Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate

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This non-degree certificate is designed for nurses with previous Master’s or Doctor of Nursing Practice preparation as another type of nurse practitioner who are seeking to expand their role by certification in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Acute Care. The Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Post-graduate Certificate is designed for MSN- or DNP-prepared nurse practitioners who want to obtain the education necessary to be eligible to take the certification exam to become a pediatric acute care nurse practitioner (CPNP-AC).

Pediatric acute care nurse practitioner students are prepared to provide quality health care to acutely, critically, and chronically ill children, birth through emerging adulthood, and their families. CPNP-ACs work in collaboration with other health care professionals, most often in inpatient pediatric settings as well as pediatric emergency rooms. The sequence of courses provides for a logical building of the clinical decision making skills necessary to function as a pediatric acute care nurse practitioner. Clinical experiences may be in a variety of general or specialty pediatric acute care settings.

Graduates are eligible for national certification offered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) and legal certification as a CRNP and prescriptive authority through the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or by the Board of Nursing in the student’s state of employment..

Curriculum Format

• Course work may be completed in as few as two terms
• A minimum of 500 clinical hours
• Onsite
• Clinical placements will be provided by the program

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Post-graduate Certificate are prepared to accomplish the following:

• Assume responsibility for promoting, maintaining, and restoring health to acutely ill, critically ill, and complex chronically ill pediatric patients
• Identify health risks, promote wellness, and diagnose and manage acute and chronic illness
• Participate in quality improvement projects and provide leadership for interprofessional health care teams

Admission Criteria

• Valid registered nurse license in the state where clinical experiences are performed
• A baccalaureate degree in nursing
• MSN or DNP preparation as a nurse practitioner from an accredited program (ACEN, NLN, ACICS, or CCNE)
• Minimum of one year nursing experience recommended
• GPA ≥ 3.0 in the MSN or DNP program
• Pre-admission interview
• Complete online application
• International applicants: see www.nursing.pitt.edu and www.ois.pitt.edu