The goal of the graduate curriculum is to provide advanced professional education to nurses with a B.S.N. or equivalent. The graduate degree in nursing is designed to respond to society’s needs for professional nurses who influence the structure of emerging patterns of health care practice and delivery. Specialization in an area of nursing practice or function enables graduates to effectively address current and future societal health needs. Graduates support the development and refinement of nursing science by assuming advanced clinical and leadership roles within the profession and by participating in research and other scholarly activities.
SSU offers specialization as a family nurse practitioner (F.N.P.), with emphasis on advanced clinical primary care practice.
Application Procedures
The standard CSU application must be submitted for admission to SSU. In addition, applicants must:
- Meet the minimum admissions requirements;
- Submit a supplemental application form; to NursingCAS
Applicants who have received their B.S.N. from SSU also need to submit a standard CSU application and supplemental nursing application to apply for graduate standing at SSU.
Family Nurse Practitioner Program
The purpose of the family nurse practitioner specialty option is to prepare registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree in nursing for advanced clinical practice with an emphasis on promoting individual and family wellness. The F.N.P. specialty focuses upon the theoretical and scientific bases for the assessment, diagnosis, and management of common illness as well as health teaching, counseling, and preventive services. Emphasis is placed upon advanced clinical skills that include history-taking, physical examination, health screening, management of common illnesses, and techniques of prevention and risk reduction. Graduates may work in clinics, health maintenance organizations, schools, and medical practices as primary health care providers.
Admission Requirements
- B.S.N. degree;
- GPA of 3.00 in the last two years (60 units) of undergraduate or post-graduate study;
- Current California licensure as a registered nurse;
- Completion of a course in statistics in college career;
- Two years of full-time experience as a R.N. preferred.
Curriculum Features
Students and faculty share responsibility for finding an acceptable preceptor. Content includes health needs and risks of all family members, family theories, and legal and professional issues pertinent to nurse practitioners. Content taken concurrently with the clinical sequences includes advanced health assessment and health risk assessment of individuals and families, pathophysiological concepts in diagnosis and treatment of common illness, pharmacology, and practice issues pertinent to nurse practitioners.
Students complete a comprehensive exam for the culminating experience that serves as evidence of successful integration of the diverse content areas in the curriculum.
The SSU family nurse practitioner specialty option meets criteria specified in Section 1484, Title 16, of the California Administrative Code and is approved by the California State Board of Registered Nursing.
The M.S.N. F.N.P. curriculum is 46 units, students progress from basic advanced practice skills to more complex skills. Each semester has a clinical skills component.
Graduate Nursing Progression and Retention
Should a graduate nursing student not attain a minimum grade of B- (a C+ is not acceptable) in a required graduate nursing course, the student will not be permitted to continue in the program. The student may petition the faculty to repeat the course. If approval is granted, the student must receive a grade of B- or better in the course when repeated. If a minimum grade of B- is not attained, the student will not be eligible to continue in, or graduate from, the M.S.N. program. Admission requirements, policies, and other information related to the Master’s Degree Program in Nursing can be found at: www.sonoma.edu/nursing/fnpp/
