Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate

The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner post-master's certificate prepares the advanced practice nurse to care for patients with medically complex stable and unstable acute, critical, and chronic illnesses across care settings ranging from hospitals to subacute, ambulatory care, clinic and home care environments. The certificate provides a spectrum of care from disease prevention to acute and critical care management. The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner graduate certificate prepares nurses who have already completed their graduate education for entry-level advanced practice in acute care. The program prepares graduates to enter the current healthcare system based on a strong scientific foundation for practice. The curriculum offers flexibility and emphasis on evidence-based practice, leadership, and organizational analysis, and provides analytic, critical thinking, and diagnostic reasoning skills to examine practice innovations. The certificate requires 23 credit hours beyond the master's or doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree.

Total Credit Hours Required: 23 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Master's Degree

The curriculum prepares students for both the AGACNP board certification examination administered through the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner-Adult-Gerontology certification examination administered through the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please visit https://nursing.ucf.edu/academics/graduate-certificates/agacnp/#faqs and https://apq.ucf.edu/files/Licensure-Disclosure-Adult-Gerontology-Acute-Care-GC.pdf.

Program Prerequisites

• NGR 5003 – Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning 2 Credit Hours
• NGR 5003L – Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning Lab 1 Credit Hours
• NGR 5141 – Pathophysiological Bases for Advanced Nursing Practice 3 Credit Hours
• NGR 6172 – Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice 3 Credit Hours
• NGR 5638 – Health Promotion 3 Credit Hours

Admission is open to those with MSN Degrees and are licensed and nationally certified as an advanced practice registered nurse, but who are not prepared as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners.

Degree Requirements

Required Courses

• Complete all of the following
  • Complete the following:
    • NGR6210 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner I (3)
    • NGR6230L - Diagnostics and Skills for the Critically Ill (2)
    • NGR6211 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II (3)
    • NGR6211L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II Clinical (3)
    • NGR6175 - Critical Care Pharmacology (3)
    • NGR6212 - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III (3)
    • NGR6212L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III Clinical (3)
    • NGR6215L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practicum (3)
  • The following courses include clinical hours: NGR 6230L - Diagnostics and Skills for the Critically Ill (120 clinical hours) NGR 6211L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner II Clinical (180 clinical hours) NGR 6212L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner III Clinical 3 Credit Hours (180 clinical hours) NGR 6215L - Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Practicum 3 Credit Hours (180 clinical hours)

Grand Total Credits: 23

Application Requirements

Admission is open to those with MSN or DNP Degrees and are licensed and nationally certified as an advanced practice registered nurse, but who are not prepared as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners.

An application to the graduate certificate program and official transcripts must be submitted. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

• One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
• BSN and MSN or DNP degree from an accredited institution.
• Undergraduate Statistics course.
• Licensure in the State of Florida and national certification as an advanced practice registered nurse (certified nurse practitioner, certified registered nurse anesthetist, certified nurse midwife, or certified clinical nurse specialist). (Out of state applicants must be eligible for licensure in Florida and must achieve licensure to begin clinical courses.)
• Current certification as an advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and basic life support (BLS) provider.
• Address the following 3 items in a written essay. Responses to questions should not exceed 500 words, double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, and 1-inch margins:
  • Describe your future career plans and how the program to which you are applying will help you achieve your career goals.
  • Describe the changes you would make in your personal and professional life to ensure success in your graduate nursing education.
  • Identify one significant contemporary issue or problem in U.S. healthcare and explore how members of the nursing profession can help address that issue or solve that problem
• Curriculum Vitae which reflects prior education, clinical accomplishments, any recent scholarly work (publications and presentations), awards, additional certifications, and activities with professional organizations.
• Requires 3 professional recommendations.
• An interview with faculty may also be required.

Before submitting your application, it is recommended that applicants call the College of Nursing Graduate Office at 407-823-2744 to schedule an appointment with an adviser to discuss your goals for graduate study. It is advantageous to discuss the program before writing the required essay because the essay must address your goals for post-master's preparation for advanced nursing practice.

Upon admission to the program, the student will be required to complete FDLE/FBI fingerprinting and certified background checks, and health screening. Students must be able to meet clinical partner background requirements to continue in the program.

The College of Nursing uses a student information management system, LEAP*RN (Project Concert). This database houses information regarding plans of study, clinical placements, clinical hours, logs, and evaluation data to assist in maintaining standards required for CCNE accreditation, facilitate student progression, and enhance clinical tracking. Students will need to access LEAP*RN for clinical course requirements, course evaluations, and portfolios. Upon graduation, students will continue to have no-cost access to their information. All students will be responsible for a one-time subscription of $150 per degree program payable at https://secure.projectconcert.com/ucf and due prior to registering for first semester courses. If students register for courses prior to paying the subscription, a "hold" service indicator will be placed to prevent future enrollment and other progression functions.

Application Deadlines