FNP- Certificate of Advanced Standing (CAS) Program
This part-time program is designed for nurse-practitioners who are currently not family nurse-practitioners (FNP) but wish to complete the coursework necessary to expand their scope of practice and establish eligibility for FNP licensure. Applicants must be currently registered as a professional nurse and advanced practice provider.
Once admitted, the program director reviews the applicant’s transcript and professional background to complete an individualized gap analysis to determine what coursework is required to be eligible for Family Nurse Practitioner licensure.
The CAS curriculum is individually tailored to address additional knowledge needed to become a Family Nurse Practitioner. For most nurse practitioners, with advanced standing, this is approximately 16 credit hours.
Delivery Mode:
- Non-clinical courses are 100% online
- Clinical courses are hybrid and are scheduled on up to three Friday evenings and Saturdays each semester on the Brockport campus – Clinical experiences are in person at the designated clinical site.
Graduates of the FNP-CAS program are eligible to take the national FNP certification exam (ANCC or AANP) and earn New York State Certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Admission to the FNP- CAS program
Applicants who have earned a master’s degree in nursing, from a program that did not prepare them as a Family Nurse Practitioner and wish to apply for admission into the certificate of advanced standing program to become a Family Nurse Practitioner must have an unencumbered New York state license and current registration as a professional registered nurse and advanced practice practitioner. Adult gerontology nurse practitioners, pediatric nurse practitioners, psychiatric nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, nurse-anesthetists, acute care nurse practitioners and neonatal nurse practitioners are all eligible for consideration for admission to the advanced certificate program. Nurse educators and clinical nurse specialists should apply to the Masters of Science program and are not eligible for the certificate of advanced standing program.
Applicants must have a Master’s Degree in Nursing from an accredited program. Transcripts from foreign institutions must be evaluated for transfer equivalency credits by an accredited evaluation service, such as the World Education Services (WES). Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher for all graduate work completed and relevant recent work experience in an advanced practice nursing role (minimum of one year, two is preferred). National certification in an advanced practice nurse practitioner specialty is preferred. Curriculum Vitae and supporting documents are required. Two letters of recommendation addressing both academic and professional ability must be submitted for consideration. A personal statement about professional goals is required. All current health/technical standards must be met. An interview may be required.
Admissions are on a rolling basis for the Advanced Certificate Completion Program. Please contact the program director at fnp@brockport.edu to alert the office of your application. This helps ensure a timely review and admission conference.
Health Standards
All graduate nursing students are required to provide an annual health update and screening consistent with current guidelines. Documentation of up to date immunization status is also required.
Possible courses based on review of transcript and professional background, documented in an individualized Gap Analysis:
- NUR 545 Health Assessment for Advanced Practice Nursing
- NUR 510 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nursing
- NUR 521 Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nursing
- NUR 699 Advanced Diagnostics and Procedures
- NUR 500 FNP Clinical Practicum I*
- NUR 550 FNP Clinical Practicum II*
- NUR 600 FNP Clinical Practicum III*
* Each FNP Clinical Practicum course includes in person clinical hours at an appropriate primary care site. The number of hours required for CAS students is determined by the individualized gap analysis.
For most nurse practitioners, with advanced standing, this is approximately 16 credit hours and approximately 300 clinical hours.
Student Learning Outcomes
The Student Learning Outcomes associated with the graduate program are consistent with the AACN/NONPF Masters level competencies and are as follows:
- Demonstrates expertise in the evaluation and implementation of clinical practice guidelines and specialized knowledge as it applies to advance practice nursing.
- Analyzes current data, information, and knowledge from humanities and sciences that contribute to the science of advanced practice nursing to address access to, cost of, quality, and safety of care.
- Applies research outcomes in the practice arena to improve patient care.
- Collaborates with appropriate stakeholders to promote quality, safety, and improved outcomes of individuals and populations within an organization.
- Employs the use of information systems to capture data to deliver and enhance coordinated patient care.
- Demonstrates understanding of the role of the advanced practice nurse to influence policy at the system level to enhance the health of the public.
- Applies and evaluates the impact of ethical principles in complex decision-making processes of caring for patients in the advanced practice role.
- Incorporates inclusion of concepts of psychosocial dimensions, cultural diversity, and global health into advanced practice nursing.
- Develops the skills of an independent, accountable prescriber and full scope of the masters prepared advanced practice nurse.