Program Overview

---

Nursing: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (D.N.P.)

The Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (PB-DNP) program is designed for registered nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing who aspire to become certified as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (AGACNPs) and develop leadership skills for advanced nursing practice.

Program Description

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program prepares nurses for the highest level of specialized nursing practice. Graduates emerge as innovative leaders equipped to translate evidence into practice, improve systems of care, and measure health outcomes across diverse settings.

Clinical Requirement

In addition to 750 clinical hours of direct patient care for the AGACNP component, the DNP component requires 500 hours of practicum work in the project courses NURS 980, NURS 981, and NURS 982. Students are required to successfully complete DNP coursework, produce a publishable scholarly paper, and present their DNP Project.

Program Outcomes

Graduates of the BSN-DNP AGACNP program are fully prepared to practice as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners in acute care settings such as hospitals and ambulatory care centers, apply advanced clinical knowledge and skills acquired through the program to improve patient outcomes and healthcare delivery, and sit for national certification exams offered by the AACN or ANCC.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the BSN-DNP program must meet the following requirements:

• Registered Nurse Licensure: Hold an unencumbered RN license in the United States.
• Letters of Recommendation: Submit three letters of reference that address academic ability, professional competency, and personal character.
• Updated Resume: Provide a current resume detailing relevant education, work experience, and professional achievements.
• Professional Statement: Include a written essay addressing the following topics:
  • Professional Goals: Discuss your immediate and long-term goals as an AGACNP, focusing on one of the following areas:
    • Healthcare quality improvement.
    • A local or global policy or health issue you are passionate about and how the University of New Hampshire's DNP program can help develop your leadership skills to address this issue.
  • Interest in the AGACNP Program: Explain your specific professional interests, experiences, or research in this area and your motivation to pursue the AGACNP role.
• Interview: Applicants may be contacted for an interview following the initial review of their application.

Degree Requirements

Clinical Hours

750 clinical hours are required, completed through the following required courses: NURS 851, NURS 853, NURS 855, NURS 857, NURS 859.

Course List

The following courses are required: | Course List Code | Title | Credits | | --- | --- | --- | | NURS 812 | Advanced Pharmacology and Therapeutics | 3 | | NURS 814 | Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan | 3 | | NURS 816 | Health Promotion Theory and Population Health | 3 | | NURS 818 | Foundations of Evidence Based Practice | 3 | | NURS 820 | Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan | 3 | | NURS 910 | Genomics & Ethics | 3 | | NURS 911 | Diagnosis & Management - Diagnostic Reasoning | 3 | | NURS 915 | Leadership, Role & Collaboration | 3 | | NURS 917 | Biostats and Epidemiology | 3 | | NURS 850 | Foundations in Acute Care | 3 | | NURS 851 | Foundations in Acute Care Clinical Practicum | 3 | | NURS 852 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner I | 3 | | NURS 853 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner I Clinical Practicum | 3 | | NURS 854 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II | 3 | | NURS 855 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II Clinical Practicum | 3 | | NURS 856 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III | 3 | | NURS 857 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III Clinical Practicum | 3 | | NURS 858 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner IV | 3 | | NURS 859 | Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner IV Clinical Practicum | 3 | | NURS 964 | Information Systems and Technology Improvement | 3 | | NURS 967 | Evidence Based Practice Methods | 3 | | NURS 969 | Health Systems Policy, Economics & Financial Planning | 3 | | NURS 973 | Quality & Safety | 3 | | NURS 980 | Doctoral Scholarly Project I | 3 | | NURS 981 | Doctoral Scholarly Project II | 3 | | NURS 982 | Doctoral Scholarly Project III | 3 | Total Credits: 78

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, graduates are expected to:

• Employ strategic leadership skills to shape practice environments to produce positive, patient-centered, healthcare outcomes at individual and system levels.
• Serve in a healthcare leadership and change agent role as part of a diverse, complex, and patient-centered health care system.
• Act as a practice scholar to design, direct, and evaluate system changes to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered care.
• Use data analytic methods, information systems, and technology to evaluate, integrate, and apply knowledge that will improve programs of care, outcomes of care, and care systems.
• Use translational science and analytic methods to develop, identify, implement, and evaluate best practices to improve health care and health care systems.
• Design and implement health promotion and clinical prevention strategies across the health/illness continuum to optimize health and disease management.
• Systematically use improvement methods to monitor and evaluate care processes and outcomes and applies data for continuous improvement and safety.
• Advocate for social justice through policy, professional, and political engagement.
• Apply leadership principles that support inter-professional practice.
• Facilitate interprofessional collaboration to implement practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, and standards of care.

Additional Outcomes for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Graduates

In addition, the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner graduate will:

• Meet eligibility requirements for certification as an AGACNP with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or as an ACNPC-AG with the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).
• Meet state requirements for certification, licensure, and prescriptive authority.
• Obtain federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) authorization to prescribe controlled substances (Schedules II through IV) for patients within the AGACNP's practice area.
• Participate in the education of future AGACNPs through preceptorship.
• Be lifelong learners.

Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures

The University of New Hampshire offers a number of academic programs designed to lead to professional licensure or certification in New Hampshire. However, completing a UNH degree/program does not guarantee professional licensure or certification. Eligibility may also depend on factors like years of work experience, professional examinations, passing a background check, and other criteria.