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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. 

Program Overview

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.  

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. 

Program Snapshot

  • 3 years

  • 8 consecutive semesters, cohorts begin in Fall of the academic year

  • A distance/hybrid option is available for students over 50 miles from campus

    • required on campus participation embedded throughout the program *negotiated on an individual basis and subject to change at faculty discretion

Application Details

  • Applications are due in December for the following academic year

Program 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 healthcare workforce, and we are proud to have this reflected within our faculty members. 

  • Heidi Favero, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, APRN, CCRN

    Associate Professor (Clinical), Interim Director AGACNP Track DNP Program, Specialty: Intensive Care

    Why do I teach?

    I learn every time I teach. This facilitates being a lifelong learner. I am inspired by seeing students' growth during their academic pursuits. I want to see individuals reach their academic and professional goals. My goal is to help you become my future colleague.  

    Clinical Experience:

    My clinical experience started in 1996. I have had the opportunity to care for many patients and learn from multiple mentors throughout my career. I was a nurse for 16 years before becoming a nurse practitioner. This experience has shaped me as an NP. I welcome any questions about my previous experience. 

    • 2016 to current: APRN with the HICU/MICU APC Group at the University of Utah Hospital & Huntsman Cancer Hospital

    • 2014 - 2016: APRN with the Mountain Star Health Cardiothoracic Surgery 

    • 2006 - 2013: Intermountain Life Flight Fixed Wing RN 

    • 2004 - 2014: Shock Trauma Respiratory Intensive Care Unit RN at Intermountain Medical Center & LDS Hospital 

    • 2003 - 2005: Thoracic ICU RN at LDS Hospital 

    • 2002 - 2003: High Observation/Intermediate Care Unit at McKay-Dee Hospital

    • 1999 - 2003: Float Pool RN at McKay-Dee Hospital (Units included: NICU, CVTU, surgical, medical, short stay, TCU, rehab, HOBS, pediatric, post-partum)

    • 1998 - 1999: Float Pool LPN @ McKay-Dee Hospital (Units included: NICU, CVTU, surgical, medical, short stay, TCU, rehab, HOBS, pediatric, post-partum)

    • 1997 - 1998: Float Pool CNA @ McKay-Dee Hospital (Units included: NICU, CVTU, surgical, medical, short stay, TCU, rehab, HOBS, pediatric, post-partum)

    • 1996 - 1998: CNA at Uintah Basin Medical Center - worked on the medical-surgical unit that cared for patients from 0-100 years of age

    Current Courses:

    I have taught all the acute care-specific courses previously, except the pharmacy course. I am the interim program director, co-teaching the 2nd and 3rd-year didactic and 3rd-year practicum courses.

  • Mandy Snyder, DNP, APRN, PhD

    Adjunct Faculty, Specialty: Cardiology

    Why do I teach?

    I appreciate the expertise and mentorship that was bestowed on myself when I was a student and want to pay that forward in the next generation of NP professionals. My philosophy is that teaching challenges your own knowledge and helps to expand your perspective on topics and learning. I feel like I am a better clinician because of teaching as this facilitates lifelong learning.

    Clinical Experience

    • Heart valve specialist - 2016 to the present

    • Structural heart & interventional cardiology - 2011-2016

    • Long-Term Acute Care - 2010-2016

    • Interventional Cardiology- 2008-2011

    • Thoracic ICU & IABP Team Member - 2005-2008

    • Telemetry Intermediate Care - 2004-2005

    • Pediatric Med-Surg 2002-2004

    Current Courses

    I co-teach the didactic and Advanced Pharmacology courses for the Adult-Geron Acute Care DNP program.

  • Rikki Worthen, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, APRN

    Assistant Professor (Clinical), Specialty: Intensive Care

    Why do I teach?

    The moment you feel you have nothing to learn is the moment you become an unsafe provider - Rikki

    I teach because teaching is a powerful way to learn. As a teacher, explaining concepts to others forces me to engage with the material at a deeper level, reinforcing my own understanding. I also love that teaching is a mutually beneficial process. While sharing my experience and knowledge with my students, the questions they ask can help to expose potential gaps in my knowledge and teaching methods, providing both of us with an opportunity to grow. 

