2 Fast-Growing Public Health Careers for MPH Graduates

With the growing demand for primary care and the changing healthcare landscape, Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) are poised to play a vital role in the industry. Chamberlain University is doing its part in responding to the demand for FNPs by offering a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Specialty Track, which is designed to help prepare graduates to sit for national certification as an FNP and enhance their role and opportunity for advancement in a wide range of healthcare settings.

Here’s a closer look at what makes Chamberlain’s MSN-FNP specialty track stand out:

1. You Have the Flexibility of Online Learning

Through 100% online coursework, Chamberlain’s MSN-FNP specialty track offers you the flexibility to pursue a degree at your own pace. You can take as few as one class per session, averaging 12-18 hours per week toward your studies – giving you time to have a life outside of school. 

“My laptop became my best friend and went almost everywhere with me,” said Chamberlain MSN-FNP graduate Tia Carrington. “I still remained busy but wherever my daughter went, that’s when I got some work done. The only thing that changed was my location – I could be at my daughter’s dance class or at my mom’s, but my work was always with me.”

Chamberlain MSN-FNP graduate Jaclyn Hamlin was able to go at a faster pace to earn her degree earlier. “I wanted to go to a school that was going to allow me to continue to work full-time,” Jaclyn explained. “The online aspect of it really appealed to me. They let me double up my first six months so I could finish my degree in two years instead of two and a half – it was totally doable.”
 

2. You Learn from Experienced Faculty and Innovative Resources

Chamberlain’s faculty is leading the charge in innovative learning opportunities and thought leadership.

3. You Gain Valuable Hands-On, Interactive Experiences

As part of the MSN-FNP curriculum, you’ll attend an Immersion Weekend where you can interact with your professors and fellow students as well as observe, participate and be evaluated on clinical assessment skills to ensure you’re prepared for your upcoming practicum experiences. 

“Since we’re not in clinicals yet, we don’t have actual human bodies to work on other than our friends and family, which is great but we don’t have the equipment,” said Chamberlain MSN-FNP graduate Aarti Mehta. “Immersion Weekend was a great way to practice and perfect my hands-on technique with the information I already knew from my coursework.”

In addition to Immersion Weekend, students join an onsite review session that offers all of the benefits of an in-person review with live, expert lectures and follow-up to prepare you for success on either FNP certification exam—the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) board certification exam or American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) board certification exam.  

These two hands-on, interactive experiences are designed with you in mind – helping to prepare you for success in the program and in the field.
 

4. You Collaborate with Faculty and Students

Even with the online learning environment, there’s plenty of opportunity to collaborate with your professors and fellow students through our community of support.

“Something I really took advantage of was the first-week phone call with faculty,” Jaclyn said. “Every eight weeks you get a new teacher, and they may want your notes to be different from the one before. So I would use that phone call at the beginning to say this is who I am and tell me what you want out of me in this class.”

To provide additional opportunities for real-time contact with faculty (via WebEx or phone), collaborative sessions have been built into select FNP courses that may include debriefings for class assignments or virtual interactive student evaluations depending on the course.

Through Facebook groups, discussion boards and study groups, you can connect with fellow students throughout your time in the program. “I connected with other students in my cohort and I formed a Facebook group specifically for our class,” said Chamberlain MSN-FNP graduate Jaime Henson. “It was fantastic to bounce ideas off of each other and share our experiences.”
 

5. You Experience Our Culture of Care

Throughout your degree program, from the first inquiry as a prospective student to graduation and beyond, you’ll be surrounded by our culture of care – Chamberlain Care^®.

At Chamberlain, we believe if we take extraordinary care of our students, we will graduate extraordinary healthcare professionals who will take extraordinary care of the patients and families they serve and transform healthcare worldwide.

From 24/7 access to coursework and interactive learning activities to robust virtual learning resources and online tutoring, we have built a supportive environment focused on helping you succeed in school and achieve your career goals every step of the way. It is this commitment and personalized attention that distinguishes us.

Interested in applying for the MSN-FNP Specialty Track? Request more information here.