AGACNP MSN Bridge Pathway
Pathway offered in select states including AZ, NM, NV, CO, TX, FL.
Prepare for AGACNP Credentials in Critical Care Excellence
For experienced RNs who possess a bachelor’s degree in another field, the Bridge (Master of Science in Nursing: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with an Emphasis in Adult-Gerontology), offered by the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions, is an accelerated path toward completion of the MSN degree program. The APRN bridge blends online and in-person courses to provide students with the background and experience they need to move forward in the AGACNP field. Learn the foundations of assessment, diagnosis and treatment while preparing to advance your career serving the critically ill adult and geriatric patient populations.
What You Will Learn in the MSN Bridge Pathway
Prepare for your acute care nurse practitioner in adult-gerontology (AGACNP) master’s degree in nursing by taking three 16-week clinical courses that combine didactic and clinical. These online and in-person courses will prepare you to enter into an MSN program with the background knowledge and APRN skills you need to be successful. The MSN bridge pathway includes the following pre-requisite coursework:
- Foundations of professional nursing
- Health assessment
- Applied statistics for healthcare professionals
- Quantitative and qualitative research
- Concepts in community and public health
- Pathophysiology
- Professional capstone and practicum
Students will arrive at an understanding of nurse practice competencies, physical examination skills and comprehensive knowledge of health promotion, documentation and evaluation. Additionally, students will gain a foundation in research skills so students will be equipped to take research findings into their practice. Individual, community and public health is also explored, as well as a host of other essential nursing concepts and APRN skills.
Transition Into an AGACNP MSN Degree
Most students completing the AGACNP bridge pathway step into MSN degrees to achieve credibility in the acute care field. After completing the bridge pathway, students are qualified to apply for the Master of Science in Nursing: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with an Emphasis in Adult-Gerontology degree program. This program combines courses in advanced health assessment, clinical diagnosis and procedural skill acquisition with care management for acute and chronically ill adults. Multiple clinical practicums, labs and correlating pedagogy emphasize the physiological and psychosocial impact of illness on patients and their families as well as the general community. This MSN program with an AGACNP focus exposes students to various modes of care and includes two on-campus experiences designed to provide hands-on skill development, collaboration with peers and preparation for national certification exams. For students seeking to gain the skills and career opportunities that come with an MSN, but lack a relevant bachelor’s degree, the MSN AGACNP bridge pathway provides a helpful alternative.
Core Courses
Course Description
This course is a bridge course for the RN who is returning to formal education for the baccalaureate degree in nursing. The course focuses on differentiated nursing practice competencies, nursing conceptual models, professional accountability, integrating spirituality into practice, group dynamics, and critical thinking. The course also emphasizes writing and oral presentation skills.
Course Description
This course focuses on methods of health history taking, physical examination skills, documentation, and health promotion strategies. The course emphasizes the individual as the client, health patterns across the life span, community resources, and the teaching-learning process.
Course Description
This course focuses on the community as a large system of people of varying cultures, spiritual values, geographic norms, and economic conditions, all influenced by social-legal-political variables that impact individual and community health. Particular attention is paid to vulnerable subgroups in the community. Emphasis is placed on critical analysis, using epidemiological data and functional health pattern assessments to plan and intervene in areas of health promotion and disease prevention. Students are required to document 25 indirect clinical practice hours in association with this course.
Course Description
This course is designed to enhance the working RN’s existing understanding of the pathophysiological processes of disease as they affect clients across the lifespan. The interrelationship of structural and functional reactions of cells and tissues to genetic alterations and injurious agents provide the foundation for comprehending clinical manifestations and treatment protocols. Critical thinking and nursing management are enhanced through the use of case studies that integrate nutritional and pharmacological concepts. The understanding of environmental and biological risk factors provides the nurse with the knowledge to provide health promotion and prevention education.
Course Description
This is an introductory course on concepts of statistics, emphasizing applications to health care professions. The course is designed to prepare learners to understand concepts of statistics and the appropriateness of statistical methods used in published research papers and a variety of settings. Areas of emphasis include an introduction to the statistical analysis concepts of variable/reliability factors; P values; experimental design; descriptive statistics, including mean, median, and mode; sampling methods; and power analysis.
Course Description
This writing-intensive course promotes the use of research findings as a basis for improving clinical practice. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies are presented. Emphasis is on the critical review of research studies and their applications to clinical practice. An overview of evidence-based practice is provided. Prerequisite: HLT-362V.
Course Description
This is a writing-intensive course. The course combines scholarly activities with clinical practice experiences designed to synthesize learning into the practice environment and impact health outcomes. Learners participate in planned, clinical experiences that refine professional competencies at the baccalaureate level and enable learners to integrate new knowledge and higher level skills to advance nursing practice. Clinical practice hours will be dedicated to learning objectives in leadership and in community health. The professional capstone project offers learners the opportunity to propose a resolution to an issue or problem significant to nursing practice within a clinical environment. Learners identify, design, and propose an evidence-based solution within a health care organization with guidance from faculty and a preceptor in the field. The proposal must reflect synthesis and integration of course content and professional practice. Development of the capstone project is guided by the baccalaureate program learner learning outcomes. Clinical hours: 100. Combined ; 50 hours in leadership and 50 hours in community health. Prerequisites: NRS-430V, NRS-429VN, NRS-434VN, NRS-428VN, HLT-362V, NRS-433V, PHI-413V, NRS-451VN, NRS-410V, and NRS-440VN.
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* Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change.