MSN FNP FAQs

Many students do work full-time and average 20-28 hours of school work each week. Students need the time to read, study, complete assignments, write papers, participate in class discussion boards, watch lectures, prepare for tests/quizzes, and document clinical encounters. Starting a graduate nursing program is like adding a part-time job to your current schedule and is something that should be discussed with your family and employer.

The AG-ACNP, FNP, and PMHNP degree and certificate programs at Ohio University are intended to prepare students for advanced practice nursing and national certification in those areas. State Boards of Nursing set individual standards for licensure in their state. It is highly recommended that students who seek admission to Nursing programs at Ohio University contact their home state’s Board of Nursing to verify that the desired program and its graduates will meet the eligibility criteria for approval for those credentials. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing has contact information for Boards of Nursing on their site, located here: www.ncsbn.org.

Our programs are intended to provide students with the opportunity to acquire the educational eligibility to meet standards for APRN certification or other professional distinctions through examination. A list of examinations and their credentialing bodies are below:

Certification Exams and Credentialing Bodies

The graduate nursing programs at Ohio University are intended to provide students with the opportunity to acquire the educational eligibility to meet standards for advanced practice certification or other professional distinction through examination. For the best information regarding eligibility and standards for these examinations, please visit the website for the credentialing bodies below.

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

• Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification (AGACNP-BC)
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): www.nursingworld.org/ancc

Family Nurse Practitioner

• Family Nurse Practitioner Certification (FNP-BC)
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): www.nursingworld.org/ancc
• Family Nurse Practitioner Certification (NP-C)
• American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP): www.aanpcert.org

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

• Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) Certification (PMHNP-BC)
• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC): www.nursingworld.org/ancc

Nurse Educator

• Certified Nurse Educator (CNE)
• National League of Nursing (NLN): www.nln.org

Nurse Leader

• Eligibility is dependent upon experience criteria in addition to education.
• Certified in Executive Nursing Practice (CENP)
• American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL): www.aonl.org
• Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML)

The program can be completed in 3 semesters.

This is not a full time program. Students typically take one Pre-requisite class per semester. Once they begin clinical courses they will take one clinical course per semester.

The programs combine online education and in-person education. Students take their courses through an online- format and are only expected on campus for the required On-Campus Intensives. Software applications utilized in nursing classes will work on either PCs or MACs. Office 365 Pro Plus is required and is now available at no charge to Ohio University students.

There are two On-Campus Intensives (OCI) assiciated with this program. OCIs are brief visits to a campus that may be required for specific instruction and assessment. These OCIs typically occur at the beginning, middle, and end of your program. The schedule and details will be provided at Orientation and on the Graduate Nursing Knowledge Center.

The On-Campus Clinical Skills Workshop associated with the first and final clinical courses in our APRN programs are 1-2 day on-campus visits to receive track-specific instruction, coaching and assessment to prepare for the advanced practice role. 

For Certificate students, a “gaps analysis” is conducted on previously taken graduate coursework to determine any additional coursework that must be completed before beginning clinical courses. Students can take these courses as part of their certificate program of study, it may lengthen their overall time in the program.