Online Campus
Herzing University

According to the 2018 NPWH Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Workforce Demographics and Compensation Survey, the significant majority of WHNP describe direct patient care as their primary role (84%).

Some WHNP may work in academia, management/administration, research, or health policy/advocacy. 

However, at this time there are no separate certifications for different types of WHNP: only the primary WHNP-BC certification from the National Certification Corporation (NCC).

Yes, an FNP is educated and trained to work with all types of patients across the lifespan, so they can potentially provide women’s health care. 

However, an FNP curriculum includes topics in adult, geriatric, and pediatric care which may not be as relevant for those focused on women’s health only. The FNP curriculum includes women’s health, but our WHNP curriculum greatly expands on this to provide greater preparation for success both on the WHNP certification exam and success in your first WHNP job.

View all nursing programs available online with Herzing University.

Both WHNP and certified nurse midwives (CNM) are advanced practice nurses with specialized roles for women, but they have unique focuses in terms of scope of practice.

Women’s health nurse practitioners specialize in providing primary health care to women across the lifespan, while nurse midwives are more focused strictly on the pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. Midwives may deliver babies, but WHNP cannot.

Each has their own unique certification and educational requirements, as well as differences in salary potential.

Learn more about the primary differences between a WHNP and certified nurse midwife.

The goal is to fully prepare you for success in your work as a WHNP. Clinicals are completed as part of specialty WHNP courses to best establish concepts learned in didactic courses and immediately apply your learning to real-life direct patient care in a precepted clinical site.

Every student in the WHNP program is subject to a clinical proficiency exam after completing Advanced Health Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology, and Advanced Pharmacology. This ensures a strong foundational knowledge prior to entering the specialty clinical courses towards a WHNP.

There are benchmarks and assessments throughout the program to help ensure you’re on the right track. We work closely with every student to help them fully prepare for success as a WHNP. You are afforded the opportunity to learn and work with other women's health providers to gain real life knowledge and experience to prepare you as you enter your own practice.

Availability of evening or night classes varies by program and class type. General education courses can typically be completed online on your schedule. In some cases, certain classwork or exams may require a set log-in time.

We work hard to fully prepare you for success in your work and provide as much flexibility as possible to achieve the right school-life balance. Our admissions team can help you determine how much coursework you can potentially complete in nights and evenings.

Our online division is based out of our home office in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin: 275 W Wisconsin Ave Ste. 210, Milwaukee, WI 53203. Career-focused online degree programs are available for students across the US, pending any program-specific state eligibility requirements.

The 2018 NPWH Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Workforce Demographics and Compensation Survey highlights several environments in which WHNPs practice, including:

• Private practice offices
• Community health centers
• Hospital-based clinics
• Academic medical centers
• Schools and colleges
• Correctional facilities
• Inpatient settings
• Patients’ homes

WHNPs may work in urban, suburban, or rural areas, and may also potentially provide telehealth services (remote care).

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners earn an average salary of $124,680 per year ($59.94 per hour). Pay depends on many factors, including your location, what healthcare institution you work for and your level of experience.*

Discover the average nurse practitioner salary by state and find out what nurse practitioners make on average near you. Salaries can vary between specialties, and the BLS does not provide a specific estimate for WHNP.

The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health’s Guidelines for Practice and Education outline a large list of WHNP competencies across several important categories:

• Client-centered care
• Primary care
• Women’s gynecologic, sexual, reproductive, menopause-transition, and post-menopause healthcare
• Male sexual and reproductive healthcare
• Obstetric care
• Professional role