Graduate family nurse practitioner applications close Dec. 1

BYU College of Nursing's Family Nurse Practitioner program is currently taking applications for next fall semester.

The application, composed of online interview questions, letters of recommendation, a letter of intent and academic paperwork, is due Dec. 1. The program accepts 15 students each cycle.

Rachel Platt, the graduate program manager for the School of Nursing, is in charge of recruiting and answering questions about the practitioner application.

Its not just about a degree, its about gaining the ability to lead and to heal and to advocate for families, Platt said.

She mentioned that theyre looking for resilient students to keep up with their rigorous program.

We develop compassionate nurse practitioners who serve as leaders in their community, Platt said.

BYU's Family Nurse Practitioner program is fast-paced, taking only two years to complete. Platt said the best way students can prepare for the program is by gaining experience, and thats also what helps on the application.

She said she most often addresses questions about the best experience students can get before applying to the program.

The answer is any experience is good experience, she said. More experience is better.

She said that most students gain between three and seven years of experience, but only one year is required to apply.

Chelsea Best is a student in the program with two semesters left. She started the program after getting 14 years of experience in the field.

The program has been amazing, Best said. Its hard, its stretching me, but I would be sad if it didnt.

Best has gone to Moab and Paraguay while in the program, both as experiential learning opportunities.

BYU is really preparing me to jump into the world of being a family nurse practitioner, Best said.

She chose BYU's program over an online program because of the opportunities BYU offered. She mentioned the value of experiential learning, scholarships and the Christ-centered community.

I love that aspect, because its not something you think about when youre not at a religious school, Best said.

Saul Villalobos, another student in the program, moved to the U.S. from Mexico City with his family when he was 19, before he spoke English. He noticed the frustration his family faced when meeting with primary care providers.

The language barrier and the culture barrier, theres a gap and people dont feel heard, Villalobos said. I always thought it would be cool to have my own clinic and focus on the Hispanic population.

Villalobos mentioned that this program has been particularly helpful for his goals because it teaches him how to serve underserved areas and people of all ages.

Our program is great because we include the Healers art, Platt said. We focus on ministering to the one.

With such small cohorts and a 5:4 student-faculty ratio, students are both dependent on each other and mentorship from faculty.

Platt said students make friends for life in their cohort.

She said theres no benefit to applying before Dec. 1, but Platt mentioned students should give themselves plenty of time to get everything done by the deadline.