Program Overview

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, D.N.P.

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) Program prepares nurses for Advanced Practice to provide acute care and critical care for patients from adolescence to end of life. The AG-ACNP practices across all settings, providing restorative care for acute illness and acute exacerbations of chronic disease. While most AG-ACNPs practice in the hospital setting, others may practice in specialty clinics.

Learning Outcomes

1. Develop new practice approaches based on nursing theory and theories borrowed from other disciplines to improve health and reduce health disparities locally, nationally, and globally.
2. Employ strategic leadership skills and inter-professional collaboration to influence health policy, advocate for social justice, and promote equity locally, nationally, and globally.
3. Implement ethical, cost effective, and evidence-based changes in care systems, while advancing the profession.
4. Provide leadership at the highest levels to design, direct and evaluate system changes to deliver and promote patient-centered care that is culturally competent, safe, timely, effective, efficient, and equitable.
5. Engage in complex, evidence-based advanced nursing practice, and evaluate innovative approaches to care delivery for individuals, communities, and populations.

Nurse Practitioner Competencies

In addition to instruction to meet the Learning Outcomes, graduates of the AG-ACNP program option are provided sufficient didactic and clinical instruction to meet the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP Competencies (NONPF, 2016). The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP Competencies include population focused competencies in Scientific Foundation, Leadership, Quality, Practice Inquiry, Technology & Information Literacy, Policy, Health Delivery Systems, Ethics, and Independent Practice.

Curriculum

The course load each semester is 7-12 credit hours. Subject to university policy, students are considered full-time students throughout the program.

Fall Year 1

• DNP 8004 Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology
• DNP 8023 Advanced Pharmacology
• DNP 9003 Foundations for Practice

Spring Year 1

• DNP 8031 Advanced Assessment Lab
• DNP 8032 Advanced Assessment
• DNP 8053 Biostatistics
• DNP 9013 Health Care Policy

Summer Year 1

• DNP 8043 Translational Research
• DNP 9023 Healthcare Informatics
• DNPC 9222 AG-ACNP Advanced Skills Lab
• DNPC 9303 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nursing Practice Diagnostic Reasoning

Fall Year 2

• DNP 9043 Organizational Leadership and Quality Improvement
• DNPC 9302 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Clinical Practicum I
• DNPC 9304 Advanced Practice in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care I

Spring Year 2

• DNP 9073 D.N.P. Project Proposal
• DNPC 9312 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Clinical Practicum II
• DNPC 9314 Advanced Practice in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care II

Summer Year 2

• DNP 9063 Epidemiology
• DNPC 9322 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Clinical Practicum III
• DNPC 9324 Advanced Practice in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care III

Fall Year 3

• DNP 9173 D.N.P. Project Design
• DNPC 9342 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Clinical Practicum IV
• DNPC 9334 Advanced Practice in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care IV

Spring Year 3

• DNP 9083 Project Completion
• DNPC 9313 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practice Summation
• DNPC 9332 Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Specialty Clinical Rotations

Admission

Requirements for admission to the AG-ACNP program may be found in the School of Nursing section. Requirements for admission to the Graduate School, including language proficiency, may be found in the Admission section.