Post-Master’s Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) Certificate: Adult-Gerontology Emphasis
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A post-master’s acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) certificate at Grand Canyon University can help you develop your knowledge and skills in a specialty area of nursing. The Post-Master of Science in Nursing: Acute Care Nurse Practitioner with an Emphasis in Adult-Gerontology Certificate provides a focus in chronic condition care and is offered by the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions. These post-master’s AGACNP courses are available to students who hold a master’s degree in nursing and wish to position themselves for potential career advancement.
Program offered in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina and Texas
The median annual wage for nurse practitioners is $126,260 as of May 20231
The online post-master’s acute care nurse practitioner certificate with an emphasis in adult-gerontology focuses on adult and geriatric acute care patients.2 The curriculum also focuses on sub-acute patients and those who suffer from exacerbations of chronic diseases.
Classes are available through GCU’s online learning platform in select states. In addition to online classroom instruction, students are guided in hands-on, experiential activities to sharpen their skills.
A blend of classroom instruction and hands-on experience in a collaborative environment comprise this acute care nurse practitioner post-master’s certificate experience. You will prepare to provide advanced practice nursing care with acute, critical, complex and chronic conditions of patients starting with the teenage years.
Some of the specific course topics you can study include the following:
Physiology and pathophysiology
Pharmacology
Health assessment and diagnostic reasoning
Health promotion and maintenance
Adult-gerontology acute care
Apply Learnings in Practical Courses
Working through an evidence based AGACNP post-master’s certificate program, you will practice hands-on skills of advanced health assessments, clinical diagnostics, procedural skill acquisition and the care management of diverse patient populations.
Upon completion, you may be well-equipped to lead nursing teams, navigate ethical decisions and effectively communicate with diverse audiences.
Attend Immersive Nursing Simulation Experiences
Coursework in the post-master’s acute care NP online certificate experience includes 675 hours of directly supervised clinical practice to align with national norms.2 You are required to attend two on-campus experiences as a student seeking a post-master’s ACNP certificate. The clinical experiences explore the physiological and psychosocial effects of acute and critical illnesses.
During your first on-campus experience, there are emphases on simulation experiences, skills, procedures and specific lectures to prepare you for your clinicals. The experience also focuses on examining community resources and integrating family and support systems into care. You are given instruction and hands-on experience that can help prepare you as a nurse practitioner.3
Some of the areas of practice include:
Nurse practitioners qualified as acute care NPs in adult-gerontology will diagnose and treat acute medical as well as chronic conditions of patients from adolescence into advanced age. Some of the main roles of an acute care nurse practitioner in this specialty are to:
Since ACNPs in adult-gerontology focus on acute care and chronic care management, they may pursue work at hospitals, clinics and other outpatient facilities. As an alternative to working directly with patients, some acute care nurse practitioners may decide to pursue opportunities as postsecondary nursing instructors.
GCU’s post-master’s acute care nurse practitioner certificate program with an emphasis in adult-gerontology is designed to align with the standards established by the following organizations:
For more information on the accreditation of nursing programs and other university approvals, please visit our University Accreditation and Regulations page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Review some of our most frequently asked questions about the post-masters AGACNP certificate to learn more information about pursuing the career path of an acute care nurse practitioner.
A post-master’s acute care NP certificate with an emphasis in adult-gerontology is a program designed for graduate-level nurse practitioners who want to expand their role into the area of adult-gerontology acute care. The curriculum in an AGACNP post-master’s certificate program can prepare nursing students to provide general care for adults and geriatric patients with acute, critical and chronic health issues.
Graduates of the post-master’s acute care nurse practitioner certificate are eligible to sit for a national nurse practitioner certification exam in adult-gerontology acute care. The AGACNP certification exam is administered by either the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Once a graduate passes the national certification exam, they will be able to apply for certification in their state to practice as a certified registered nurse practitioner in adult-gerontology acute care.
The post-master’s acute care adult-gerontology nurse practitioner certificate program at GCU is offered in a hybrid format, which involves online classes.2 The courses are available through GCU’s online learning platform in select states. In addition to the online courses, students must also complete 675 hours of supervised clinicals and two on-campus experiences at GCU which include both classroom instruction and hands-on simulation practice.
Certified acute care nurse practitioners are also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). They provide specialty healthcare for adult and geriatric patients. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurse practitioners have a median annual wage of $126,260 as of May 2023.1
A post-master’s acute care NP certificate program with an emphasis in adult-gerontology can provide a way for nurses who did not previously specialize is their master’s program to gain specific skills geared toward caring for the adult and geriatric population. Earning this certificate may help you position yourself for possible career advancement or prepare you to seek greater responsibility or role expansion.
Primary care nurse practitioners typically work with patients who require routine healthcare or who have chronic conditions that do not require immediate medical attention. Acute care nurse practitioners will work with patients who need short-term care for more severe illnesses and health conditions.
To learn more about earning your post-master’s acute care NP certificate, fill out the form on this page to get in contact with a university counselor.
- The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (“BLS”), Nurse Practitioners as of May 2023, retrieved April 24, 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as nurse practitioners, nor does it reflect earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc., against a pool of candidates.
Clinical, practicum and immersion hours completed locally.
- Grand Canyon University does not administer AGACNP certification exams and must be completed through an external certification provider.