What is an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner MSN Program?
The Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with an Emphasis in Adult-Gerontology degree program enables experienced nurses to provide advanced level care in complex, acute and critical setting for adults and geriatric patients. In the acute care role, nurse practitioners work to provide assessment, diagnosis and care for adults and the elderly. They perform health assessments, prescribe medications and suggest quality health treatments to manage acute, subacute and complex patients, as well as those with chronic illness.
Make a Difference in the Lives of the Elderly
This acute care nurse practitioner program at GCU is designed for experienced registered nurses who want to advance their skill sets. The acute care practitioner who specializes in adult-gerontology needs specialized training to care for that population. The MSN program at GCU ensures future acute care nurses experience and learn about all topics necessary for successful healthcare careers. Acute care nurse practitioner students complete 675 hours of supervised clinical practice. They also attend two on-campus experience programs. Over the course of three days, these on-campus programs are designed to ensure that future acute care nurse practitioners have hands-on opportunities in:
- Suturing
- Incision
- Drainage
- Casting
- Splinting
- Intubation
- Catheter insertion
- Lumbar puncture
- Chest tube insertion
- Radiology interpretation
- Ventilator management
- Hemodynamic monitoring
An additional one-day on-campus experience helps students prepare for certification as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners through individual review, planning, systems and topic reviews.
The MSN acute care nurse practitioner program for adult-gerontology at GCU is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). It also meets the standards set forth by numerous professional agencies, including the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) Project and American Nursing Association. Nurses who wish to practice acute care in certain states may be required to meet additional standards.
Study Diagnostic and Critical Care on Older Adults
Students in this acute care nurse practitioner program learn advanced theories and practices related to all areas of direct acute care for gerontology patients. The College of Nursing and Health Care Professions at GCU ensures that all future acute care nurse practitioners are well-rounded in their approach to health care.
These seven domains provide the foundation for the program coursework:
- Scientific Underpinnings for Practice
- Leadership, Policy and Advocacy
- Systems, Safety and Quality
- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- Analytic Foundations for Practice, Ethics and Professional Role
- Foundations for Advanced Practice Nursing
- Independent Practice for the AG-ACNP
These domains require the future acute care nurse to take coursework that prepares them to make critical judgements about the symptoms and complains of adults and the elderly. The acute care nurse must be able to work with patients and their families in all types of settings and locations. Communication is the backbone of this profession so that the acute care nurse practitioner can educate, consult, collaborate and influence public policy.
The GCU MSN acute care nurse practitioner program includes the study of:
- Managing the adult-gerontology patient
- Complications related to gerontology
- Disease detection
- Diagnosis
- Research
- Culturally-relevant practices
Become an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with a Master of Science in Nursing Degree
Graduates from this GCU MS Nursing: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with an Emphasis in Adult-Gerontology program may continue in their current roles or use their educational experience to advance their careers. They may work in a variety of practice settings including general practices and clinics in both urban and rural locations to look after the physical health of adult and elderly patients.
If you are an experienced nurse looking to advance your career, it is time for you to learn how to do so. Join us for the Master of Science in Nursing: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with an Emphasis in Adult-Gerontology degree program at GCU.
*The baccalaureate degree in nursing, master’s degree in nursing and Doctor of Nursing Practice at GCU are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.aacn.nche.edu/ccne-accreditation). GCU’s College of Nursing and Health Care Professions is also approved by the Arizona State Board of Nursing.
Program Core Courses
Course Description
This course examines nursing theory and the role of ethics for advanced registered nurses within the Christian worldview and through a leadership perspective focused on improving health care outcomes. Students explore the moral/ethical responsibilities and legal and regulatory obligations of advanced registered nurses in health promotion and disease prevention. Students also review evidence-based practice (EBP) literature and the research process with application to their program of study and learn to navigate scholarly EBP literature, resources, and guidelines.
Course Description
This course examines the role of leadership, organizational science, policy, and informatics in supporting safe, high quality, cost-effective patient care within interprofessional, dynamic health care environments. Students explore various organizational relationships within health care systems and prepare to participate in the design of cost-effective, innovative models of care delivery and practice change proposals. Professional leadership theories and how they shape the nurse leader in such things as collaboration, conflict resolution, decision making, and negotiation are introduced. Students discuss change management theories and evaluate the ethical, social, legal, economic, and political implications of practice change and health care informatics along with strategies for managing human, fiscal, and health care resources in a variety of organizational systems. Students also examine the uses of patient care, information system, and communication technologies and discuss the design, implementation, and evaluation of electronic health record systems and clinical decision support systems.
