MSN: Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Major: Nurse Practitioner, Pediatric Acute Care
Degree Awarded: Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 57.0; 800 clinical hours
Co-op Option: None
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.3801
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code:
29-1141

About the Program

The online Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC) program is designed to prepare practitioners for professional practice in the management of medical, surgical and critical care pediatric patient populations. Concurrent theory and clinical courses provide a knowledge base for the management of pediatric complex acute, critical and chronic healthcare conditions. Clinical practicum rotations allow students to put the principles they have learned into practice in medical, surgical and critical care settings. Upon completing the program, graduates pursue practice roles across the continuum of acute care services ranging from high-acuity, hospital-based emergency or intensive care settings to specialty-based practices. Graduates are eligible to sit for the PNCB's Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner 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. There are a maximum of two OCIs in each program. Students will attend an OCI during week one of their first clinical course for three to four days (summer quarter). An additional OCI visit may be required for two to three days in another clinical 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.

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

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 MSN Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner webpage and on the Drexel University Online MSN Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner webpage.

Degree Requirements

Core Courses
NURS 500 [WI] Confronting Issues in Contemporary Health Care Environments3.0
NURS 502Advanced Ethical Decision Making in Health Care3.0
NURS 544Quality and Safety in Healthcare3.0
RSCH 503Research Methods and Biostatistics3.0
RSCH 504Evaluation and Translation of Health Research3.0
Support Courses
NURS 548Advanced Pathophysiology3.0
NURS 549Advanced Pharmacology3.0
NURS 550Advanced Health Assessment & Diagnostic Reasoning4.0
NURS 646Pharmacology for the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner3.0
NURS 664Professional Issues for Nurse Practitioners1.0
Clinical Courses
NURS 642PNP I: Primary Care of Infants, Children and Adolescents5.0
NURS 643PNP II: Episodic Care of Infants, Children and Adolescents in Primary Care5.0
NURS 649Ped Nurse Pract AC I:Acute-Chronic Care of Infants, Children and Adolescents Management5.0
NURS 650Ped Nurse Pract AC II:Acute-Chronic Care of Infants, Children and Adolescents Management5.0
NURS 651PNP Management of the Medically Fragile and Technology Dependent Child in the Community5.0
Elective3.0
Total Credits57.0

Writing-Intensive Course Requirement

A [WI], Writing Intensive, next to a graduate course in this catalog indicates that the graduate course is a writing intensive course. The graduate course is a required course in your curriculum.

Sample Plan of Study

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
NURS 5003.0RSCH 5033.0RSCH 5043.0Elective3.0
NURS 5023.0NURS 5443.0NURS 5483.0 
 6 6 6 3
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
NURS 5493.0NURS 6463.0NURS 5504.0NURS 6425.0
  NURS 6641.0 
 3 3 5 5
Third Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
NURS 6435.0NURS 6495.0NURS 6505.0NURS 6515.0
 5 5 5 5
Total Credits 57

Note: Some terms are 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 these terms.

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