Considered as a nonphysician provider (Anderson & Gillis, 1998), a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) is a Registered Nurse who has received advanced medical training to provide a diverse range of services to patients, regardless of their age, gender, or medical condition. These services include "evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, education, risk assessment, health promotion, case management, coordination of care [and] counseling" (Davidson, 1999, p. 67). Essentially, FNPs possess the knowledge and skills to perform many of the routine tasks that were traditionally limited to the domain of physicians (Sonnenstuhl, 1999). At the same time, they have been trained specifically to provide preventive care by educating patients, families and the community (Davidson, 1999).
The field of advanced practice nursing started only during the mid-1960s (Anderson & Gillis, 1998; Sonnenstuhl, 1999). Originating as nondegree programs, nurse practitioner (NP) programs became an integral part of graduate programs in nursing schools by the late 1970s. The role of the NP was first conceived by Drs. Loretta Ford and Henry Silver at the University of Colorado to compensate for the shortage of the physicians. NPs were initially trained to provide basis diagnoses and offer routine treatments in pediatric primary care facilities. Even though NPs first started with their pediatric population, their roles were expanded as educational programs were created over the next three decades to train them to help patients of different age groups. Depending on their specialty, NPs may cater to the primary care needs of children, adults, the elderly and/or women. In the case of FNPs, they provide care to all individuals, as well as cater to the relevant needs of the family (Anderson & Gillis, 1998; Diamond, 2000).
In order to become a FNP, one must first earn a Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. The Bachelor's Degree in Nursing provides the aspiring FNP with the b...