Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)
Program Information
Meet the Program Director
Amy Bull, PhD, FNP-BC
Dr. Amy Bull joined Vanderbilt School of Nursing in 2007 and is the Program Director of the Family Nurse Practitioner specialty. She is an experienced educator in both undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. Dr. Bull has over 20 years of experience in clinical practice largely within primary care and practice administration. She holds the Associate of Science (nursing) from Belmont College (now Belmont University) in Nashville, TN, the Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Regents College in Albany, New York, the Master of Science in Nursing (FNP) from Vanderbilt University, and the Doctor of Philosophy (Nursing) from East Tennessee State University. Dr. Bull’s scholarly activities, to include research, practice, and teaching, focus on primary care and family violence. Dr. Bull has advanced education in the field of Criminal Justice and Forensic Nursing. She is board certified as a family nurse practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center and currently practices as an FNP in an uninsured clinic in Dickson, Tennessee. In addition, Dr. Bull is a consultant to the Tennessee Department of Health on Advanced Practice Nursing.
The Vanderbilt Legacy of Excellence
The Vanderbilt Family Nurse Practitioner program, established in 1975, is among the oldest and most progressive in the country. Rich in experience and resources, the majority of faculty are seasoned FNP professionals who are actively involved in primary care clinical practice.
The Family Nurse Practitioner program prepares students to deliver comprehensive primary care to individuals from infancy throughout adulthood, with an emphasis on family-centered health promotion and illness prevention.
Preparing You for Practice
The Family Nurse Practitioner program’s l clinical experience allows the student to grow in their confidence and clinical skills over two semesters by providing care to patients across the lifespan in urban and/or rural primary care settings. Students begin seeing clients in the spring semester under the supervision of a qualified, VUSN approved preceptor. The final clinical experience combines theory, research and practice in the delivery of clinical services in a family care setting. The clinical preceptorship gives each student an immersion experience with a clinical mentor who is an expert in primary health care delivery By the end of the preceptorship, students are able to manage common primary care complaints with minimal input from their preceptor.
Dual-Focus Programs Expand Scope of Practice
Vanderbilt School of Nursing also offers these dual-focus programs that expand the Scope of Practice for Family Nurse Practitioners, depending upon your particular interests. Visit these programs to learn more.
- Emergency Nurse Practitioner (FNP/AG-ACNP)
– Prepares you for dual certification as a Family Nurse Practitioner and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner. You will care for pediatric and adult patients and treat varying levels of acuity in emergency care settings.
- Nurse-Midwifery/Family Nurse Practitioner
– Prepares you, in addition to the competencies of the FNP, to be a primary health care provider to essentially healthy women across their life spans and to normal newborns.
