Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (Graduate Certificate)
Acute Care, Nurse Practitioner, nursing, pediatrics
The certificate program for the acute care pediatric nurse practitioner specialty is an advanced nursing practice program. It is designed for board-certified nurses seeking additional certification as an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner, or for doctorate-level nurses seeking an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner position. This certificate program prepares graduates to provide holistic, client-centered care to meet the physical, psychological and social needs of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
This is a hybrid program, a blend of in-person and online learning. Students are required to travel to campus for orientation once and for immersions two or three times per semester.
Core courses include pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology and advanced health assessment. Specialty courses focus on assessment and management of a supportive, family-centered, culturally appropriate plan of care for pediatric patients with chronic, complex acute, and life-threatening illnesses. Any deficiency courses determined by the student's unique gap analysis must have been completed within the past five years to be eligible for credit.
Focused clinical experiences are arranged for students residing in Maricopa County, Arizona. Students should expect to travel throughout Maricopa County and, in some cases, surrounding counties to complete their assigned clinical placement.
Students residing outside of Maricopa County are responsible for identifying the required number of clinical sites in their area of residence and for identifying preceptors and sites willing to accommodate clinical rotations. Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation must approve these sites before students start any clinical experience; the doctoral program office does not guarantee a clinical placement site for any student outside Maricopa County. If, during the program, faculty determine that the student needs additional supervision for clinical progress in the program, the student must complete clinical experiences in the Phoenix area.
The program offers practicum experiences (clinical rotations) in health profession shortage areas throughout the state, in both urban underserved and rural areas, providing students with multicultural experiences to enhance professional development.
As a participating National Council for State Authorization reciprocity agreements member, Arizona State University is authorized to offer distance education to persons located in individual state authorization reciprocity agreement member states in accordance with the council's established policies and standards. California is not a state authorization reciprocity agreement member, and the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education does not regulate out-of-state public institutions for education offered online and in Arizona. ASU may offer educational activities in California. There are some exceptions for specific programs at Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation; these are noted on the ASU state authorizations website.
- College/school:
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
- Location: Downtown Phoenix
20 credit hours
Required Core (20 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information
DNP 606 Principles of Pediatric Acute Care I (3)
DNP 607 Advanced Pediatric Acute Care Practicum I (7)
DNP 619 Principles of Pediatric Acute Care II (3)
DNP 620 Advanced Pediatric Acute Care Practicum II (7)
Every certificate student must complete 600 hours of direct patient care with a nurse practitioner or physician preceptor in the clinical setting. Documented clinical experiences are required by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board for the graduate to be eligible to take the national pediatric nurse practitioner acute care certification examination. Focused clinical experiences are arranged with appropriate preceptors and administrators. Every attempt is made to arrange this in the student's geographical area. In the event that clinical sites are unavailable in that area or if the faculty determine that the student needs additional faculty supervision of skills, the student is required to complete the clinical experience in the Phoenix area. Experiences with disadvantaged and multicultural populations are encouraged, as are experiences in rural areas, and sites are available for these experiences.
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- three professional letters of recommendation
- professional resume
- goal statement
- admission essay
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
International students who need an F-1 or J-1 visa need to apply to and be accepted into a graduate degree program prior to being considered for the certificate program. International students residing in the U.S. on other types of visas must adhere to all Graduate College policies and procedures regarding admission to be considered for admission to this certificate program.
A current unencumbered RN license in the state in which the student plans to do clinical practicums is required. All students are also required to have an unencumbered Arizona RN license or an unencumbered compact state RN license as mandated by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. The RN license must remain unencumbered throughout enrollment in any nursing program.
The applicant must be nationally certified as a primary care pediatric nurse practitioner. Nationally certified family nurse practitioners working as a nurse practitioner in a pediatric setting will be considered.
The goal statement should indicate the applicant's understanding of the role of the advanced practice nurse with the population of interest and any experience the applicant may have working with the patient population of interest.
The admission essay should briefly describe how meeting "The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice" (2006) will further their career goals.
An interview with program faculty is required.
One year of clinical experience working in the pediatric acute care setting is preferred.
Health and safety requirements include passing disposition on a background clearance and satisfactory completion of a substance screen.
No admission examination is required.
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 12/15 | Priority |
The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation prepares graduates for excellence upon entering the workplace. The acute care pediatric nurse practitioner role has grown exponentially in the past decade, and the demand for board-certified advanced practice acute care providers has never been higher. Graduates of the certificate program in advanced practice nursing are prepared to provide health care for newborns, children, adolescents and young adults. Careers include:
- acute care home services
- critical care
- education and training of future health care providers
- emergency care
- inpatient hospitalist service
- specialty service provision
- transport teams
ASU programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification are intended to prepare students for potential licensure or certification in Arizona. Completion of an ASU program may not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in another state. For more information, students should visit the ASU professional licensure webpage.
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
|
MERCC 250
nursingandhealth@asu.edu
602-496-0937
3 year programs
These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
