family nurse practitioner

A family nurse practitioner (FNP) provides continuing and comprehensive healthcare for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and body systems. Primary care emphasizes the holistic nature of health and it is based on knowledge of the patient in the context of the family and the community, emphasizing disease prevention and health promotion. This history of this role began in the 1960s when health care planners and legislators determined that primary health care was not meeting the immediate demands of the United States' citizens. Medical schools were given money to start family practice programs to meet this need, and the practice movement began to grow.