JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University College of Nursing is ranked No. 13 in a listing of “2020’s Best Online Nurse Practitioner Programs” released by EduMed.org. ETSU’s program was EduMed.org’s highest-ranking online nurse practitioner program in Tennessee.

In addition, EduMed.org’s 2020 listings also ranked ETSU’s psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner program 10th in the country.

Nurse practitioners serve as primary and specialty care providers, delivering advanced nursing services to patients and their families. They typically care for a certain population of people.

“An increasing demand in health care services and the aging baby boomer population have led to a greater demand for nurse practitioners as a source for primary and specialty health care,” said Dr. Wendy Nehring, dean of ETSU College of Nursing. “ETSU College of Nursing has several online programs to help meet those needs.”

ETSU offers two nurse practitioner tracks for master of science in nursing (MSN) degree students: family nurse practitioner (FNP) and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). Both full-time and part-time study plans are available fully online.

“We are proud of both of these programs and especially pleased that our PMHNP program was separately ranked it its category,” said Dr. Myra Carew, associate dean for Graduate Programs. “Mental health issues continue to rise to the forefront of concerns among all age groups, and meeting the demand for professionals who have expertise in this area is extremely important to ensuring the overall health and well-being of patients.”

In addition, the FNP and PMHNP options are available for doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students, as well as an adult-gerontological care nurse practitioner concentration. DNP programs include online courses with one required on-campus intensive session each semester.

Both BSN-to-DNP and MSN-to-DNP options are available, as well as full-time and part-time study formats. ETSU additionally offers FNP and PMHNP post-graduate certificates for current MSN degree holders seeking to specialize in one of the two NP practices. All programs require completion of in-person clinical hours.

Edu.Med.org data scientists analyzed government higher education data and created an algorithm to rank each U.S. postsecondary institution and its online programs using five primary factors: cost, online program availability, academic counseling, career placement and students with institutional aid.

The full rankings are available at www.edumed.org/online-schools/nurse-practitioner-programs/.

To learn more about ETSU’s College of Nursing, visit www.etsu.edu/nursing.