Program Description
The Post-Graduate APRN (DNP and MSN) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate prepares individuals who are already licensed advanced practice nurses with the skills and competencies needed to provide patient-centered care to adults across the lifespan who are physiologically unstable, technologically dependent, or highly vulnerable to complications, and require frequent monitoring and intervention. Didactic and clinical practicums prepare the graduate to provide a full-spectrum of care ranging from disease prevention to acute and critical care management and palliative care, with consideration to the developmental, life-stage needs of adults across the age spectrum. This 20 credit, one year program prepares advanced practice nurses, who are certified in another specialty, to take the AG-ACNP certification exam.
Course work is conducted primarily online with intensive on-campus sessions twice per year for competency training and testing and advisement. Clinical experiences are scheduled in proximity to the student’s’ residence. Students wear their UTHSC picture identification while on-campus and at clinical sites. Student placement in clinical sites is verified by preceptors, and faculty conduct clinical site visits or videoconferencing sessions with the student and preceptors.
Program Outcomes
Upon completion of the Post-Graduate APRN (MSN) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate, the graduate will be able to:
- Synthesize nursing and other scientific knowledge, with contemporary clinical knowledge, for the assessment and management of health and illness states of adult-gerontology patients.
- Demonstrate advanced levels of nursing practice including health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, treatment, and referrals for the acute, critical, and chronically ill or injured patient.
- Engage in advocacy, modeling and teaching to advance health outcomes of complex acute, critical, or chronically ill patients.
- Develop collaborative professional relationships.
- Provides leadership for the delivery of clinical services within an integrated system of health care.
- Analyzes practice outcomes to foster quality healthcare practices and improve patient outcomes.
- Integrate professional values and ethical decision-making in advanced nursing practice.
Upon completion of the Post-Graduate APRN (DNP) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate, the graduate will be able to:
- Demonstrate proficient clinical reasoning in advanced nursing practice.
- Lead within health care systems to deliver safe, quality care for diverse populations.
- Disseminate findings from evidence-based practice and research for optimal healthcare outcomes.
- Integrate health information and patient care technologies to transform healthcare outcomes across the lifespan.
- Advocate for social justice and equity through strategic initiatives to influence public policy.
- Lead interprofessional teams to improve patient and population health outcomes.
- Integrate concepts of social determinants of health, epidemiology and ethics to improve population health.
- Design, implement, and evaluate quality care based on science to facilitate optimal patient outcomes.
Admission Process and Minimum Requirements
Admission is once per year. Applications are due in January for consideration of admission into the Fall class. All application materials (for example, application, application fee, recommendations, essay, official transcripts, copy of active advanced practice nurse licensure) must be submitted through NursingCAS by the deadline in order for students to be considered for admission. Applicants can access the NursingCAS application site at: http://nursingcas.org/.
Technical and Performance Standards: AG-ACNP Certificate Program
In addition the technical and performance standards expected of all students in educational programs in the College of Nursing, students in the AG-ACNP program are also expected to possess the mental, auditory, visual, sensory, strength, manual dexterity, and communication skills to:
- Perform a systematic and complete history and physical examination on a client.
- Communicate significant examination findings to other professionals and client/family.
- Appropriately assess and record subjective and objective findings.
- Maintain effective relationships and interact appropriately with other professionals and clients/families, demonstrating skills of leadership collaborations and decisiveness.
- Accurately analyze alterations in functional patterns.
- Demonstrate advanced use of the nursing process: assess, develop, implement, educate and counsel clients, prescribe appropriate therapy, demonstrate self-care skills and evaluate appropriate plans of action for diagnosed problems.
- Maintain flexibility and emotional stability in response to novel, unique situations and stress.
- Anticipate common, acute, and life-threatening problems encountered in critically ill patients.
- Identify ethical issues in critical care practice and participate in ethical decision making using a systematic approach.
- Demonstrate/role model the appropriate integration of evidence into practice.
If a student cannot fulfill these Technical and Performance Standards, with or without accommodations, at any time in the program, the student will be ineligible for admission or continued progression in the Post-Graduate APRN (DNP and MSN) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate. In addition to assuring that students can meet the intellectual, emotional, and physical criteria for the AG-ACNP Certificate program, it is of utmost importance that students have the ability to provide for the safety and welfare of their patients and others. Reasonable accommodations will be provided, when appropriate, to help student meet these Technical and Professional Standards. Any student wishing accommodations must contact the university’s Office of Student Academic Support Services and Inclusion at 901-448-5056 (email: SASSI@uthsc.edu).
Accreditation
The Post-Graduate APRN (DNP and MSN) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate is currently pursuing CCNE accreditation.
Post-Graduate APRN (DNP and MSN) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate Curriculum
The Post-Graduate APRN (DNP and MSN) Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate curriculum is a full-time, continuous, 12-month program providing didactic, laboratory and clinical experiences for advance practice nurses (APNs) seeking a new certification as an AG-ACNP. Courses are offered one time per academic year.
A gap analysis will be performed to determine if the applicants’ previous Advanced Pharmacology, Advanced Pathology/Pathophysiology, and Advanced Health Assessment courses meet requirements to sit for the AG-ACNP certification exam. The Advanced Pharmacology course must include content consistent with the AG-ACNP certification test plan and have been completed within 5 years of the date the individual plans to sit for the AG-ACNP certification program. Applicants with deficiencies may complete a graduate level Advanced Pharmacology course from any accredited advanced practice program prior to enrolling in the AG-ACNP certificate program. If the applicant’s Advanced Health Assessment course did not cover the lifespan, then the applicant will take NSG 824 - Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnosis course will be taken during the spring term. If the applicant has not completed an Advanced Pathology course within the last 5 years, the PATN 605 - Advanced Pathology course will be taken during the spring term, or an equivalent course may be taken at any accredited nursing program prior to enrolling in the AG-ACNP certificate program. An advanced practice roles course is included as part of the AG-ACNP certificate program curricular schema. The need for the student to complete a roles course (NSG 855 ) will be based on a gap analysis.
