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 520Nurse Practitioner Clinical Orientation Seminar0.0
NURS 548Advanced Pathophysiology3.0
NURS 549Advanced Pharmacology3.0
NURS 550Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning4.0
NURS 664Professional Issues for Nurse Practitioners1.0
Concentration Courses
NURS 554Pharmacology for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners3.0
NURS 570Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP I: Introduction to Adult Gerontology Acute Care Medicine5.0
NURS 571Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II: Mgnt/Care of Patients in Acute/Crit Care Med Set5.0
NURS 572Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III: Mgnt/Care of Patients in Acute Surgical Setting5.0
NURS 573Adult Gerontology Acute Care NP IV: Management of Care of Patients in Critical Care Settings5.0
NURS 580Adult Gero Acute Care NP V: Mgmt/Care of Clients in Acute, Critical Care, Med or Surg Settings5.0
Total Credits39.0

The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

Sample Plan of Study

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
NUPR 5200.0NURS 554*3.0NURS 550*4.0NURS 5705.0
NURS 5483.0   
NURS 5493.0   
NURS 6641.0   
 7 3 4 5
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
NURS 5715.0NURS 5725.0NURS 5735.0NURS 5805.0
 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.