Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate

Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certificate

Is This Program Right for Me?

Our post-graduate certificate program is uniquely designed for APRNs who have completed a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and are seeking to align their certification with their current or future scope of practice.

In this fast-paced program, graduate learners will be prepared to care for persons with complex, acute health conditions; expanding their ability to manage the health needs of adults and older adults across the care spectrum.

Consider the following as you decide to pursue your AGACNP certification:

  • Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) graduates practice most frequently in the following specialties1:
    • Cardiovascular Care (20.5%)
    • Critical Care (12.1 %)
    • General Hospitalist (6.3%)
  • AGACNPs typically practice in the following settings1
    • Hospital (28%)
    • Hospital-based specialty clinic (16%)
    • Private practice (7.7%)
    • Public university (6.5%)
  • Roughly half the AGACNPs employed in hospital settings are credentialed to independently perform invasive procedures which include the following2:
    • Placement of arterial lines and central venous catheters
    • Intubation
    • Chest tube insertion and removal
    • Lumbar puncture
    • Paracentesis and Thoracentesis
  • The health conditions most frequently treated by AGACNPs most frequently include1 
    • Hypertension
    • Heart failure
    • Upper respiratory illness

Why Adult Gerontological Acute Care?

  • AGACNPs improve healthcare access, reduce readmissions, improve care quality, support physician training, and improve care continuity in hospital and critical care settings3
  • Projected retention in the AGACNP specialty is high with 64.7% of AGACNP respondents stating they would stay in their current position for 6-10 years or more. 1
  • The work is satisfying. Results of the AANP survey demonstrated that 88% of the AGACNPs were satisfied with their position.1
  • The role and scope of practice for AGACNPs is growing, providing more diverse opportunities for employment than ever before4

Why the University of Minnesota?

  • Our post-graduate certificate program is the only one of its kind in the Twin Cities 
  • We understand that DNP professionals seeking additional certification often have multiple responsibilities and time commitments. We designed our program with this in mind.
    • Our faculty use flexible content delivery methods including online and hybrid platforms
    • Asynchronous teaching methods
    • Limited on-campus days with combined hands-on learning experiences and lectures
  • We partner with acute care hospitals across the Twin Cities, offering a wide range of clinical experiences  
     

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Certifications

In just three semesters, graduates of our post-graduate certificate program will meet the qualifications for, and be prepared to take the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner national certification offered through the  American Association of Critical-Care Nurses or the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Requirements/Credits

The certificate requires the completion of 13 to 16 credits of graduate course work. A gap analysis of prior academic and work experiences will be done for each student and credit requirements will be adjusted as appropriate. 

References

American Association of Critical Care Nurses. (2017). Newsroom: AACN Updates 

Scope and Standards for Acute Care NPs. Retrieved from https://www.aacn.org/newsroom/aacn-updates-scope-and-standards-for-acute-care-nps#:~:text=The%20ACNP%20practices%20in%20any,and%20procedural%20and%20interventional%20settings.

Jalloh, F. Tadlock, M.D., Cantwell, S., Rausch, T.,  Aksoy, H. & Frankel, H. (2016). 

Credentialing and Privileging of Acute Care Nurse Practitioners to Do Invasive Procedures: A Statewide Survey. Am J Crit Care; 25 (4): 357–361. doi: https://doi-org.ezp1.lib.umn.edu/10.4037/ajcc2016118

Kleinpell, R., Cook, M. L., & Padden, D. L. (2018). American Association of Nurse 

Practitioners National Nurse Practitioner sample survey: Update on acute care nurse practitioner practice. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(3), 140–149. https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000030

Kleinpell, R. M., Grabenkort, W. R., Kapu, A. N., Constantine, R., & Sicoutris, C. (2019). 

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants in Acute and Critical Care: A 

Concise Review of the Literature and Data 2008-2018. Critical care medicine, 

47(10), 1442–1449. https://doi.org/10.1097/CCM.0000000000003925

United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022) Occupational Employment and Wage 

Statistics Query System. Retrieved from https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/occGeo/One%20occupation%20for%20multiple%20geographical%20areas