Course Description
In this course, students examine the process of scientific inquiry, knowledge generation, utilization, and dissemination of evidence into advanced nursing practice in order to propose quality improvement initiatives that advance the delivery of safe, high-quality care for patient populations. Students critically evaluate evidence, including scientific findings from the biopsychosocial fields, epidemiology, biostatistics, genetics, and genomics, and apply levels of evidence and theoretical frameworks to design culturally appropriate clinical prevention interventions and population-based care that reduce risks, prevent disease, and promote health and well-being. Students also consider strategies to evaluate health policy and advocacy issues, the state of health care delivery, patient-centered care, and ethical principles related to health beliefs, health promotion, and risk reduction for diverse populations. Students apply these strategies to work towards recognizing gaps in nursing and health care knowledge, identifying potential solutions or innovations for those gaps, planning and implementing practice changes, and evaluating the outcomes in order to improve practice. Prerequisite: NUR-513.
Course Description
This course provides an opportunity for students to complete their evidence-based practice (EBP) project proposal addressing a problem, issue, or concern in their specialty area of professional practice. Students previously identified a problem amenable to a research-based intervention and searched the literature. In this course, students propose a solution, explore implementation considerations and various evaluation methodologies, complete the project proposal by developing a plan to implement the solution into the intended practice area, and design an evaluation plan that assesses the EBP project proposal’s intended outcome(s). Prerequisite: NUR-550.
Course Description
This course focuses on advanced physiology and pathophysiology principles. This course is used to guide the advanced nursing practice student in understanding normal function and interpreting changes in normal function that result in symptoms and diagnostic markers indicative of illness. Emphasis is placed on the following systems: cellular environment and inflammatory changes; fluids, electrolytes and acid-base balance; genetics, genetic diseases, and the role of the environment; stress, disease, and the development of neoplasms; hematology and alterations in immunity. In addition, the physiology and pathophysiology of the endocrine, pulmonary, renal, digestive and integumentary, cardiovascular and lymphatic, musculoskeletal, reproductive, and neurological systems, including mood disorders, are addressed. Prerequisite: Admission to the graduate nursing program or college approval.
Course Description
This course focuses on the basic concepts and principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and their practical implication in clinical practice. This course also places an emphasis on the strong influence of physiological variables (age, ethnicity, or pregnancy) and pathological conditions (hepatic or renal insufficiency, cardiac dysfunction) on drugs’ pharmacological response. An in-depth understanding of the relationship between patient’s physiological/pathological variables and pharmacodynamics/pharmacokinetics can provide additional insight for practitioners in predicting potential drug interactions, and thus will provide additional guidance in prescribing strategies. This course also includes clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics; clinical toxicology; and pathology and pharmacotherapy of cardiovascular, psychiatric, endocrine, respiratory, gastrointestinal, bone and joint, infectious, reproductive, and dermatological disorders. Prerequisite: NUR-631.
Course Description
This course builds upon the student's undergraduate and clinical assessment skills, offering advanced health assessment content to provide the foundation for the advanced practice nursing role. This course addresses the completion and interpretation of a head-to-toe assessment in addition to focused assessments for chief complaints that include physical, psychosocial, spiritual, risk, and functional assessments in diverse populations and across age groups. Students learn a systematic method of diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision making to establish differential diagnoses. Prerequisites: NUR-631, and either NUR-632, NUR-633, or NUR-635.
Course Description
This course covers preventive health care practices and integrates cultural and spiritual considerations, environmental factors, genetic influences, and national public health objectives. Emphasis is placed on development of the advanced practice registered nurse-patient relationship to enhance the effectiveness of patient education, counseling, and promotion of healthy lifestyle changes. Students explore concepts relevant to acute care, including integration of the family and patient support systems into care. Specific emphasis is placed on clinical diagnostic reasoning and interpretation and the development of differential diagnoses based on clinical practice guidelines. Students examine professional and patient community resources and evaluate the use of integrative healing strategies in assisting patients to achieve health goals using evidence-based research. This course includes a required 3-day, on-campus experience. Prerequisite: NUR-634.
