MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Concentration

Position Title:

MSN-Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Concentration

Position Type:

Regular

About the Role:

The APRN Non-Tenure Track (NTTR) Faculty member is a nationally certified Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) who provides leadership in coordinating, teaching, and advancing courses within the Nurse Practitioner track. This faculty role upholds academic integrity, adheres to professional standards of practice, and collaborates closely with nursing program faculty to ensure curriculum alignment with the AACN Essentials, CCNE Accreditation Standards, NTF Criteria, and national APRN competencies.


The position supports graduate students in achieving eligibility for Nurse Practitioner certification, contributes to program effectiveness, and fosters a high-quality, student-centered learning environment. T

his position is a 12-month, renewable, non-tenure-track faculty appointment serving as the APRN Concentration Coordinator within the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Program in the School of Nursing.


Northern Kentucky University (NKU) is guided by its core values of multidimensional excellence, learner-centered education, civic engagement, multiculturalism, innovation, collegiality, and collaboration across disciplines and professional fields.

Organizational Relationship:

• Workload assigned by the Associate Director of Graduate Studies.

• Evaluated annually by the Associate School Director of Graduate Studies or Designee with input from the MSN Program Director.

• Communicates with the MSN Program Director about course and student-related issues.

• Maintain regular, proactive communication with faculty and the MSN Program Director regarding course operations, student concerns, and any emerging issues, ensuring alignment with program expectations and timely resolution.

Program Leadership:

• Attend and participate in program/course/university meetings as designated by the MSN Program Director and Associate Director of Graduate Studies.

• Actively engage in program, course, and university meetings, as designated by the MSN Program Director and Associate Director of Graduate Studies, to support shared governance and program effectiveness.

• Collaborate regularly with APRN Coordinator(s) to address course content, grading practices, student concerns, and faculty or university-related matters. Escalate unresolved student issues to the MSN Program Director, following appropriate communication pathways. Escalate unresolved faculty issues to the Associate Director of Graduate Studies following appropriate communication pathways.

• Contribute to program success through participation in activities related to student admission, progression, and orientation, as well as curriculum review and enhancement for students enrolled in or applying to the APRN specialty concentration. Ensure alignment with CCNE Standards and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) competencies.

Faculty Leadership

• Ensure all assigned faculty have course resources (textbooks, unpublished course (Faculty Only) resources, expectations, week-by-week outline of expectations, etc.)

• Conduct conference call Zoom/Teams meeting with assigned faculty prior to the beginning of the term/semester and as needed.

• Ensure all faculty course requirements are completed by deadlines (attendance, grades, syllabus, digital measures, guided improvement plan, grading per rubric/syllabus, etc.).

• Monitor course faculty's grading, and interactions with students during the course; Review/discuss any assignments earning an 80% or less.

• Maintain an active presence and engagement throughout the course by monitoring responsiveness, grading practices, and interactions with students. Collaboratively review and discuss student assignments receiving a grade of 80% or below to ensure timely academic support and consistency in evaluation.

• Plan, teach, manage, and evaluate lectures and course activities while ensuring instructional excellence and innovation in content delivery.

• Review and communicate to APRN Coordinator(s) any needed updates to readings, textbooks, and other course content to ensure current information.

• Review course materials, including readings, textbooks, and learning resources, to ensure alignment with current evidence-based practice, NONPF competencies, and CCNE standards, and communicate any necessary updates to APRN Coordinator(s) to maintain curricular relevance and accuracy.

• Place textbook orders according to the university schedule.

• Review and update syllabus to ensure current contact information of all assigned faculty, term, and assignment due dates.

• Ensure the 'Meet the Faculty' page is created or updated to include accurate and complete information for all section faculty and verify that the syllabus and Canvas course shell are fully developed and made available to course faculty at least one week before the course start date, and to students by Friday preceding the first day of class.

• In clinical courses, ensure active communication with preceptors that includes email, face-to-face via Zoom/Teams or similar at the beginning, midterm, and end of the course with documentation of interactions.

• In clinical courses, discuss any issues identified by the preceptor with the student and assist with a plan to correct any deficiencies; consult with Coordinators as needed.

Communication:

• Introduce self to students via the Announcements and/or Discussion Board during the first week of the course and hold Zoom/Teams meetings at the start, mid-term, and end of the course.

• Answer emails from students within 24 hours (best practice) during the week and within 48 hours during the weekend; maintain professionalism in all communications with students; should an issue require more than 2 emails to the student, set up a recorded virtual conference with the student.

• Provide students with the best availability for contact and office hours in person or virtually.

• Create an Announcement (written and audio or video) each week of the course describing previous week, current week, and any upcoming assignments.

• Be present in the course via discussion board interactions, emails with students, personalized, thorough, and detailed comments/feedback on assignments.

• Send a 'Check-In' email to each student in the section at least once in the term that is distinct from any emails from the student or about a specific assignment; It should be friendly and just checking in to see how the student is doing.

• Provide student grade breakdown (number of As, Bs, Cs, Fs), incompletes, Improvement plans, and course summaries to APRN Coordinator(s).

• Ensure all course requirements and due dates are known and completed by students and preceptors.

• Collaborates closely with the MSN Program Director, fellow program coordinators, and the Associate Director of Graduate Studies to maintain the quality of courses and overall program effectiveness. This collaborative effort ensures that curricular design, instructional delivery, and assessment practices foster an enriching learning experience for students while upholding accreditation requirements, institutional policies, and professional standards.

Other duties include:

• Be accessible and available to students, supervisor, staff and colleagues.

• Serve on committees as assigned and attend faculty, departmental, and other meetings in person or virtually; be an active participate in program/university needs.

Qualifications:

• MSN with Advanced Practice Certification in the designated specialty area required.

• Doctoral degree in Nursing or related field required.

• Minimum of eight years of nursing practice required, including at least three years of full-time, direct patient care as an APRN in the designated specialty area.

• Previous graduate-level teaching preferred.

• Previous online teaching experience preferred.

• Must possess a valid, unencumbered registered nursing license in the State of residence and an advanced practice license.

• Pass pre-employment criminal background check as mandated by state law.

Professional Expectations:

• Maintain current RN and APRN certification/licensure.

• Maintain current knowledge of professional discipline and educational methodologies through continuing professional development.

• Maintain part-time clinical practice as needed to maintain APRN certification/licensure; Ensure clinical practice does not interfere with faculty duties.

• Maintain current knowledge of program policies, procedures, and student progress.

• Adhere to faculty professional standards as delineated in the NKU Faculty Handbook.

• Utilize Canvas email or nku.edu email for ALL course communications - encourage students to do the same.

• Teach/Precept as needed to meet program needs.

Required Training:

• Completes 'Best Practices for Online Teaching' Canvas course as assigned.

• Completes required Faculty Development courses annually.

• Complete Clinical systems training currently used in the program (i.e., Medatrax).

• Position requires a pre-employment criminal background check as mandated by state law.

Work Environment & Physical Demands: