Certificate: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Acute Care Nurse Practitioners attend to adolescents and adults across the continuum of care, including urgent care centers, critical care units and inpatient medical-surgical or specialty units. Acute care offers a high-intensity environment that requires fast-paced critical thinking skills, which you will develop during this program.

This certificate option prepares registered nurses as advanced practice leaders and interprofessional team members to provide care for acute and critically ill patients and their families. Offered only as a part-time option, this certificate can be completed in five semesters.

Highlights

Assess complex acute, critical, and chronically ill patients using physical examination findings, interviewing techniques, diagnostic tests, and technology to determine their current status of physiologic stability and risk for life-threatening conditions.
Utilize critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning to identify and prioritize patient problems and diagnoses.
Formulate and implement an individualized plan of care for each patient taking into consideration best practices, guidelines, research findings, patient and family preferences, and cultural considerations.
Function as an integral member of inter-professional health care teams.
Evaluate the quality of care provided to individual patients and larger groups within varying health care settings (individual practices, urgent care centers, hospitals, health care systems).

Who Should Apply

If you’re already working as a nurse, have a master’s degree in nursing and are interested in advancing your education to provide care in high-intensity emergency environments such as urgent care centers, critical care, and inpatient medical-surgical or specialty units, you should consider our Certificate: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP program.

Application Deadlines

Application Open: 09/01/24
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Priority: 12/01/24
Final: 02/01/24

Requirements

Overview

The Post-Masters Certificate: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program consists of 20 credit hours and 600 clinical hours. Questions about program requirements should be directed to the program director, Linda Briggs.

Program of Study

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner post-masters certificate program of study (Summer entry, part-time)

Courses

For full listing of courses and descriptions, please visit the University Bulletin.

Virtual New Student Orientation

You will be required to complete the Virtual New Student Orientation, which provides the knowledge and tools needed to be successful at GW Nursing. You will learn about the academic resources available to you, program requirements, course registration, online technology and other expectations.

On-Campus Requirements

Students in the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certificate program are required to attend two on-campus simulation-based learning events.

Clinical Learning and Skills Intensive (CLASI)

You will be required to attend CLASI prior to starting your clinical courses. You will demonstrate a head-to-toe history and physical on a standardized patient as well as participate in simulation-based learning and workshops to progress toward clinical competency.

AGACNP Clinical Simulation Events

While enrolled in NURS 6235, NURS 6236 and NURS 6237 students are required to come to campus to attend a series of simulation-based learning events. Students are required to demonstrate competency in
the diagnosis and management of common and/or life-threatening critical care problems.

Technology Requirements

Each student admitted to the Certificate program is expected to own and have ready access to a laptop or tablet with basic productivity software for classroom use. View Policy.

Complete applications that are submitted by the priority deadline will be reviewed first. Applications do not have to be verified by the priority deadline, only completed and submitted. Questions? Contact the Office of Admissions at [email protected]

A completed application includes the following components:

Master’s degree in nursing from a regionally accredited college or university
Preferred scholastic GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from a regionally accredited college or university
Official transcripts (from all post-secondary schools)
Two letters of recommendation
Current resume
Statement of Purpose
Active and unencumbered nursing licensure

Note:

GW Nursing is subject to state authorization requirements in order to offer an approved nursing curriculum. View available states.
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner requires students to be residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia.

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner options require at least one year experience in critical care setting.

You must record a minimum of 600 hours of clinical experience with an approved preceptor. You are encouraged to find your own preceptor.

The following clinical courses are required:

NURS 6235: AGACNP I – 120 clinical hours
NURS 6236: AGACNP II – 240 clinical hours
NURS 6237: AGACNP III – 240 clinical hours

Questions about clinical placement requirements should be directed to [email protected].

A completed application includes the following components:

Master’s degree in nursing from a regionally accredited college or university
Preferred scholastic GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale from a regionally accredited college or university
Official transcripts (from all post-secondary schools)
Two letters of recommendation
Current resume
Statement of Purpose
Active and unencumbered nursing licensure

Note:

GW Nursing is subject to state authorization requirements in order to offer an approved nursing curriculum. View available states.
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner requires students to be residents of the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia.

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner options require at least one year experience in critical care setting.

You must record a minimum of 650 hours of clinical experience with an approved preceptor. You are encouraged to find your own preceptor, but we can provide information on local clinical sites if needed. A clinical site visit will be conducted, usually during your second or final clinical course, by a faculty member.

The following clinical courses are required:

NURS 6235 (150 clinical hours in 10 weeks)
NURS 6236 (250 clinical hours in 15 weeks)
NURS 6237 (250 clinical hours in 15 weeks)
The summer elective NURS 8413 (350 to 400 hours) is optional.

Required Documentation

Current cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) certificate
Current advanced cardiovascular life support (ACLS) certificate
Immunization records including vaccination or immunity to hepatitis B; measles, mumps and rubella (MMR); varicella; diphtheria; polio and tetanus
Documentation of negative test results for tuberculosis (purified protein derivative (PPD) and/or chest x-ray)