DNP Women's Health Nurse Practitioner Programs

What Could You Learn in a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner DNP Program?

A women’s health nurse practitioner DNP program prepares individuals to provide care that is unique to women. As a doctoral program, students work to develop skills in a range of areas to help not just provide care but sometimes to help influence public policy through the participation of professional organizations as well as to support local, national, and even global efforts.

Students who wish to pursue this path may need to take courses in evidence-based practice, systems leadership, and quality improvement. They may interact with numerous populations and as well as engage in hands-on learning experiences.

Students in this Doctor of Nursing Practice program may explore theories, principles, and clinical skills that relate to the care of women and their families. This may include care for women from all stages of a woman’s life.

The courses a student takes in this area may have some concentration and some electives. However, there are often a number of required core courses in areas of complex healthcare environment, and evidence-based care in advanced practice.

Those who finish this type of program may need to have a previous MSN, or they may need to take one of the fast-track paths that may be available.

Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) Courses May Include

Below are some of the courses a student may take when completing this program, though these differ from one school to the next.

Clinical Scholarship

In this course, students may begin to go over different approaches to research and apply learning to their practice. Some topics that may be covered include professional writing and interpretation.

Advanced Clinical Pharmacology

This course may cover a broad number of topics, including prescribing and administering of drugs and medications. Other items that may be discussed could be drug interactions and how to determine how much of a prescription is appropriate.

Healthcare Economics and Business Practices

This course may introduce students to all aspects of medical billing as well as methods of operation for a practice. Topics may include understanding the financials as well as how to properly manage a workplace.

Management and Analysis of Health Data

In this course, students may encounter how to interpret and gather data. This could apply to diagnosing or simply to research based on the type of information and what the purpose of it is.

Advanced Health Assessment

In this course, students may learn different approaches to assessing the health of a patient as well as how to gather information from the patient in order to provide great options in their care. Topics may include how to interpret the information gathered and what ways to apply it.

Determinants of Health

This course may focus on topics such as how to interpret the level of health of a patient as well as how to extrapolate the current situation into a long term prognosis. Other topics may include health assessments and health history.

Find Funding for Nursing Programs

College costs may be high, and they differ from one school to the next. The National Center for Education Statistics said that, on average, the cost of graduate school for the 2019 to 2020 school year was $19.792. For those who may want to find help to pay for this education, several funding options may be available. Financial aid may be available to those who are eligible.

Below are some of the potential options available. Not all people are eligible for all of these funding options.

Nursing Scholarships

Some individuals may wish to pursue scholarships. Typically, these do not require repayment. They may be hard to earn since individuals need to find them, meet the requirements, apply for them, and hope to be selected from all of the available applicants. Yet, many people use these to cover some of the cost of their graduate education. There may be available scholarships for nurse practitioner students.

Here are a few examples that may be available:

Is a women’s health nurse practitioner a rewarding career?

A women’s health nurse practitioner typically works with women throughout their lifetime. They may work to diagnose and treat acute, chronic, or episodic illnesses. They may work independently or as a part of a healthcare team. These individuals may order, perform, and interpret diagnostic data. They may also work to focus on the promotion of health and disease prevention. They may prescribe medication as well.

The daily tasks of these individuals may include recording patient medical histories, developing treatment plans, and analyzing test data to make diagnosis or treatment decisions. They may communicate medical information to family members and patients. They may prescribe medications and treat medical emergencies. As a women’s health nurse practitioner, they may also treat chronic and acute conditions for women at all stages of their life.

Other tasks may include monitoring patient conditions during procedures, activities, or treatments. They may alter treatment plans over time.

Individuals typically need to have a graduate degree program to work in this field. They typically need extensive skill and experience in the area of women’s health. They may have some on-the-job education to support that as well.

Important skills for Women's Health Nurse Practitioners according to O*NET:

• Active Listening – Giving full attention to speakers, taking time to understand the points being made, asking appropriate questions, and not interrupting.
• Complex Problem Solving – Identifying complex problems and reviewing information to evaluate options and implement solutions.
• Critical Thinking – Using logic and reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2020 Median Annual Salary for Women’s Health Nurse Practitioners

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these are the median annual salaries for individuals working as pediatric nurse practitioners in 2020.