Master's Program - Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
The Adult Acute Care track in the graduate program is designed to prepare nurses to deliver acute and/or critical care to adult clients in a variety of settings.
The didactic curriculum will provide students with advanced knowledge and skills in biophysiological science, pharmacotherapeutics, acute and/or critical care concepts, advanced assessments, and diagnostic skills as a basis for clinical practice.
The clinical component consists of a minimum of 630 hours of guided experience in select areas under the mentorship of an advanced practice nurse or a physician.
Plans of study are designed by faculty with individual consideration given to students' goals and geographic locations. Graduates are eligible to take the ANCC certification exam as acute care nurse practitioners and for state certification as acute care nurse practitioners.
| Curriculum |
* Indicates on-line or web enhanced.
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| Frequently Asked Questions |
Q.How long is the acute care nurse practitioner program?
A.Five semesters, beginning with the fall semester and continuing through May of the second year.
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Q. How many clinical hours are required for this track?
A. 630 hours.
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Q.Can I do clinical in my home community?
A. Occasionally the clinical resources are too limited, however, and students may need to travel to the UMC campus.
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Q.Who can I do clinical with?
A. Students have clinical experiences with both physicians in various specialty areas and nurse practitionerss certified in the student's specialty area or related areas. Selection of clinical practice sites is a mutually negotiated process between the student and faculty, based on the student's background, the student's competencies and available resources.
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Q. When do clinical courses and clinical practice start?
A. They begin in the second semester in the spring of the year.
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Q. How much clinical is there in each clinical course?
A. There are 90 hours in the first spring semester, 90 hours in the summer semester, 225 hours in the second fall semester and 225 hours in the second spring semester.
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Q. Is part time study available?
A. Yes.
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Q. Can I work and go to school?
A. Most students work part-time while in school, but full-time work, especially in the second year, is rarely possible. Most students who work full-time go to school part-time and extend this over a three-year time period.
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Q. Is there anything specific I can do to better prepare myself for the acute care nurse practitioner curriculum?
A. Read. Reading about the development of the acute care nurse practitioner role and how this role fits into the current health care delivery system will be invaluable.
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Q. Will this program prepare me to work as a nurse practitioner in the Emergency Department?
A. This program is an adult acute care nurse practitioner program and does not provide the pediatric background necessary to work in an Emergency Department in the state of Mississippi.
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Q. Is there a difference in a critical care nurse practitioner and an acute care nurse practitioner?
A. The ANCC offers the same examination for both acute care and critical care. Although the practice settings are quite different, the didatic curriculum for both specialties are extremely similar. As of this date, there is no separate critical care examination.
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Q. What are the clinical settings for practicum experience?
A.The clinical settings range from outpatient clinics to intensive care units. The clinical experiences are set up to provide a range of hands-on opportunities. The first practicum is generally in a clinic type setting. As the semesters progress, the patient acuity increases. The final clinical experience is designed to be in a type of setting similar to that in which the student hopes to practice.
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Q. In what setting do most acute care nurse practitioners work?A. Acute care nurse practitioners tend to work mostly in specialty practice areas including intensive care units such as a cardiothoracic ICU, neurology ICU and surgical or medical ICU; specialty clinics such as interventional cardiology, diabetes and orthopaedics; and specialized hospital departments such as radiology, medical flight program and employee health.
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Q. What is the typical role description for the acute care nurse practitioner?A. Most acute care nurse practitioners perform a combination of direct patient care, research, teaching and quality improvement. The direct patient care aspect often includes conducting histories and physical exams, planning patient care, ordering and interpreting laboratory and radiologic studies, managing medications and nutrition. Depending on the practice setting, some degree of performing specialty procedures may also be included, such as invasive line insertion, wound debridement and suturing.
Please call 1-866-842-7575 or email nsrecruiter@son.umsmed.edu with any additional questions.