Students may elect, with their faculty advisor's approval, to complete a thesis. The advanced nursing practice roles are developed in the specialty courses. The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Specialty prepares the graduate to take a position as an acute care nurse practitioner in critical care or acute care settings. The Specialty combines advanced critical care knowledge from the physiological and psychosocial sciences with emphasis on skill development in the role of acute care nurse practitioner. The Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty prepares the student to be the primary care provider for families and individuals across the lifespan.
Graduates are prepared to function as family nurse practitioners in primary care settings.
Emphasis is placed on health promotion, disease prevention, and the management of acute episodic and chronic conditions in individuals and families in each stage of the family life cycle. Graduates are eligible for ANCC Family Nurse Practitioner Certification. Graduates are eligible to take the certification examination of the Council on Certification of Nurse Anesthesia. In the clinical courses during the first two semesters, students focus on management of healthy women during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period including psychological, physiological, and sociological factors which affect the state of health. Women's health care and community needs are addressed throughout the curriculum.