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Adult/Gerontology Acute Care

Save Lives, Assist the Critically Ill

Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (AG-ACNP) are highly trained providers in the vital role of caring for the acutely an critically ill patients in hospital and specialty clinic environments. 

Mission & Vision

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.  

Didactic & Practicum Curriculum

The AG-ACNP education includes preparation for delivering care to patients who may be characterized as physiologically unstable, experiencing life-threatening illness or injury, high severity, or highly vulnerable to complications within a continuum of care ranging from disease prevention to critical care. The AG-ACNP does not provide routine health maintenance for the well adult. 

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. 

You can view past Sample Programs of Study here.

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. 

Certification Eligibility

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.

Contact Us

Shelley Kern, MPC
DNP Program Manager
shelley.kern@nurs.utah.edu

Heidi Favero, DNP, AGACNP-BC, CCRN
Interim Specialty Track Director
Heidi.Favero@hci.utah.edu

AG-ACNP Program Faculty

Graduate Certificates