Family Nurse Practitioner

The Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) concentration prepares graduates for advanced nursing practice in delivering primary care to individuals across the lifespan.

The FNP program emphasizes patient-centered care, assisting patients to achieve their optimal state of health through health promotion and wellness initiatives. Graduates will be able evaluate current evidence based primary care practice guidelines to effectively diagnose and manage acute and chronic illnesses. 

Curriculum

BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner Program of Study (effective Fall 2026)

Year One

Fall Semester

  • N604: Principles of Population Health (3)
  • N622: Evidence-based Practice Improvement I (3)
  • N628: Evidence Acquisition, Appraisal and Synthesis (3)

Total of 9 hours

Spring Semester

  • N557: Introduction to Health Care  Informatics (3)
  • N624: Evidence-Based Practice Improvement II (3)
  • N649: Advanced Pathophysiology (3)

Total of 9 hours

Summer Semester

Full Summer

  • N630: DNP Scholarly Project Proposal (3)
  • N633: DNP Scholarly Project  Immersion (1)

Summer I

  • N631: Evaluation Methods for Evidence-based Practice Improvement (2)

Total of 7 hours in the summer

Year Two

Fall Semester

  • N612: Health and Healthcare Policy (3)
  • N613: Nursing Leadership in Complex Systems (3)
  • N633: DNP Scholarly Project  Immersion (2)
  • N648: Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (3)

Total of 11 hours

Spring Semester

  • N633: DNP Scholarly Project  Immersion (1)
  • N634: DNP Scholarly Project  Dissemination (1)
  • N639: Advanced Health Assessment (3)
  • N530: Clinical Decision-Making: Family Nurse Practitioner (3) 
  • N531: Clinical Decision-Making Simulation: Family Nurse Practitioner (1)

Total of 8 hours

Summer Mini

  • N532: Clinical Intensive: Family Nurse Practitioner I (1) (Clinical Course)

Total of 1 hour

Summer Semester

Full Summer

  • N533: Family Nurse Practitioner I (3)
  • N534: Clinical Practice: Family Nurse Practitioner I (3) (Clinical Course)
  • N535: Clinical Simulation: Family Nurse Practitioner I (1)

Total of 7 hours in the summer

Year Three

Fall Semester

  • N536: Family Nurse Practitioner II (3) 
  • N537: Clinical Practice: Family Nurse Practitioner II (4) (Clinical Course)
  • N538: Clinical Simulation: Family Nurse Practitioner II (1)

Total of 8 hours

Winter Mini

  • N539: Clinical Intensive: Family Nurse Practitioner II (1) (Clinical Course)

Total of 1 hour

Spring Semester

  • N540: Family Nurse Practitioner III (2)
  • N542: Clinical Practice: Family Nurse Practitioner III (5) (Clinical Course)
  • N673: Practice Issues – Nurse Practitioner (1)

Total of 8 hours

1 Credit hour = 60 Clinical OR Project Hours

Total of 69 hours

Residence and Licensure  

Graduate students are required to complete clinical or project immersion hours within the state of their official residence and licensure. If students wish to fulfill these hours in a state other than Tennessee, they must ensure that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Nursing holds state authorization with the Board of Nursing in their state of residence. 

Students residing outside of Tennessee who plan to complete clinical or project immersion hours in another state must take any necessary steps to comply with that state’s specific requirements.

Clinical Practicum Details 

Clinical rotations offer the student opportunities to practice their clinical skills and be mentored by licensed health care providers. Students will complete a minimum of 600 hours of direct patient care clinical hours as part of the 1000 required hours to confer the DNP degree. Beginning Fall 2024 students will complete a minimum of 840 hours of direct patient care clinical hours. 

Identification of clinical sites and preceptors involves a collaboration between the student and nursing faculty and staff. Students are encouraged to identify potential clinical sites and preceptors. Concentration Coordinators have ultimate approval of all clinical placements. Students desiring to complete clinical rotations outside the state of Tennessee must be familiar with their state Board of Nursing requirements for graduate clinical placements. Questions should be directed to the assistant dean of graduate programs.

Admissions & Aid

Request Information

Should you have any questions about the application process or our curriculum, we’re here to support you every step of the way.