Women's Health Nurse Practitioner

What is a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner?

A Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) is a registered nurse who has advanced education and clinical experience in women's health care. As a specialist, the WHNP delivers comprehensive health care to women throughout the lifespan, with an emphasis on reproductive and gynecologic health needs. The WHNP is well qualified to provide well-woman care, prenatal and postpartum care, care for women experiencing episodic acute or chronic illnesses. WHNPs provide some of the same care provided by physicians and maintain close working relationships with physicians. A WHNP can serve as a patient's regular health care provider.

Licensure and Certification

To be licensed as a nurse practitioner, the candidate must first complete the education and training necessary to be a registered nurse (RN). In most cases, professionals and employers in the field strongly recommend a master's degree as a minimal requirement for WHNPs, and some states require this. To become WHNPs, most nurses with an ADN (Associate Degree in Nursing) or diploma enter a Bachelor of Science-to-Master's program. Once registered nurse status is attained, the candidate must complete a state-approved advanced training program that usually specializes in women's health. The degree can be granted by any of the following:

After completing the education program, the candidate must be licensed by the state in which he or she plans to practice. The State Boards of Nursing regulate nurse practitioners and each state has its own licensing and certification criteria. After receiving state licensing, a women's health nurse practitioner can apply for national certification from the ANA or other professional nursing boards such as National Certification Corporation for the Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing Specialties.

Women's Health Nurse Practitioners see female patients of all ages. The core philosophy of the field is individualized care. Nurse practitioners focus on patients' conditions as well as the effects of illness on the lives of the patients and their families. WHNPs make prevention, wellness, and patient education priority. This can mean fewer prescriptions and less expensive treatments. Informing patients about their health care and encouraging them to participate in decisions are central to the care provided by WHNPs. In addition to health care services, WHNPs conduct research and are often active in patient advocacy activities.

Because the profession is state regulated, care provided by WHNPs varies. A nurse practitioner's duties include the following: