Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner*
Education
If you are a registered nurse interested in providing primary care to women across the life span, becoming a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) offers you a rewarding career path. Since 1977, the VCU School of Nursing WHNP concentration has prepared graduates to provide comprehensive primary care to women, with an emphasis on gynecologic and reproductive health issues. Graduates of the VCU School of Nursing WHNP concentration are prepared to provide holistic care focused on health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and treatment of health problems that are unique to women. You will learn to address women’s health needs from menarche through the adult life span as well as assess the interrelationships among gender, social class, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, economic status, and socio-political power differentials and their implications for the provision of women’s health care.
- Post-Baccalaureate Plan of Study
Full- and part-time students begin in the fall. Full-time students can complete the plan of study in five academic semesters. Foundational courses, taught weekly in Richmond during the first two semesters of enrollment, provide advanced knowledge and skills in health assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, health promotion, and research. The WHNP specialty courses, offered beginning in the spring semester of the first year of enrollment, meet weekly in Richmond. These courses focus on the diagnosis and treatment of women’s primary care health needs, which include pre-conception, prenatal and postpartum care, family planning services, management of sexually transmitted diseases, well-woman care, care for women during perimenopause and menopause, and care for women experiencing episodic acute or chronic health care problems. In addition, you will learn how to address selected reproductive health needs of women’s sexual partners. Students are prepared to assume an expanded scope of practice that includes prescriptive authority along with advanced assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and collaborative management of women’s unique health care needs across the life span.
Students in the WHNP concentration complete 630 hours of clinical experience in which they are directly supervised by qualified providers (WHNP, CNM, or MD) who are experts in providing primary care to women and are committed to student education. Example sites for clinical experiences include primary care clinics, physician offices, health departments, community health centers, college health clinics, and hospital-affiliated ambulatory clinics. School of Nursing faculty strive to provide opportunities for students to work with diverse patient populations.
- Post-Master’s Certificate Plan of Study
The post-master’s certificate in the WHNP concentration is designed for nurses who have already earned a master’s degree in nursing and wish to become a WHNP. The post-master’s certificate plan of study is tailored to meet the individual needs of students who plan to apply for certification as a WHNP and offers flexibility for those who may be working full time.
Certification
Students who successfully complete the WHNP concentration are eligible to apply for certification as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner by the National Certification Corporation of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), the accreditation body of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA).
Clinical Practice
Women comprise over one-half of the U.S. population and women's health is affected by all of the factors that touch a woman's life - her family, relationships, work environment, spiritual values, and community. Research over the last two decades supports the fact that women respond differently to wellness and disease than do men, and identifies gender-focused health assessment, education, and interventions as necessary for women to be as healthy as possible. WHNPs are experts in woman-focused health promotion and disease prevention, as well as management of health conditions affecting women. WHNPs blend health recommendations with the realities of women's lives in order to ensure optimal health, while avoiding unnecessary health care costs.
Demand for Women’s Health Nurse Practitioners
Women are seeking specialized care to address their unique health needs now more than ever before and this trend is reflected in the opportunities that are available to pursue a satisfying, rewarding and innovative career as a WHNP. WHNPs are in demand across the nation. As a life-long learner in a rewarding and challenging field, the WHNP will experience flexibility in practice settings and access to multiple career opportunities in a variety of practice settings, including primary care clinics, physician offices, community health centers, hospital-affiliated ambulatory clinics, antepartum triage units, school and college health clinics, health departments, and business and employee health settings. As you partner with women to addressing their holistic health needs, you will make a meaningful difference in the lives of your patients, their families, and your community.
More Information
For additional information about the WHNP concentration and questions about the application process, please contact the Office of Enrollment and Student Services (OESS) at VCU_Nurse@vcu.edu. or call 804-828-5171. We look forward to working with you as you consider the educational opportunities at VCU School of Nursing.
The following websites provide additional information about the Women's Health NP specialty:
- American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
- American College of Nurse Practitioners (ACNP)
- National Certification Corporation (NCC)
- National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF)
*Name changed from Women’s health pending University approval
