Registered Nurses in Primary Care Certificate

Admissions | Curriculum | RN Role in Primary Care | FAQs

Are you currently a community-based registered nurse interested in practicing to the full scope of your license? Do you want to be a part of a developing sustainable workforce of RNs who improve access to primary care?

The Registered Nurses in Primary Care certificate (RNPCC) is designed to enhance the role of the registered nurse in episodic and preventative care, triage, documentation of health status, chronic disease management — including mental health and substance use disorders — hospital transition management, delegated care for illness, health coaching, supervision of other staff, quality improvement and leadership.

Throughout the program, you will develop leadership skills that will allow you to lead in primary care settings, work with patients across the age span and in a broad range of healthcare services including:

Wellness and health coaching
Promotion and maintenance of health
Prevention of illness and disability
Basic care during acute and chronic phases of illness
Guidance and counseling of individuals and families
Referral to other health care providers and community resources when appropriate

Upon completion of this certificate, registered nurses will be prepared to:

practice to the full scope of their license in community-based primary care interprofessional teams.
work with patients in prevention and management of chronic disease including substance use and mental health conditions and other leading causes of illness.
implement evidence-based health coaching approaches to address chronic disease in primary care settings.
act as formal and informal leaders in primary care settings through use of communication, teamwork and collaboration.
lead patient centered care teams, provide care coordination and seamless transitions in care delivery.

Interested in learning more about the RN role in primary care? Click here.

At the completion of the program, you will earn an academic certificate from The Ohio State University. This eleven-credit-hour program is designed to be completed in one academic year. It is structured and highly encouraged to take one class at a time. Most classes are offered in seven weeks, with some being a full semester

Online program availability may vary by state. For more information on state authorization requirements and disclosures related to online programs and state licensing board contact information, please visit the State Authorization website.