Faculty Coordinator:
Cathy Juve, Ph.D., RN
612-624-9950 or cjuve@umn.edu
Specialty Area Information:
The Women's Health Care Nurse Practitioner (WHCNP) specialty is designed to prepare advanced practice nurses to provide primary health care to women. All the courses in this specialty are offered in a web-based format, with multi-day on-campus seminars approximately 2 to 3 times per semester in Minneapolis. Some graduate nursing courses (those taken by many graduate nursing students) may be available by web-based or face-to-face (in the classroom) methodologies. By taking the courses in a web-based or online format, students may complete the WHCNP program without having to relocate. Clinical sites are used in or near a student's home community if available. The online program is primarily for students in the 5-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. For more information about the online program, please visit: Online Learning Opportunities.
Course content emphasizes the role of the nurse practitioner in obtaining comprehensive health assessments, making differential diagnoses, and the prescribing of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments. Emphasis is placed on the advanced practice role in health promotion, health education, and early detection of health problems. Experience in various settings allows the student to work autonomously and within interdisciplinary teams under faculty/preceptor supervision.
Entry into the program is based on desire to pursue graduate education focusing on women's health. It is preferred that the applicant have at least one year of professional nursing experience in the delivery of women's health care prior to admission. The application deadline is November 1.
The course sequence begins fall semester and the clinical courses begin spring semester. Clinical placements occur in a variety of sites with nurse practitioners, nurse-midwives, and physicians. These sites provide opportunities for students to deliver care to culturally diverse clients. Current clinical placements include private and public health care facilities in metropolitan and rural communities.
Certification
Graduating students are eligible to sit for the WHCNP certification examination offered by The National Certification Corporation for the Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing Specialties (NCC).
More Information
Further information about the WHCNP area of study is available below:
For more information, please contact the School of Nursing Office of Student Services.
Note: You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader to access the sample plan and required course information above. This free software can be downloaded via this link.)
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