    Clinical Experience

    2014 - Current: Nurse Practitioner, Surgical ICU at the VA Medical Center

    2009 - 2013: Registered Nurse, Intermountain Life Flight - Fixed Wing

    2004 - 2015: Registered Nurse, Shock Trauma ICU at LDS Hospital and Intermountain Medical Center 

    2001 - 2004: Registered Nurse, Intensive Care Unit at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center

    2000 - 2001: CNA/Medical Assistant/Phlebotomist/OR circulator/GI tech/Jack of all trades at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center. 

    1999 - 2000: CNA in a long-term care facility caring for patients with Neurological Disorders such as traumatic brain injuries, strokes, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.

    Current Courses

    NURS 7472 - Adult-Gerontology Acute and Critical Care II

    NURS 7473 - Adult-Gerontology Acute and Critical Care III

    NURS 7645 - AGACNP Practic

  • Amanda Dailey-Hansen, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, AOCNP, APRN

    Assistant Professor (Clinical), Specialty: Hematology Oncology, Inpatient and Outpatient

    Why I teach

    "People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel" -Maya Angelou

    This quote has resonated with me for many years, and since has become one of my core beliefs and philosophies around teaching. I was fortunate enough in my career to have a few very positively impactful teachers and mentors. Many whom taught me formally, but also informally and passively by supporting me through hard times and periods of personal and professional growth. They invested in me and took time to learn how my brain worked and processed; and they gave me feedback, even when it was difficult to hear. They genuinely wanted me to improve in whatever I was doing, and that meant a lot to me. Each of these teachers and mentors in my life had something in common- they made me feel valued and made me feel like what I was doing, mattered. I have grown to love that feeling and have developed a passion for sharing this emotion with others and helping them feel the same. Working with learners has become something that I absolutely love. Helping them understand something new or master a new skill is rewarding and really makes me feel like I am giving back to the community that so graciously took the time to give back to me when I needed it most. It is also a very symbiotic relationship in that I also continue to learn, grow and improve my own practice, often learning alongside and from my own students.

    Clinical Experience

    o 2021 - Present: Nurse Practitioner in Inpatient and Outpatient Hematology Oncology, Clinic 2D, Huntsman Cancer Hospital

    o 2023 - Present: Nurse Practitioner, QMP. Kindly MD in Millcreek Utah

    o 2014 - 2021: Clinical Nurse, medical oncology inpatient. Huntsman Cancer Hospital

    o 2020 - 2021: Travel nursing acute care, oncology with Intermountain Health Care

    o 2016 - 2017: Oncology Infusion nurse, outpatient. Huntsman Cancer Hospital

    o 2014 - 2015: Clinical Nurse, Urgent Care and KidsCare. Intermountain Health Care

    o 2008 - 2014: Medical Assistant, Family Medicine and Urgent Care/KidsCare. Intermountain Health Care

    o 2006 - 2008: CNA, Legacy Assisted Living Facility 

    Current Courses

    o Spring: 

    o NURS 7471- Adult Gerontology Chronic, Acute and Critical Care I

    o NURS 7643- AGACNP Practicum III

    o NURS 7703- DNP Scholarly Project III

    o Summer:

    o NURS 7641- AGACNP Practicum I

    o NURS 7644- AGACNP Practicum IV

    o NURS 6340- Hospital Medicine

    o NURS 7701- DNP Scholarly Project I

    o Fall: 

    o NURS 7642- AGACNP Practicum II

    o NURS 7702- DNP Scholarly Project II

  • Zara Mahamat, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, APRN

    Assistant Professor (Clinical). Specialty: U of U Internal Medicine, Lead Advanced Practice Clinician

  • Sarah Varner, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, APRN

    Adjunct Faculty, Specialty: Community Oncology, Outpatient

  • Zach Drury, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, APRN

    Adjunct Faculty, Specialty: Intensive Care, Nephrology, Ultrasound

  • Wendy Bowers, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, APRN

    Assistant Professor (Clinical), Specialty: Emergency Medicine

  • “Cathy” Chia-Hsuan Lin, DNP, AG ACNP-BC, APRN

    Adjunct Faculty, Specialty: Cardiology

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

Graduate Certificates