeping the role of an FNP both varied and interesting, as well as exposing FNPs to continued learning, and new challenges almost daily.
How Do I Become an FNP?
Are you keen to become an FNP? There are certain steps you’ll need to take – including completing the relevant studies, attending clinical placements, and gaining valuable industry experience.
Study Pathways
There are multiple study pathways to becoming a registered FNP. One of these is to complete an online MSN FNP or similar, via which aspiring FNPs can study the relevant skills involved in practicing family medicine. The knowledge developed throughout these studies can enable FNPs to deliver effective, patient-focused medical treatment to both individuals and families.
Clinical Placements and Industry Experience
What is a clinical placement? When it comes to healthcare professionals, they are often a required rite of passage on the road toward becoming a registered medical practitioner.
For FNPs, clinical placements most often occur in healthcare settings such as medical centers or hospitals. These types of placements enable budding family nurses to gain invaluable, real-world insights into a day in the life of a medical professional. They also allow aspiring FNPs to gain critical on-the-job experience they can call upon throughout their careers. Attending clinical placements also put FNPs in contact with other industry professionals, and to learn directly from the first-hand experiences of their nursing peers.
What are the Roles and Responsibilities of an FNP?
As a registered FNP, you’ll wear many different hats. One of the most important, and the main element of the FNP’s role, is delivering patient care to families. This predominantly involves providing medical treatment to patients for a variety of illnesses, ailments, or injuries. In addition to this, FNPs are also able to prescribe medications, provide healthcare advice, and diagnose medical conditions. In some cases, FNPs can also be asked to assist with surgical procedures.
Further to these duties, family nurses are often also tasked with updating and maintaining patient records – documenting details such as medical diagnoses, prescriptions, and planned courses of action for patient treatment plans.
The role of an FNP is as interesting and varied as it is challenging. Of the many hats an FNP will wear, however, the most important is delivering effective, patient-focused, and conscientious medical treatment to the individuals in their care. This relates to patients of all ages, and from all walks of life – from babies and young children to adolescents, adults, and even the elderly.
If you’re eager to become an FNP, following the relevant study pathways can set you well on your way to practicing as a medical professional – especially if your ideal focus is family medicine.