The Best Nurse Practitioner Degree for You: FNP vs. AG-ACNP
Nurse practitioners (NPs) have quickly become a top healthcare choice for patients, providing expertise and affordable care options. According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), patients make more than visits to NPs each year and report an extremely high level of satisfaction with their care.
Because of that, the field of advanced practice nursing is growing rapidly, with the predicting a 38% increase in demand for advance practice nurses between 2022 and 2032. Nurse practitioners specifically will see employment growth of 45% in that time frame.
Pursuing a career as an NP is a excellent option for registered nurses. There’s more than one degree choice for those looking to become nurse practitioners. Choosing the right specialty and advanced degree can ensure you cultivate your desired career.
How Do I Choose the Right Nurse Practitioner Degree?
Many educational paths can lead aspiring nurse practitioners to a fulfilling career. Two common choices are adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner (AG-ACNP) degrees and family nurse practitioner (FNP) degrees. These advanced practice nursing degrees cultivate the clinical and leadership skills that nurse practitioners will use daily in their work.
Some overlap does exist between the two choices, but there are vital differences between degrees. Choose the best one for your goals by considering the following factors:
- Schedule: Some NP jobs offer a regular weekly schedule, while others require overnight and weekend hours. Whether you’ll be working in a clinic or a hospital can significantly impact these hours.
- Patient profile: Consider the age and condition of patients you’d like to work with and the role you’d like to play in their lives. Certain nurse practitioners can cultivate long-term relationships in their roles while those in other positions may assist patients for a short but critical time.
- Passion: Follow what excites you and encouraged you to pursue nursing to find a degree that matches your goals. Some nurses may be more interested in preventative care, while trauma medicine appeals more to others.
What is an AG-ACNP?
An adult gerontology-acute care nurse practitioner (AG-ACNP) works in direct patient management in acute, complex settings. As an AG-ACNP, you’d treat patients who are critically ill. AG-ACNPs treat illnesses and injuries as opposed to providing long-term preventative care. Sometimes, NPs in these settings encounter acute symptoms from chronic illnesses.
Some AG-ACNP professionals work in hospitals with subspecialties in cardiology, pulmonology and more, often in intensive care or trauma units. Other AC-ACNPs work in long-term care facilities or specialty clinics. According to the AANP, most NPs certified in adult-gerontology and acute care focus on critical or cardiovascular care or work as hospitalists. Their work may require them to work nights, weekends or to be on call.
Earning an AG-ACNP degree prepares you to focus on the management of common adult health problems, growing your clinical diagnostic and decision-making skills.
- Schedule: Night and weekend hours may be required
- Patient profile: Adult patients experiencing an acute, critical medical event
- Passion: Critical care, emergency medicine, treatment of adult patients
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What is an FNP?
A family nurse practitioner (FNP) cares for medically stable patients or those experiencing an acute but not life-threatening illness in clinics, offices, schools and other outpatient facilities. They may work with infants, children, adolescents, adults and seniors and order diagnostic tests, prescribe medication and develop treatment plans. Some FNPs keep regular business hours with few overnight and weekend hours needed, while others work in settings that require regular night and weekend hours. Often, FNPs pursue specializations in areas such as diabetes or pain management.
Earning an FNP degree allows you to hone the skills to assess, diagnose and treat patients throughout their lives, building relationships and encouraging healthy living. You’ll learn to participate in interdisciplinary collaboration and work with patients to maintain their well-being and disease prevention across the lifespan.
- Schedule: Regular weekday hours available, though FNPs can work in emergencies rooms and other facilities that require night and weekend hours
- Patient profile: Generally healthy patients across the lifespan
- Passion: Collaboration with medical professionals, education and disease prevention
How Long Does It Take to Become an FNP or AG-ACNP?
All NPs must complete a master's or doctoral degree program and have advanced clinical training beyond their initial professional registered nurse (RN) courses. Some master's degree programs accept students with associate degrees, but many prefer candidates who have earned a bachelor’s degree.
Each state has their own licensing requirements for NPs, but in general, they include:
- An RN license
- A nurse practitioner degree from an accredited graduate-level nursing program
- Passing of a national certification exam
Nurses will need at least two to three years of master’s-level education after earning their undergraduate nursing degree to prepare for licensure and become an advanced practice nurse, so becoming a nurse practitioner can take many years. To fit graduate education into your life, consider an accredited online program.
51ÉçÇø's Nurse Practitioner Programs
51ÉçÇø’s Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program is designed for active registered nurses who’ve earned their BSN and want to advance their education while having the flexibility of online courses. The MSN program offers tracks in Adult Gerontology-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Family Nurse Practitioner. Experienced faculty work directly with students to help them achieve their professional goals and aspirations through a planned program of study which includes both online and hands-on learning experiences.
°¿±á±õ°¿â€™s online MSN Family Nurse Practitioner (MSN-FNP) degree helps you build advanced practice skills to provide high-quality treatment in primary care settings through coursework and clinical hours. When you complete the flexible, 40-credit MSN program, you will be well-prepared to sit for the AANP or ANCC certification exam. Alternatively, you can choose OHIO's three-semester Post-Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate that can be completed in just 20 credit hours..
The OHIO online Adult Gerontology-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) program prepares registered nurses to provide direct patient management and patient care in acute and complex settings at the advanced practice level. Throughout 40 credit hours, you’ll learn from both didactic and practice-based courses and complete 750 clinical hours. OHIO also offers an online Post-Graduate Adult Gerontology-Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate that can be completed in 20 credit hours over three semesters.
Start your journey to a fulfilling nurse practitioner career by pursuing the degree path that meets your goals. You’ll graduate prepared to meet the demand for nurse practitioners and positively impact patients' lives.
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