Where is Family in the Family Nurse Practitioner Program? Results of a U.S. Family Nurse Practitioner Program Survey

Abstract

Though recent progress in family nursing science can serve the family nurse practitioner (FNP) to intervene in the regulation of family health, whether those advances are taught to FNP students has been unclear. All 266 FNP programs in the United States were invited to participate in a survey to assess the content and clinical application of family nursing theories in the curriculum. The majority of FNP programs frame family as the context of care for the individual. Though FNP students receive a foundation in family nursing theory in core courses, they are not usually expected to use family assessment methods in clinical practicum courses or to plan interventions for the family as the unit of care. The authors challenge educators to consider family nursing science as an essential component of the FNP program as the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) evolves and becomes requisite for entry into advanced practice.