Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The primary goal of the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty is to prepare graduates for professional opportunities in the care of unstable acutely ill children. Graduates are prepared to provide healthcare services in hospital inpatient and outpatient settings, including the Emergency Room and pediatric intensive care, as well as mastering the urgent and emergent care of a wide range of clinical problems seen from infancy through young adulthood.
Post-baccalaureate applicants to the program must have completed the equivalent of one year of full time in-hospital pediatric nursing experience, preferably in an intensive care unit or other high acuity setting prior to admission. Coursework, clinical training and evidence-based practice activities allow students to acquire the knowledge, values and skills necessary for certification as a certified pediatric nurse practitioner in acute care (CPNP-AC) through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB). Students may attend full-time or part-time. There is a Post-Master's option for certified nurse practitioners or clinical nurse specialists with a plan of study tailored to the applicant’s previous accomplishments in graduate study. Our specialty meets both the acute care and pediatric nurse practitioner curricular guidelines of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties.
Message from the Director
The Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program prepares graduates to provide evidence-based healthcare to children from birth through young adult, including acute, complex, critical and chronic illness across a variety of clinical settings.
Faculty
Skills
Graduates enter the workforce with the skills and competencies to:
- Provide direct healthcare services to children and their families in a variety of settings, apply evidence-based practice to the care of children from birth to young adulthood and their families in the clinical setting and their communities
- Design, implement and evaluate plans of care for children from birth to young adulthood
- Utilize leadership skills to create positive change for children and families at the local, regional and national levels
- Contribute to the advancement of the pediatric nursing profession through innovative quality improvement efforts, interventions and scholarship
- Assume active roles in professional organizations within and outside of the nursing profession
Curriculum
- Advanced Child Development course (selected from a list of accepted courses from nursing and other departments)
- Nursing 7260 Concepts in Advanced Family Nursing
- Nursing 7330 Advanced Pediatric Health Assessment
- Nursing 7338.01 Advanced Nursing Practice in Pediatric Primary Care Practicum I
- Nursing 7218.01 Advanced Nursing Practice in Pediatric Acute Care I
- Nursing 7218.02 Advanced Nursing Practice in Pediatric Acute Care II
Clinical Courses
The Master of Science specialty track for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners prepares graduates for many challenging career opportunities. Graduates meet the demands of today's healthcare workforce in urgent care, specialty clinics, in-hospital units and critical care.
Through coursework, clinical training and evidence-based practices our students acquire the knowledge, values and skills necessary for advanced nursing practice. At the heart of our master's program are active, collaborative relationships between the College of Nursing faculty and community-based primary care practices as well as Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus.
As part of the country’s most comprehensive health sciences center, the College of Nursing provides students with access to cutting-edge research and evidence-based practice, a diverse selection of elective courses from the university’s Graduate School and interdisciplinary collaborative experiences among healthcare professionals, including the LEND fellowship opportunity.
Our central location, class schedules and clinical partners throughout Ohio conveniently accommodate both part-time and full-time students. Many core courses are available to students in a state-of-the-art computer-based format for convenience and accessibility. Our nurse practitioner specialty meets the curriculum guidelines of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and the requirements for advanced practice certification set by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB).
Our specialty provides preceptors in a wide variety of geographic locations and clinical sites throughout Ohio. These include Nationwide Children's Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, and many private practices and health centers. Students must complete 600 hours of precepted clinical experience, including the care of well children, children with common acute illnesses, children with stable chronic conditions, and critically ill children.
Sample Curriculum
A sample curriculum for the traditional master's full-time and part-time options, as well as the graduate entry option can be found in the master's in nursing handbook. A sample curriculum for the BSN to DNP can be found in the DNP handbook.