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Program

Drexel University’s online Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization program focuses on applying advanced-practice nursing knowledge—including physical, psychosocial and environmental assessment skills—to manage common health and illness problems of clients of all ages and their families in primary and emergency care settings. In addition to preparing you for the primary care role across the lifespan, this online program will provide you with the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and skills specific to the emergency care setting.

Online Program Features

• Ranked #8 in Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs: Family NP by U.S. News & World Report
• The MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization at Drexel University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
• Upon completion of the MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization online program, you will become eligible to sit for both the Family Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam through AANP or ANCC and the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam through the AANP
• Drexel alumni boast a 100 percent board pass rate on these FNP and ENP certification exams
• Synchronous online lectures offer a highly interactive learning format that challenges and engages
• The MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization online program is taught by industry-experienced and board-certified faculty from Drexel’s acclaimed College of Nursing and Health Professions

Program Overview and Curriculum

Drexel University’s MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization program online is one of the first in the nation to combine family nurse practitioner education with emergency specialization. This unique online program is designed to prepare you to sit for the ANCC’s Family Nurse Practitioner Examination and/or the AANP’s Family Nurse Practitioner Examination. In addition, you will also be eligible to sit for the AANP’s Emergency Nurse Practitioner Examination.

The industry-respected nurse practitioner faculty at Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions are committed to the quality and excellence in the nurse practitioner (NP) programs. As part of your experience, you will meet on campus for mandatory On-Campus Intensive (OCI) learning experiences, simulation and evaluation. OCI visits occur two to four times during the clinical portion of the program and range from two to three days. Mandatory on-campus visits are essential to transitioning into the NP role. During the OCIs, you will engage in simulated clinical learning experiences conducted in the College of Nursing and Health Professions' state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary patient simulation lab. These visits provide direct guidance and mentoring from faculty and the opportunity to collaborate with peers.

Over the 16-course program, you will learn to:

• Practice within a legal and ethical framework of health care delivery
• Advance the role of advanced nursing practice in the health care system through scholarship, clinical experience and political involvement
• Demonstrate critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in clinical decision-making
• Integrate multiple technologies and relevant theories into the organization and synthesis of health data required to develop plans of care for patients, families and communities
• Integrate culturally sensitive health promotion activities that contribute to the health and wellness of the community into clinical practice
• Demonstrate leadership in nursing and health care through involvement in the development of outcome-based standards of care and practice-based health policy issues
• Evaluate and modify the quality and effectiveness of clinical practice based on current research findings, standards of care and patient outcomes
• Contribute to the advancement of nursing, health care and humanity through communication and collaboration

What is an Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP)?

An ENP nurse is prepared to work as a nurse practitioner in an acute care emergency setting. Emergency nurse practitioners or ENPs typically practice in hospital emergency departments, trauma centers and urgent care clinics. While in these emergency settings, the ENP is considered a specialist and will assist acute care patients with clinical assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

What is a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)?

The FNP nurse practitioner is trained to work with patients of all ages throughout their lifespan, including pediatrics, adult and gerontology. Family nurse practitioners or FNPs are prepared to work in a wide variety of settings, such as hospitals, clinical offices, primary care facilities and outpatient centers. As primary care specialists, FNPs are trained to help patients with maintaining overall good health through the prevention, treatment and promotion of health holistically.

What can you do with a MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization?

As a graduate of Drexel’s MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization program online, you will be prepared to sit for both the FNP and ENP certification exams. Once certified, you will be qualified to work in a variety of primary and emergency or acute care work settings. This can include ambulatory care, hospital outpatient offices, emergency departments, urgent care clinics and many more.

Program FAQs

How many questions are on the FNP exam?
The American Academy of Nurse Practitioner’s National Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification exam typically comprises of 150 questions. Drexel University graduates have a 100% board pass rate. As a graduate of Drexel’s MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization program, you can be reassured that you will be prepared to do your very best during the exam. Learn more about the ENP certification exam.

How do you become an ENP nurse?
Currently, Emergency Nurse Practitioners must go through a detailed process to become certified in this specialization. The ENP certificate exam requires that you have a current and active RN license in the United States and current certification as a family nurse practitioner. Drexel’s MSN: Family/Individual Across the Lifespan with Emergency Specialization program prepares you simultaneously to sit for both the FNP and ENP certification exams. In addition to the requirements above, the AANP will require that you either have emergency care experience through practice and continuing education, an academic program or an approved fellowship program. Learn more about AANP ENP certification requirements.

COMPLIANCE

The College of Nursing and Health Professions has a compliance process that may be required for every student. Some of these steps may take significant time to complete. Please plan accordingly.

Visit the Compliance pages for more information.

Admission Requirements

Technical Standards - Nursing 

Note: Prior to starting clinical rotations, students must provide license verification in the appropriate state in which they will complete their clinical rotations, as well as Pennsylvania in which the University is located. Please note all submitted materials become the property of Drexel University.

Degree:
BSN degrees must be from an institution accredited by CCNE (Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education), ACEN (Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing) or NLN CNEA (NLN Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above.