Course Description
This course covers preventive health care practices and integrates cultural and spiritual considerations, environmental factors, genetic influences, and national public health objectives. Emphasis is placed on development of the advanced practice registered nurse-patient relationship to enhance the effectiveness of patient education, counseling, and promotion of healthy lifestyle changes. Students explore concepts relevant to acute care, including integration of the family and patient support systems into care. Specific emphasis is placed on clinical diagnostic reasoning and interpretation and the development of differential diagnoses based on clinical practice guidelines. Students examine professional and patient community resources and evaluate the use of integrative healing strategies in assisting patients to achieve health goals using evidence-based research. This course includes a required 3-day, on-campus experience. Prerequisite: NUR-634.
Course Description
This course focuses on evidence-based theory and research related to adult-gerontological patients experiencing acute illnesses with comorbidities. Students synthesize data from a variety of health resources related to the care of the adult-gerontological patient. Students analyze common problems seen in the acute care setting to develop prioritized differential diagnoses, make clinical judgments, and recommend appropriate treatments for acute alterations in health with particular emphasis on restorative care. Clinical practice affords students the opportunity to refine their clinical decision-making skills in advanced health assessment, clinical diagnosis, procedural skill acquisition, and care management of acute and chronically ill adult-gerontological patients. Practicum experiences emphasize the physiological and psychosocial impact of acute and critical illness on patients, family, and community. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: ANP-635.
Course Description
This course continues to focus on evidenced-based theory and research related to acute illnesses in the adult-gerontological population in the acute care setting. Students build on prior knowledge and synthesize data from a variety of health resources related to the care of the acutely ill patient. Utilizing a systems framework, students further develop clinical judgment and decision-making skills in order to recommend treatments for alterations in different systems as they develop an evidence-based plan of care. Clinical practice affords students the opportunity to refine their clinical decision-making skills in advanced health assessment, clinical diagnosis, procedural skill acquisition, and care management of acute and chronically ill adult-gerontological patients. Practicum experiences emphasize the physiological and psychosocial impact of acute and critical illness on patients, family, and community. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: ANP-650.
Course Description
This course serves as the final synthesis of evidenced-based theory and research related to care of complex, acute, and critically ill adult-gerontological and frail elderly patients with comorbidities. Students continue to build on prior knowledge and synthesize data from a variety of health resources related to the care of the acutely ill patient. Utilizing a systems framework, students further develop appropriate clinical judgment and decision-making skills regarding appropriate recommendations and treatments related to alterations in different systems as they develop an evidence-based plan of care for adult-gerontological patients. Practicum experiences emphasize the physiological and psychosocial impact of acute and critical illness on patients, family, and community, and prepare the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in the diagnosis and management of chronic, exacerbated, acute, and life-threatening health problems. This course includes a required 1-day, on-campus experience. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: ANP-652.
Course Description
This course serves as the final synthesis of evidenced-based theory and research related to care of complex, acute, and critically ill adult-gerontological and frail elderly patients with comorbidities. Students continue to build on prior knowledge and synthesize data from a variety of health resources related to the care of the acutely ill patient. Utilizing a systems framework, students further develop appropriate clinical judgment and decision-making skills regarding appropriate recommendations and treatments related to alterations in different systems as they develop an evidence-based plan of care for adult-gerontological patients. Practicum experiences emphasize the physiological and psychosocial impact of acute and critical illness on patients, family, and community, and prepare the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in the diagnosis and management of chronic, exacerbated, acute, and life-threatening health problems. This course includes a required 1-day, on-campus experience. Practicum/field experience hours: 225. Prerequisite: ANP-652.
Online
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere. GCU offers the most experienced leadership in delivering online degree programs. Full-time faculty members and fully trained adjunct instructors, equipped with strong academic backgrounds and practical experience in their fields, support you every step of the way. Designed with the career-oriented professional in mind, our online classes provide an intimate environment that stimulates engaging and challenging discussions. Choose from programs across our distinct colleges, in high-demand employment areas. Classes begin frequently.
* Please note that this list may contain programs that are not presently offered as program availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability of the program.
* The Department of Education defines how an institution must calculate a program's On-Time Completion rate for federal disclosure purposes. The On-Time Completion rate is based on a program's published required number of months to complete all degree requirements as provided in the institution's catalog. Completion statistics are updated every January and are based on the cohort of students who started the program in the same year and then graduated within the published program length.
Online and Evening program disclosures (34 months) Additional Disclosures* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.