This option will prepare students as both an Adult Nurse Practitioner and a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner. All classes are offered in an online format and clinical experiences may be done with an approved preceptor in the student’s home locality. At the completion of the program, the student will be eligible to sit for both the Adult Nurse Practitioner and the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Certification Examinations.
What is an Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP)?
Adult nurse practitioners work interdependently with other health professionals to provide primary health care to adults in communities. The focus of the class content and clinical experience is on health promotion through identification of health risks, education and counseling for development of health promoting lifestyles, identification and management of acute, episodic health problems, management of stable chronic disease, and appropriate and effective collaboration and referral.
Graduates are prepared to obtain and assess health history and physical examination data, order and interpret appropriate diagnostic tests, identify actual and potential health problems, and formulate with the client a comprehensive plan of therapeutic measures that promote, maintain, or restore health. This plan may include consultation with other health professionals or referral for complicated medical management.
Emphasis is placed on putting prevention into practice, involving adults in decision making as self responsible health care consumers; education, and client follow-up to decrease health complications, economics of health care; and recognition of the importance of the community in primary care.
What is a Gerontological Nurse Practitioner (GNP)?
The National Conference of Gerontological Nurse Practitioners (NCGNP) 2003 Position Paper defines Gerontological Nurse Practitioners (GNPs) as follows:
Gerontological Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice nurses with specialized education in the diagnosis, treatment and management of acute and chronic conditions often found among older adults and generally associated with aging. Many such conditions lead to functional decline requiring therapeutic interventions to restore or maintain an optimal level of function, or when appropriate, palliative care. Such chronic or debilitating conditions are often complex and can occur in younger adults. The GNP has the clinical expertise to care for such aging persons. . . . The GNP may treat adults of any age who have acute and chronic conditions.
Who employs Adult and Gerontological Nurse Practitioners?
Adult and or gerontological nurse practitioners are employed by physicians, clinics, and health departments to see patients in the traditional office setting; hospitals and all levels of long-term care.
What are the classroom content and clinical requirements for the Dual Option ANP/GNP student?
Didactic content in all three of the advanced nursing courses provides the student with a strong advanced generalist base for caring for patients with common health problems. Two additional gerontological nursing support courses provide the student with a strong base for caring for acute and chronically ill older patients. The first gerontology specialty course will include content on professional role and policy, health promotion and disease prevention, assessment of acute and chronic illness, clinical management and standards of practice, and nurse practitioner and patient relationships. The second course will include content on issues and management of bowel and bladder, wound prevention and wound management, and geriatric psychiatry.
Students have experiences in working with interdisciplinary teams and in offering culturally responsive services to diverse populations. Practice settings vary, but are primarily community based. Students complete a minimum of 650 precepted hours of clinical practice. Clinical practice can be performed with a nurse practitioner or physician in your area.
Will I be eligible to take a nurse practitioner certification examination if I complete this program?
Once you complete the program, you will be eligible to sit for the national certification examinations for both Adult and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.
How long is the program of study?
The ANP/GNP program of study requires a minimum of 18 months (4 semesters) of full-time study beginning in the spring semester. However, many students choose to complete the program in 24 to 36 months (6-9 semesters). The entire program is 100% online.
What kind of nursing experience do I need prior to entering the program?
Currently, there are no requirements for clinical experience prior to admission to the MSN program. However, the faculty believe that students admitted to this option must have at least one year of professional nursing experience in an area of medical or surgical nursing prior to enrolling in the advanced nursing clinical courses. Your program of study can be arranged so that you can gain the required experience while you are taking prerequisite courses.
What are the admission criteria?
What is a typical program of study like?
Fall – year 1
• NGN 631 Gerontology for Advanced Nursing Practice—3
• NUR 600 Research and Statistics for Advanced Practice—4
• NUR 612 Advanced Pathophysiology—3
• NAH 614 Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice—4
Spring – year 1
• NGN 632 Gerontology for Advanced Nursing Practice—3
• NAH 621 Advanced Adult Nursing I—4
• NAH 685 Practicum: Adult Nurse Practitioner –3
• NUR 613 Pharmacology and Therapeutics—3
Summer – year 1
• NAH 622 Advanced Adult Nursing II—4
• NAH 686 Practicum II: Adult Nurse Practitioner—3
• NUR 601 Role Development in Advanced Nursing Practice--3
Fall – year 2
• NGN 692 Residency: Gerontological Nurse Practitioner
• NUR 602 Issues Affecting Advanced Nursing Practice--3
Total: 46 Credits
Dual Option Adult/Gerontological Nurse Practitioner(Post Master's)—Online Program
For more information, please contact:
Anne Foote, DSN, RN, CRNP
Chair, Dept. of Adult/Acute Health, Chronic Care, & Foundations
Phone: (205) 934-6569
Email: Footea@uab.edu