Standardized Tests:
N/A

Deadline:
March 3, 2025

Transcripts:

• Official transcripts must be sent directly to Drexel from all the colleges/universities that you have attended. Transcripts must be submitted in a sealed envelope with the college/university seal over the flap. Please note that transcripts are required regardless of number of credits taken or if the credits were transferred to another school. An admission decision may be delayed if you do not send transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.
• Transcripts must show course-by-course grades and degree conferrals. If your school does not notate degree conferrals on the official transcripts, you must provide copies of any graduate or degree certificates.
• If your school issues only one transcript for life, you are required to have a course-by-course evaluation completed by an approved transcript evaluation agency
• Use our Transcript Lookup Tool to assist you in contacting your previous institutions

Prerequisites:

• 1-2 years of Emergency Department, critical care, urgent care or trauma experience as an RN or APRN
• American Heart Association Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) required prior to starting clinical rotations.

References:
Two professional letters of recommendation from either previous or immediate supervisors or former nursing faculty members who can attest to your clinical knowledge, skill and potential aptitude for graduate study. References will not be accepted from colleagues or family members.

• You may use our electronic letter of recommendation service 
• If a recommender prefers to submit an original, hard copy letter, please remind them that it must include an ink signature and be submitted in a sealed envelope.

• Why you are choosing this particular program of study,
• Your plans upon completion of the graduate degree and 
• How your current work experience will enhance your experience in this MSN program.

Interview/Portfolio:
Admissions interview may be required

CV/Resume:
Required. (Note: Resume/CV should be detailed regarding work experience including specific job experiences/responsibilities/departments)

Licenses:
A current, unrestricted United States RN license

Clinical/Work/Volunteer Experience:
1-2 years of medical/surgical nursing experience preferred

International Students:

Requirements can be found here

Tuition and Fee Rates: 
Please visit the Drexel Online MSN in Family Nurse Practitioner with Emergency Specialization tuition page.

Application Link (if outside organization):
N/A

This program is organized into four 10-week quarters per year (as opposed to the traditional two-semester system) which means you can take more courses in a shorter time period. One semester credit is equivalent to 1.5 quarter credits.

Graduate students who utilize student loans (FAFSA) must maintain a minimum enrollment of 4.5 credits per term.

For Full List of courses, please visit Drexel Online.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Drexel University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, 202.887-6791.

These programs and the Post Graduate APRN certificates are also approved by the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing.

Program Outcomes

• Practices within a legal and ethical framework of health care delivery.
• Advances the role of advanced nursing practice in the health care system through scholarship, clinical experience and political involvement.
• Demonstrates critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in clinical decision-making.
• Integrates multiple technologies and relevant theories into the organization and synthesis of health data required to develop plans of care for patients, families and communities.
• Integrates culturally sensitive health promotion activities that contribute to the health and wellness of the community into clinical practice.
• Demonstrates leadership in nursing and health care through involvement in the development of outcome-based standards of care and practice-based health policy issues.
• Evaluates and modify the quality and effectiveness of clinical practice based on current research findings, standards of care and patient outcomes.
• Contributes to the advancement of nursing, health care and humanity through communication, collaboration and education.

Nursing Program Mission and Values

The Nursing program faculty and staff are committed to educating nurses to embrace both the art and science of nursing, to integrate caring into practice, to think critically and practice competently, compassionately and safely in complex rapidly changing practice environments. The Nursing program supports administrators, faculty, staff and students in developing holistic evidence-based programs, which create healing and caring environments at all levels that reflect innovative education, interdisciplinary practice and research.

The highest goals of the program include demonstrating efficacy, quality and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based nursing interventions in promoting health, preventing disease, preserving human dignity, reducing health disparities and caring for the sick and injured.

All efforts in the Nursing program are designed to build nursing knowledge, enhance nursing practice, foster professional integrity, promote innovation, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients and families from diverse communities across the continuum of care.

The Nursing program is committed to excellence in nursing education through educational programs that are:

• Authentic: We value a deep connection to others, appreciation of diverse opinions and respect for the other’s frame of reference. We value going beyond objective assessment to understand the context of the other, creative use of self and engagement in the artistry of the caring-healing process—the essence of Nursing.
• Complex: We value complexity science by recognizing that our Nursing program is a complex, dynamic, unpredictable, emerging, self-organizing and adaptive system that cannot be reduced to the sum of its members. As such, we seek that administrators, faculty, staff and students develop skills to improvise, build on the innovations of others, develop positive interpersonal interactions, appreciate the reciprocity that our actions have on the larger system and ourselves and embrace surprise as an opportunity to learn, make sense of our dynamic reality and make a positive impact on the health of our clients.
• Rigorous: We continuously review and redesign programs, courses, technology-infused learning systems and educational products for depth and quality with the learner's experience and background in mind.
• Relevant: We continuously examine changing market forces, the progression of nursing knowledge and the best practices in health care and education to redesign educational programs. There is a strong commitment to population-focused care practice in diverse communities; therefore, we strive to ensure clinically relevant education and simulation experiences. Our faculty serves as excellent role models for developing clinicians.
• State of the Art: We value the use of technological innovation and patient simulation scenarios which foster advanced and evidence-based interdisciplinary communication and teamwork, multiple patient management and crisis resource management skills, provision of culturally relevant care, decreased prevalence of errors and adverse events and a higher intellectual standard in both undergraduate and graduate nursing education.
• Learner-Friendly: In consideration of the demanding, fast-paced lives of our students and nurse consumers, we offer high-quality educational programs in convenient and contemporary formats, including access to academic online courses with attention to user-friendly interfaces as well as resources to enhance academic success. In addition, the College of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to being a challenging and rewarding work environment for faculty, staff and administrators. Information and data on all aspects of the college’s operations are widely shared with faculty, staff and students and all are encouraged to participate in its decisions and activities.