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The women's health nurse practitioner (WHNP) track prepares students for advanced practice nursing in the management of gynecological, prenatal and primary care of women. Advanced practice nurses (APRNs) provide high-quality health care services in a wide range of problems from acute, chronic and wellness care to health promotion, disease prevention, health education and counseling. The core courses provide a solid foundation in the use of evidence-based practice guidelines and theory as a basis for the diagnosis and treatment of illness and the promotion of wellness. Clinical experiences are precepted in community or outpatient settings.
The MSN educated nurse practitioner is prepared to enter advanced practice, ready to assume responsibility and accountability for the health promotion, assessment, diagnosis and management of patient problems including the prescription of pharmacologic agents within a specialty area of clinical practice.
Quick facts
Official name
Master of science in nursing with an emphasis in women’s health nurse practitionerCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
School of Nursing and Health StudiesDelivery mode
Blended, some campus visits requiredAccreditation
Higher Learning Commission, Commission on Collegiate Nursing EducationCredit hours
46Estimated cost
$41,325.60*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
Career prospects
Graduates take the national certification exam for their specialty and practice as a nurse practitioner in any area of the United States.
Program structure
Delivery of this program is blended: You will complete most course work online, but on-campus visits are required. Courses are semester-based. Full-time students may take three courses per semester and finish in two years. Part-time students may take one or two courses per semester and finish in three years.
Course work includes
- Advanced physiology across the lifespan
- Ethics in practice and research
- Health care policy and advocacy
- Cultural diversity and values
- Health promotion, across the lifespan
Delivery
Blended, some campus visits requiredCalendar system
SemesterTypical program length
2-3 yearsTypical course load
1-2 courses per semesterAccreditation
The University of Missouri-Kansas City is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
The MS at the School of Nursing and Health Studies is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Faculty spotlight
Nancy Willis-Smith has worked with UMKC since 2003. She started in Joplin, MO with the distance program, became the Joplin Site Coordinator in 2010 and became the family nurse practitioner track coordinator in 2016. She is double certified as a family nurse practitioner and a women's health nurse practitioner and received her doctor of nursing practice in 2011. She was awarded the "Award of Excellence" for the state of Missouri by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners in 2006. Willis-Smith practices 2 days a week for Ozark's Community Hospital clinics in Webb City and Carthage, MO.
Sherri Sellers, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, joined the University of Missouri-Kansas City nursing faculty in the Fall of 2018. She completed her DNP at UMKC in 2018 helping to develop a program for expedited partner therapy for positive chlamydia patients at a local county health department in the Kansas City area. She has practiced women’s health as a WHNP in private practice, public health and in corrections medicine, locally and internationally in Sydney, Australia. She is currently the Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner track coordinator at UMKC and works clinically at The Midwife Group Women’s Health & Birth Center in Savannah, Georgia, and as a volunteer clinician at Hearts and Hands Clinic in her hometown of Statesboro, Georgia. She contributed to the Clinical Training Center for Sexual and Reproductive Health’s resources for Title X clinic providers on training related to basic infertility, contraceptive options and a protocol for emergency contraception. She is a member of ACOG and the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health, where she sits on committees and is a journal reviewer. Her research interest relates to reproductive rights of the incarcerated female.