Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate

Return to: School of Nursing

Post-Professional Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

This non-degree certificate is designed for nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists with a previous Master of Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice who are seeking to expand their roles via nurse practitioner certification in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care. The total credits required are 24.

Overview

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) Post-Professional Certificate is designed for graduate prepared Nurse Practitioners (NP) or Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS) who are seeking to expand their roles via nurse practitioner certification in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care. The curriculum prepares nurse practitioners to function as generalist, principal providers of care for adults and older adults with acute, critical and complex chronic health problems across the continuum of acute care services.

AG-ACNP students may choose a clinical emphasis in cardiopulmonary, critical care, oncology, trauma emergency preparedness or directed study.  The directed study allows students to design clinical experiences around a particular area of interest (i.e. internal medicine, general surgery). The curriculum consists of NP and AG-ACNP specialty courses and clinical practice hours.

Graduates of the AG-ACNP Post-Professional Certificate are eligible to sit for the national certification examination in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center or American Association of Critical Care Nurses.  Successful passing of the national certification examination entitles the graduate to apply for certification as a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care by the State Board of Nurse Examiners of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Curriculum Format

• Course work may be completed  in 3 terms
• 540 clinical hours**
• Online or onsite
• Students are required to attend 2 onsite laboratory intensives - 2 days in the Summer term and 1 day in the Fall term.  Each student will be responsible for the room and board cost during the lab intensives.
• Online students will need to arrange for clinical placements and appropriate physician or nurse practitioner preceptors. An Affiliation Agreement between the University and the clinical site is required before clinical hours can begin.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the AG-ACNP Post-Professional Certificate are prepared to accomplish the following:

• Assume responsibility for promoting, maintaining and restoring health to acutely/critically or complex chronically ill adults and older adults
• Identify health risks, promote wellness, and diagnosis and manage acute and chronic illness
• Participate in multi-disciplinary research and provide leadership in mobilizing health services

Admission Criteria

• Valid registered nurse license in state where clinical experiences are performed
• Minimum of one year nursing experience recommended
• BSN required
• Previous MS, MSN or DNP as a NP or CNS (from accredited program (ACEN, NLN, ACICS, or CCNE)
• GPA ≥ 3.0 in the MS, MSN or DNP degree
• Pre-admission interview
• Complete online application
• International applicants: see www.nursing.pitt.edu and www.ois.pitt.edu
• Spring Term Admission Only

Courses with a “D” can be delivered synchronously via distance technology. Such courses are open only to qualified on-site students as per Policy 438