Assist the Critically Ill
The Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP) is educated to provide comprehensive, holistic care for patients with episodic, critical, and complex illness or injury, as well as chronic disease exacerbations. The AG-ACNP stabilizes patient conditions, prevents complications, restores and maintains maximum health, and provides palliative and end of life care.
The AG-ACNP Curriculum prepares graduates to provide care for individuals beginning at middle adolescence through the adult lifespan. However, an early adolescent patient requiring a disease specific consultation or provider may be served by the AG-ACNP.
Train to lead in fast-paced, high-acuity environments.
Gain the advanced clinical skills to manage critical and complex patient conditions across the adult lifespan.
- Provide care for acute illnesses, chronic disease exacerbations, and palliative needs
- Serve individuals from middle adolescence through older adulthood
- Prepare for urgent care settings, ICUs, cardiology, internal medicine, and more
Graduate with deep knowledge and hands-on experience.
- 850+ hours of direct patient care in diverse clinical rotations
- 150+ hours of indirect care through simulation, case studies, and procedural training
- Curriculum includes policy leadership, evidence-based practice, diagnostics, and pharmacology
- Choose two areas of interest for an immersive residency experience
Hybrid delivery designed to meet your needs.
- 3-year program (8 consecutive semesters), starting each Fall
- Distance/hybrid option available for students 50+ miles from campus
- Required on-campus participation is scheduled individually with faculty
Graduate ready to lead—and certified to practice.
- Eligible for national certification via ANCC or AACN
- Upon passing the board exam, you'll be licensed as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP-BC)
Program Information
- 3 years
- 8 consecutive semesters, cohorts begin in Fall of the academic year
- A distance/hybrid option is available for students
- Required on campus participation embedded throughout the program
- Negotiated on an individual basis and subject to change at faculty discretion
- Required on campus participation embedded throughout the program
Didactic Course Work
Throughout our program, you will complete various courses designed to teach you skills around influencing public policy and participation with professional organizations, evidence-based practice, quality improvement and systems leadership and in-depth courses in pathophysiology, acute care, critical care, pharmacology, diagnostic reasoning and physical examinations.
Practicum Course Work
During your last two years of the program, you will complete multiple practicum courses in which you will rotate through multiple clinical areas such as Internal Medicine, Cardiology, Nephrology, ICU, Surgical, Acute Pain, and other sub-specialty rotations. You will also have the opportunity to choose two areas of interest for yourself to complete a residency in, which includes additional hours.
In total, you will complete 850+ hours of direct patient care time along with 150+ hours of indirect care time, which includes simulation, case studies and procedural training classes. There is also participation with the Interdisciplinary Professional Education (IPE) program, and you will work with multiple colleagues in other disciplines in healthcare.
Faculty will coordinate all rotations for the student at contracted sites accordingly.
*Distance students are required to coordinate their own clinical sites. These sites are subject to the College of Nursing's legal and verification processes.
Graduates are prepared to sit for national certification from the American Nurses' Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Upon successful completion of the exam, candidates are eligible to become certified or licensed to practice.
Program of Study
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Faculty
Our faculty come from various backgrounds providing our students learning opportunities from experts in various clinical areas. Our faculty specialize in areas such as hospital internal medicine and intensive care as well as various specialty clinics. The AG ACNP role is widely applicable in the health care workforce, and we are proud to have this reflected within our faculty members.