Post-Master's Certificate in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Certificate Level: Graduate
Admission Requirements: Master's degree
Certificate Type: Post-Master's
Number of Credits to Completion: 39.0; 800 clinical hours
Instructional Delivery: Online
Calendar Type: Quarter
Expected Time to Completion: 2 years
Financial Aid Eligibility: Aid eligible*
Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Code: 51.3801
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 29-1141
*The current plan of study for this program would only allow for federal financial aid (including Federal Direct Student Loans) for terms that are at least a minimum of 4.5 credits for graduate courses and 6.0 credits for undergraduate courses. This is based on current regulations from the U.S. Department of Education.
About the Program
The online Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program is designed to prepare practitioners for professional practice in the acute management of medical, surgical and critical care for adult and older-adult patient populations. This certificate is offered to those individuals who have earned a master's degree in nursing and seek further preparation as an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner. Graduates will be eligible to sit for the AACN and/or ANCC's Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Certification Examination.
The nurse practitioner faculty is committed to quality and excellence in the nurse practitioner (NP) programs. Students meet on campus for mandatory on-campus intensive (OCI) learning experiences, simulation and evaluation. Students will attend an in-person on-campus intensive in NURS 570 for four days during week one of the summer quarter. Students will attend a second in-person on-campus intensive in NURS 571 for two days during week seven of the fall quarter. Dates are subject to change. During the OCIs, students engage in simulated clinical learning experiences conducted in the College of Nursing and Health Professions' state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary patient simulation lab. These visits provide direct guidance and mentoring from faculty and the opportunity to collaborate with peers. Mandatory, on-campus visits are essential to students transitioning into the NP role.
Program Requirements
| Required Courses | ||
| Support Courses | ||
| NUPR 520 | Nurse Practitioner Clinical Orientation Seminar | 0.0 |
| NURS 548 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3.0 |
| NURS 549 | Advanced Pharmacology | 3.0 |
| NURS 550 | Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning | 4.0 |
| NURS 664 | Professional Issues for Nurse Practitioners | 1.0 |
| Concentration Courses | ||
| NURS 554 | Pharmacology for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners | 3.0 |
| NURS 570 | Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP I: Introduction to Adult Gerontology Acute Care Medicine | 5.0 |
| NURS 571 | Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II: Mgnt/Care of Patients in Acute/Crit Care Med Set | 5.0 |
| NURS 572 | Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III: Mgnt/Care of Patients in Acute Surgical Setting | 5.0 |
| NURS 573 | Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP IV: Management of Care of Patients in Critical Care Settings | 5.0 |
| NURS 580 | Adult Gero Acute Care NP V: Mgmt/Care of Clients in Acute, Critical Care, Med or Surg Settings | 5.0 |
| Total Credits | 39.0 | |
The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
Sample Plan of Study
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NUPR 520 | 0.0 | NURS 554* | 3.0 | NURS 550* | 4.0 | NURS 570 | 5.0 |
| NURS 548 | 3.0 | ||||||
| NURS 549 | 3.0 | ||||||
| NURS 664 | 1.0 | ||||||
| 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| NURS 571 | 5.0 | NURS 572 | 5.0 | NURS 573 | 5.0 | NURS 580 | 5.0 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Total Credits 39 | |||||||
* Note: This term is less than the 4.5-credit minimum required (considered half-time status) of graduate programs to be considered financial aid eligible. As a result, aid will not be disbursed to students this term.
Additional Information
For more information about this program, contact:
Graduate Nursing Division
CNHPGraduateDivision@drexel.edu
Additional information is available on Drexel's College of Nursing and Health Professions PMC Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner webpage and on the Drexel University Online PMC Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner webpage.