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Every school and family nurse practitioner program listed on this site is accredited, and these colleges and universities offer flexible online and on-campus degree plans in order to help nurses continue their education and further their career. Read more
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Women’s Health/Midwifery Programs

My Degree and What It’s Good For

Pursuing an advanced nursing degree allows professional nurses to grow in their field, as well as specialize in a particular area of health that most interests them. One of these graduate programs allows students to focus on women’s health or midwifery. Either of these programs will generally take two years of full-time study to complete if you already hold your bachelor’s degree. Masters of Science in nursing (MSN) programs are designed to help students focus their degree plan on a specific area of nursing, as opposed to studying general nursing courses.

Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner

A women’s health nurse practitioner (WHNP) focuses on the overall care, health promotion, education, and counseling for their female patients. They provide clinical care and advise them on how to make educated and healthy lifestyle choices. This includes reproductive health, sex education, contraception, and other medical issues.

Certified Nurse Midwife

A certified nurse midwife (CNM) is a nurse who has completed an advanced degree that focuses on nurse-midwifery and has been properly certified and licensed to practice. They provide primary care to their pregnant patients, as well as provide care during childbirth in hospitals, homes, and even birthing centers. They offer care during pregnancy, labor and birth, and during their patients’ postpartum period. They also assist their patients with their newborns when needed and even assist with breastfeeding.

Courses students studying women’s health/midwifery can expect to take include:

Advanced health assessment
Concepts in pharmacology
Reproductive health care of women
Physiology and pathophysiology
Health care ethics
Primary care of women
Labor, birth, and newborn care
Advanced women’s health care

My Earning Potential

Working in women’s health/midwifery is a very rewarding and fulfilling job, but it can also mean a higher salary than working as a registered nurse. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average salary for registered nurses working in the U.S. was $69,110 in 2011. This data is based on nurses in the field who hold an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree. Advanced practice nurses with a master’s degree or higher can expect to pull in even higher salaries. As health care continues to grow, so does the demand for qualified nurses. Hospitals and other health care facilities need to fill the growing need for advanced nurses, so women’s health nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwifes have a bright career outlook and the potential to receive competitive salaries.

Online Practitioner Degrees in Women’s Health/Midwifery

Top Online Family Nurse Practitioner Degrees

Family nurse practitioners are advanced practiced registered nurses (RN) who work closely with pediatricians and other healthcare specialists to provide care for families. Typically, an FNP will have knowledge of pediatrics and neonatal nursing. To become an FNP, a master's degree in nursing is required. The following schools all offer Master of Science in nursing degrees through online accredited programs.

MSN: Family Nursing	Georgetown University . Georgetown University's online MSN: family nurse practitioner program propels licensed registered nurses (with a BSN) to their graduate degrees in 17-24 months. Students study through a combination of live online seminars and hands-on clinical opportunities (coordinated near students' homes), also gaining all the benefits of being a Georgetown student, including access to the university's prestigious alumni network.
MSN: Nurse Administration MSN: Nurse Education	Kaplan University . The MSN program at Kaplan University is designed for family nurses seeking to grow their leadership skills within the healthcare field. Once a candidate has completed the program, he or she will be prepared to pursue positions in administration, faculty, or staff development. Students will be challenged in this program with courses ranging from organizational theory, health care finance, human resources, amongst others that them to meet the demands of healthcare management.
MSN: Women's Nursing MSN: Nurse Midwifery	University of Cincinnati . The Adult Nursing, Nurse Midwifery, Nurse Administration, and Women's Health Nursing programs offered by the University of Cincinnati are excellent programs for an RN seeking to expand his or her career opportunities. These programs are designed to provide and challenging and stimulating classroom environment preparing students for a wide range of careers ranging from family nursing, adult care, and prominent leadership roles.
MSN: Nurse Education RN-MSN: Nurse Education	Capella University . The MSN in Nurse Education from Capella University prepares family nurses to educate future generations of nurses in methods that have been proven highly successful. As the demand for nurses continues to grow, the demand for instructors to teach them will also grow. The MSN in Nurse Education Bridge program allows nurses with a Bachelor degree in a field other than nursing to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing.
Find your Family Nurse Practitioner degree program today...
MS in Midwifery	Philadelphia University . The MS program in Midwifery is a two-year distance education program designed for registered nurses (RN) and CM Pathway applicants. This program integrates components of theory and practices and includes four terms of clinical experience and two on-campus sessions. Following completion of the program, graduates can successfully take the American Midwifery Certification Board exam to earn the credential CNM or CM.
MSN: Adult Acute Care MSN: Clinical Nursing MSN: Nurse Leadership	Drexel University . An MSN in Adult Acute Care at Drexel University helps prepare family nurse practitioners to manage patient populations in medical, surgical, and critical care. The
MSN: Nurse Education MSN: Nurse Leadership MSN/MBA: Nurse Leadership	Grand Canyon University . A MSN in Nurse Education from Grand Canyon University prepares family nurses that want to teach the upcoming nurses to become highly effective educators. The school also offers a MSN in Nurse Leadership. This program teaches the fundamentals of how to work in hospital administration. The MSN/MBA in Leadership prepares family nurses to take their career to the next level and land more advanced positions in the healthcare environment.