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Family Nurse Practitioner Program in South Dakota - SD
By Meg Brannagan, allied health world contributing writer
Published: January, 21 2011
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A family nurse practitioner works as a type of advanced practice nurse, performing nursing care as well as many other functions that are similar to that of physicians. Nurse practitioners provide primary care to patients and usually choose a specialty area in which to work. Family nurse practitioners work mainly with adults, infants and children, as well as pregnant women and elderly patients. They are often employed in health clinics, schools and visiting nurse associations under the direction of physicians, but in some rural areas of South Dakota, they may work independently.
Becoming a family nurse practitioner in South Dakota involves coursework beyond an undergraduate degree. Many people who pursue this area are already registered nurses and may or may not already have a bachelor’s degree in nursing. Family nurse practitioner programs in South Dakota provide master’s degrees and doctoral degrees, which fulfill the educational requirements for this profession. Some programs offer an accelerated track for students who are already registered nurses with associate’s degrees or nursing diplomas.
Programs involve classroom work to learn the backgrounds of many different types of people that are treated by family nurse practitioners. Students learn about caring for patients throughout the lifespan, chronic disease, acute illnesses and medication administration. They are also required to fulfill clinical hours by following a physician or another family nurse practitioner to gain exposure to and practice patient care.
Family Nurse Practitioner Schools in South dakota
- Rapid City
- Sioux Falls
- Watertown
- Master of Science Nursing
