Certificate: Post-Master's Family Nurse Practitioner

The post-master’s family nurse practitioner certificate is designed for registered nurses who hold a MSN degree in another area of concentration. Students are accepted into the program on a space available basis. Students who complete this program will be eligible to take the FNP certification exams offered by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Students seeking the post-master's FNP certificate are not eligible for federal financial aid.

Requirements for Admission

1. MSN from a CCNE or ACEN accredited nursing program

2. Official transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate course work

3. Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required

4. Language Proficiency: Language proficiency is required to ensure that students within the department of nursing are able to communicate with a diverse population.

The department of nursing accepts one of the following as evidence of required language proficiency:

TOEFL-iBT (internet-based test) and receive a total score of 83 or higher AND a score of 26 or higher on the speaking test OR
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) and receive a total band score of 7 or higher AND a speaking band score of 8 or higher OR
Language training at an approved center. Bellarmine University recognized the following standards and centers: English Language Services level 112 (http://www.els.edu/en); Interlink Level 5 (http://interlink.edu/); Intensive Language Program at Indiana University Level 6 (http://iep.indiana.edu/); and other centers may be approved at the discretion of the Admission, Progression and Graduation committee of the Department of Nursing.

International students who are exempt from language proficiency requirements are the following:

• Students who are citizens of or have completed a degree from a TOEFL exempt country.

• Students who have a secondary or high school diploma earned in TOEFL exempt countries.

• International students who have completed at least one year of full-time university study or its equivalent (i.e., a minimum of 24 earned credit hours or its equivalent and earned a 2.0 GPA) in a TOEFL exempt country.

Only official score reports will be accepted.

5. Two professional references

6. Goal statement

7. Resume describing relevant work, professional, and volunteer experiences

8. Proof of active, unrestricted license to practice nursing in Kentucky and/or compact states

9. An interview with graduate faculty members