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Advanced Practice Specialty

Family Nurse Practitioner/Nurse-Midwifery

 

The seamless Family Nurse Practitioner/Nurse-Midwifery specialty prepares students to practice as nurse-midwives who are also family nurse practitioners educated to care for women, children and families. Students develop the skillsets to offer comprehensive health care services from preconception through adulthood, including obstetric and gynecological care. In addition to being able to care for women, students learn a family-centered approach to care that emphasizes health promotion and disease prevention, with a scope of practice that includes children and men. The expanded scope of practice for a certified FNP/NM graduate is particularly valuable in rural or international locations. 

 

Note: Vanderbilt School of Nursing is currently only accepting applications to the Family Nurse Practitioner/Nurse-Midwifery specialty for full-time MSN students and full-time MN + Post-Master’s Certificate students. DNP and part-time programs are no longer being offered.

Alumnus and CNM holds infant while talking to the child's mother
Section Contents

Specialty Highlights 

Complete in 8 Semesters

Receive an outstanding specialty education in Family Nurse Practitioner/Nurse-Midwifery specialties in just 8 full-time semesters.

Hybrid/Online Learning format

The FNP and NM curricula are completed separately. The FNP is online/hybrid and NM is in-person/hybrid. The first January through mid-September of the NM program, classes are held in person at VUSN. From mid-September through April of the following year, the midwifery students are completing clinical experiences at assigned clinical sites throughout the United States.

Robust Clinical Experience

Over 1400 hours of clinical practice

I realized my philosophy, values and desired scope of practice lined up with nurse-midwifery and nursing.

Vernicia Winford, MSN’20 (NM/FNP), CNM
Certified Nurse Midwife
Peachtree Women’s Clinic, Atlanta, Georgia

Prestigious Program with Exceptional Outcomes

  • The seamless FNP/NM specialty is a rigorous curriculum to produce outstanding CNM/FNPs upon graduation who are prepared for successful completion of professional certification exams
  • Students learn from actively practicing faculty who combine classroom instruction with hands-on clinical practice experience 
  • Seminars and clinical groups are small and collaborative, with low faculty-to-student ratios and personalized attention.

Program Structure

The FNP program is delivered over four semesters in a hybrid format, combining online instruction with required on-campus intensives in semesters two through four. The NM program is delivered in person during the first two semesters, with clinical practicum experiences in the final two semesters that may occur across the continental United States.

Curriculum & Objectives

The seamless FNP/NM specialty offers a rigorous curriculum, low faculty-to-student ratios and one of the nation’s largest nurse-midwifery faculty practices in a university setting. Our practice-active faculty use a mix of traditional classroom settings, simulated experiences and clinical training to fully prepare students for their careers. 

The FNP curriculum incorporates the 2021 AACN Essentials, assuring students receive a comprehensive and up-to-date education that meets the highest standards in nursing education and assures they are well-prepared for practice. The Nurse-Midwifery curriculum is based on the 2025 Core Competencies for Basic Midwifery Practice developed by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. The ACNM 2025 Competencies provide clear information on what is included within our curriculum as preparation for nurse-midwifery practice. Explore textbooks used in this specialty. 

Clinical Experience

The Nurse-Midwifery and Family NP program directors, faculty and clinical placement staff work to ensure all students have productive clinical experiences. For the nurse-midwifery portion, the NM faculty, in conjunction with the VUSN clinical placement office, finds students' midwifery clinical sites and matches students to a location that will provide optimal learning outcomes. The goal is that students have a variety of sites and range of clinical seettings for a robust and diverse clinical outcome. For the Family NP portion, students work with faculty and clinical placement staff to secure clinical rotations that provide experience with patients across the lifespan. These placements are arranged by the Family NP faculty liaison and Clinical Placement Office. Students in the seamless FNP/nurse-midwifery specialty can expect to have clinical rotations outside of the Nashville area to expose them to regional differences in nurse-midwifery and lifespan care. Local placements are assigned based upon availability. 

Time Commitment

The seamless FNP/NM specialty is 8 full time semesters. This accelerated specialty is best suited for motivated, self-directed learners who can master large amounts of complex material in a short time. Balancing full-time or part-time work with the program’s rigorous, full-time, accelerated curriculum is not recommended. During intrapartum clinical practica, student midwives will need to be available for the preceptors’ clinic and call schedule, be able to work nights, weekends, and holidays, and be available for 24 hour call shifts. (Students are required to have a mandatory rest/sleep period of 4 hours after 16 hours of active clinic work.) 

Outcomes

Seamless FNP/NM graduates can choose to work in a variety of practice settings such as ambulatory care centers, correctional facilities, global health clinics, health departments, medical offices, migrant clinics, military sites, nurse-managed clinics, private practices, rural health clinics, work-site based clinics and birth centers. Graduation from this MSN specialty prepares students to take the national certification exams, offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board for the FNP portion of their credentials, and the American Midwifery Certification Board, for the CNM portion of their credentials.

Special Funding Opportunities for NM/FNP Students

  • Collaborative Academic Practice (CAP) Program – Grant-funded for program for Vanderbilt NM/FNP students who have an interest in care of rural and medically underserved communities
    Learn about the CAP program
  • MEADOW – The MEADOW program goal is to train nurse-midwives through trainee scholarships, stipends, curricular enhancement, and community-based training
    Learn about the MEADOW program

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can you take midwifery first and then do the FNP portion?

    No. The Seamless FNP/NM program allows applicants to choose both NM and FNP at the time of application and seamlessly transition from FNP to NM. The vast majority of specialty level classes are only offered once a term. Clinical courses fall in specific terms and build on each other. Therefore, starting with the FNP allows no breaks/gaps before seamlessly starting midwifery in spring. The design was intentional so that students will have attended births and practiced OB related skills (like suturing) as close to graduation as possible. The goal is that new grads are able to perform these skills with confidence at their first midwifery job!

  • When will graduates sit for certification exams?

    Ideally, students will sit for their FNP certification (board) exam in December after finishing the FNP portion of the program. They will then proceed with the Midwifery portion in January. Graduates will sit for the AMCB certification (midwifery board) exam after they finish the program in May.

  • IS there a part-time opton?

    There is not a part-time option for the seamless NM/FNP program. If you know that you need a part-time plan of study, we encourage you to apply to either the FNP or the NM part time programs.

  • When do I relocate to Nashville for the Midwifery specialty?

    Short answer: Spring, Summer, and 1 month of fall.

    Explanation:

    • The nurse-midwifery program involves on-site coursework in all semesters. The first Spring of the midwifery specialty year involves onsite courses for several days a week.
    • In the first Summer, students will have classes on campus one day a week and clinical practicum sites within a 4-5 hour radius of Nashville.
    • In the last fall of the midwifery year, students are on-site for the first month for intense skills training.
    • Then, for the remainder of that fall and final spring term, students will be in clinical sites all over the US and have virtual classes. For the final week of the program that spring, students will be back to VUSN for a week of intensives before pinning and graduation in May.
    • Many of our students find that leases that go month-to-month are ideal.
  • How are midwifery clinical sites assigned?

    Please watch this short video regarding clinical rotations. 

Many of our NM/FNP students are driven to practice in rural, global or resource-limited health settings. They pursue the seamless FNP/NM education to amplify their impact and meet the needs of underserved populations.

Julia Steed, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC
Director, Family Nurse Practitioner Specialty
Assistant Professor
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Take the Next Step

The dual Nurse-Midwifery/Family Nurse Practitioner specialty is available as part of the Master of Science in Nursing, Master of Nursing Prespecialty and Post-Master's Certificate programs. Request information about the program or contact your admissions counselor.

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