All Students from Family Nurse Practitioner Program Earn Board Certification

Learned skills and clinical experience prepare them to provide comprehensive primary health care

All students in Sacred Heart University’s 2019 class of family nurse practitioner (FNP)-master’s degree program have passed their certification exam on the first try.

In SHU’s FNP program, nurses who hold bachelor of science degrees can earn their master’s or doctorate and expand their qualifications for a career as a family nurse practitioner. Upon passing their post-graduation national board certification exam, which tests their knowledge of advanced clinical decision making and patient care management, they are eligible to apply their expertise in Connecticut and across the nation.

“We are extremely proud of the students and faculty,” said Mary Alice Donius, dean of the Dr. Susan L. Davis & Richard J. Henley College of Nursing. “These students put in many hours of hard work and gained first-hand experience at clinicals under their professors’ guidance, which provided them with all the necessary skills to pass the certification exam. We can’t wait to see what this class does next.”

Courses in SHU’s FNP program teach students how to work in primary care settings, private practices or community centers. Graduates move on to provide comprehensive primary health care to patients across their lifespan, treating acute illnesses and chronic diseases and educating patients about health promotion strategies.

For more information, visit the Family Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice webpage.