Adult-Gerontological Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
An Adult-Geron Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) is a master’s or doctorally prepared advanced practice nurse who provides health care to adults, elders, and family members over the age of 13 years in primary care clinics, health departments, VA facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, rural health clinics, hospice facilities, and other out-patient settings. Classes are fully online. The AGPCNP program also has specialized courses that incorporate Interprofessional Education working in teams with other disciplines.
BSN to DNP students and MSN to DNP students adding a certification in a new specialty area must have two years of nursing experience in the area of Adult-Gerontological Primary Care prior to starting the clinical portion of their program.
This program also includes a didactic course in Interprofessional Care. AGPCNP students will engage in a one credit course for three semesters, for a combined total of three credits. The purpose of this course is to introduce nursing students and their interdisciplinary cohorts to the concepts of interprofessional education. Students will gain an understanding of their own role in healthcare as well as the scope of the role of other health professions. Students will learn how to function in an interprofessional team and carry this knowledge, skill, and value into their future practice, ultimately providing interprofessional patient care as part of a collaborative team that is focused on improving patient outcomes.
All students in the Adult-Geron Primary Care Nurse Practitioner specialty are required to attend one* mandatory Clinical Skills Intensives (CSI) during the fall term in which they are registered for AHN 581 and AHN 588.
The clinical skills intensive provides hands-on instruction for common advanced practice assessments and procedures pertinent to primary care. Instruction is provided by the USA Simulation Program.
Students must sign-up to attend one session and can select preferred dates on a first come, first serve basis. Simulation will contact students via JagMail with information on how to sign-up three months prior to the scheduled dates.
Please note the dates are for Clinical Skills Intensives only. The track coordinator may provide orientation dates, which are separate from CSI and Simulation.
The program does not require a thesis or dissertation; however, students are required to complete an evidence-based scholarly project that results in a quality improvement change and has a substantial effect on healthcare and patient outcomes. Residency requirements for the scholarly project can be completed in the student’s home region with an approved mentor.
BSN-DNP students complete all support, MSN core, MSN specialty, DNP Core, DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency courses for a total of 69 credit hours. Both MSN and DNP degrees must be completed within seven years. The MSN portion must be completed within the first five years of the program.
MSN-DNP students Adding a New Specialty must complete the support courses if they have not previously completed the courses in their MSN program. They must complete the specialty courses and support courses, if needed, to complete the Post Graduate Certificate. The MSN Core, DNP core, and DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency courses are required for completion of the DNP degree. This program is a total of 60 credit hours or 69 credit hours if support courses are needed. The Post-Graduate Certificate must be completed within two calendar years. The student has seven years to complete both the Post Graduate Certificate and DNP degree for this program.
MSN-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles must only complete the MSN core, DNP core, and DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency courses to complete the DNP degree. This is a total of 36 credit hours. The student has a total of seven years to complete the degree requirements.
| Adult-Gerontological Primary Care NP |
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| Support Courses |
| NU 518 - Advanced Nursing Assessment 3 credit hours |
| NU 545 - Physio-pathological Basis of Advanced Nursing 3 credit hours |
| NU 578 - Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses 3 credit hours |
| Adult-Gerontological Primary Care NP Specialty Courses |
| AHN 581 - Health Promotion/Disease Prevention & Issues for Adult-Geron Primary Care NP 2 credit hours |
| AHN 588 - Introduction to Adult-Geron Primary Care NP 3 credit hours |
| AHN 591 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP I 2 credit hours |
| AHN 592 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP Practicum I - 180 Clinical Hours 3 credit hours |
| AHN 593 - Adult -Geron Primary Care NP II 3 credit hours |
| AHN 594 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP Practicum II - 180 Clinical Hours 3 credit hours |
| AHN 595 -Adult-Geron Primary Care NP III 3 credit hours |
| AHN 596 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP Practicum III - 240 Clinical Hours 4 credit hours |
| DNP Core Courses |
| NU 607 - Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credit hours) |
| NU 608 - Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement in Healthcare (3 credit hours) |
| NU 610 - Healthcare Policy and Finance (3 credit hours) |
| NU 613 - Organizational & Systems Leadership (3 credit hours) |
| NU 611 - Translating Evidence Into Practice Systems 3 credit hours |
| NU 612 - Clinical Prevention and Population Health 3 credit hours |
| NU 615 - Quality Improvement and Outcomes Assessment 3 credit hours |
| NU 616 - Data Management & Decision Making in Complex Healthcare Systems 3 credit hours |
| Adult-Gerontological Primary Care DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency |
| AHN 693 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP PP&D (3 credit hours) |
| AHN 694 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP Residency I - 180 Specialty Clinical Hours 3 credit hours |
| AHN 695 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP Residency II - 180 Specialty Clinical Hours 3 credit hours |
| AHN 696 - Adult-Geron Primary Care NP Residency III - 180 Specialty Clinical Hours 3 credit hours |
The University of South Alabama Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program provides the skills necessary for a rewarding career. Graduates are eligible and prepared to complete the appropriate national certification exam and apply for licensure to practice as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). It is the graduate’s responsibility to ensure the program meets the requirements to practice in their selected state or U.S. territory.
Contacts
Please feel free to contact Dr. Terry Sturm (tsturm@southalabama.edu) or Dr. Lisa Byrd (lmbyrd@southalabama.edu) for more information about this specialty.