Program Overview

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Emergency Nurse Practitioner (Graduate Certificate)

The certificate program for the emergency nurse practitioner specialty is an advanced nursing practice program. Graduates are prepared to provide holistic, client-centered care to patients across the life span in ambulatory, urgent and emergent settings. The program is designed for board-certified family practitioner nurses who seek additional certification as an emergency nurse practitioner and for students currently enrolled in their third year in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the family nurse practitioner track at Arizona State University who are seeking to become an emergency nurse practitioner.

Program Description

This is a hybrid program, a blend of in-person and online learning. Students are required to travel to campus for orientation and immersions two or three times per semester.

Core courses include pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology and advanced health assessment. Any deficiency courses determined by the student's specific gap analysis must have been completed in the past five years to be eligible for credit.

Specialty courses focus on care for patients with cardiovascular, thoracic-respiratory, dermatologic, abdominal, musculoskeletal, psychiatric, traumatic, renal, genitourinary, endocrine, nervous, head, ear, nose and throat system diseases and disorders in ambulatory, urgent and emergent settings.

Focused clinical experiences are arranged for students residing in Maricopa County, Arizona. Students should expect to travel throughout Maricopa County and, in some cases, surrounding counties to complete their assigned clinical placement.

Students who reside outside Maricopa County are responsible for identifying the required number of clinical sites in their area of residence and for identifying preceptors and sites willing to accommodate clinical rotations. Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation must approve these sites before students start any clinical experience; the doctoral program office does not guarantee a clinical placement site for any student outside Maricopa County. If, during the program, faculty determine that the student needs additional supervision for clinical progress in the program, the student must complete clinical experiences in the Phoenix area.

The program offers practicum experiences (clinical rotations) in health profession shortage areas throughout the state, in both urban underserved and rural areas; these provide students with multicultural experiences to enhance professional development.

At a Glance

• College/school: Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
• Location: Downtown Phoenix
• STEM-OPT extension eligible: No

Degree Requirements

16 credit hours

• Required Core (16 credit hours)
  • DNP 610 Principles of Advanced Emergency Nursing I (3)
  • DNP 611 ENP Practicum I: Advanced Emergency Nursing Practice (3)
  • DNP 630 Principles of Advanced Emergency Nursing II (3)
  • DNP 631 ENP Practicum II: Advanced Emergency Nursing Practice (4)
  • DNP 649 Advanced Physiology (3)

Additional Curriculum Information

Every certificate student must complete 315 hours of direct patient care with a nurse practitioner or physician preceptor in the clinical setting. Documented clinical experiences are required by the certification organization, American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) for the graduate to be eligible to take the national Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification examination.

Focused clinical experiences are arranged with appropriate preceptors and administrators. Every attempt is made to arrange this in the student's geographical area. If clinical sites are unavailable in that area or if the faculty determine that the student needs additional faculty supervision of skills, the student is required to complete the clinical experience in the Phoenix area. Experiences with disadvantaged and multicultural populations are encouraged, as are experiences in rural areas, and sites are available for these experiences.

Admission Requirements

• General university admission requirements: All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
• U.S. applicants | International applicants | English proficiency
• Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
• Applicants must have earned a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution.
• Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
• Applicants are required to submit:
  • graduate admission application and application fee
  • official transcripts
  • three professional letters of recommendation
  • professional resume
  • goal statement
  • admission essay
  • proof of English proficiency

Additional Application Information

An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.

International students who need an F-1 or J-1 visa need to apply to and be accepted to a graduate degree program before being considered for the certificate program. International students residing in the United States on other types of visas must adhere to all Graduate College policies and procedures regarding admission to be considered for admission to this certificate program.

A current unencumbered RN license in the state in which the student plans to do clinical practicums is required. All students are also required to have an unencumbered Arizona RN license or an unencumbered compact state RN license as mandated by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. The RN license must remain unencumbered throughout enrollment in any nursing program.

The goal statement should indicate the applicant's understanding of the role of the advanced practice nurse with the population of interest and any experience they may have working with the patient population of interest.

The admission essay should briefly describe how meeting "The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice" (2006) will further the applicant's career goals.

Applicants must be a licensed family nurse practitioner or enrolled in the family nurse practitioner program at ASU.

An interview with program faculty is required.

Health and safety requirements include passing disposition on a background clearance and satisfactory completion of a substance screen.

An admission examination is not required.

Tuition Information

When it comes to paying for higher education, everyone’s situation is different. Students can learn about ASU tuition and financial aid options to find out which will work best for them.

Career Opportunities

The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation prepares graduates for excellence upon entering the workplace. Graduates of the emergency nurse practitioner certificate program have the knowledge and training to provide health care for patients across the life span in a wide variety of settings, and their broad base of comprehension and clinical expertise enables them to effectively participate and lead within clinical, community and academic arenas.

Career examples include:

• business owner
• community advocate
• nurse practitioner
• professor

Professional Licensure

ASU programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification are intended to prepare students for potential licensure or certification in Arizona. Completion of an ASU program may not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in another state. For more information, students should visit the ASU professional licensure webpage.