Acute-Care Advanced Practice Nursing
Specialty Offerings
- M.S.N. Degree
o Acute Care, Clinical Nurse Specialist (C.N.S.)
o Acute Care, Nurse Practitioner (A.C.N.P.)
o A.C.N.P. Subspecialty: Emergency Nurse Practitioner (E.N.P.)
- Certificate: Post-M.S.N. Nurse Practitioner
Overview
This Master of Science in Nursing program prepares professional nurses to assume leadership roles at an advanced practice level in the care of critically ill or injured patients and their families. Within this major, students can choose either the acute-care nurse practitioner (A.C.N.P.) and/or the clinical nursing specialist (C.N.S.) role.
Within the acute-care nurse practitioner option, students can concentrate in either the emergency nurse practitioner (E.N.P.) subspecialty or the critical-care subspecialty. A.C.N.P. and E.N.P. students have the option of taking additional clinical and adding the C.N.S. portion to their existing program. Each role shares a blend of practice, education, consultation and collaboration. After completing the program, students will be prepared to practice at an advanced practice level in a critical-care, emergency-care or acute-care setting.
Curriculum
The acute-care nursing major consists of 38 to 49 hours of study depending on the role selected, C.N.S. or N.P. The program plan provides students with core nursing courses, specialty courses and clinical required for advanced-practice licensure.
| Core Courses (9 semester hours) | Semester Hours |
|---|---|
|
GNUR 401: The Discipline of Nursing: Conceptual and Theoretical Bases |
3 |
|
GNUR 402: Ethics for Health Professionals |
2 |
|
GNUR 450: Research for Health Professionals |
3 |
|
CMAN 410: Epidemiology |
1 |
| Advanced Specialty Core (15-16 semester hours) | |
|
GNUR 409: Advanced Health Assessment |
3 |
|
GNUR 409A: Advanced Health Assessment: Pediatrics |
1 |
|
MSN 435: Diagnostic Concepts in Acute Care |
3 |
|
GNUR 442: Advanced Physiology |
3 |
|
GNUR 413: Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nursing |
3 |
|
GNUR 460: Role Socialization |
1 |
|
GNUR 461: Health Policy and Issues |
1 |
|
GNUR 462: Health Care Financing |
1 |
| C.N.S. (18 semester hours) | |
|
Elective |
3 |
|
MSN 481: Pathophysiology for Critical Care |
3 |
|
GNUR 509: Teaching in Schools of Nursing and/or Staff Development Programs |
3 |
|
MSN 408: APN Practicum: Clinical Specialty |
9 |
|
Total Hours |
38 |
| A.C.N.P. (24 semester hours) | |
|
Elective |
3 |
|
MSN 481: Pathophysiology for Critical Care |
3 |
|
GNUR 514: Common Health Problems of Adults |
3 |
|
MSN 431: 12-Lead ECG Interpretation |
1 |
|
MSN 432: Chest X-ray Interpretation |
1 |
|
MSN 433: Suturing/Invasive Procedure Skills |
1 |
|
MSN 485: APN Practicum: Acute Care NP |
12 |
|
Total Hours |
48 |
| E.N.P. (24 semester hours) | |
|
MSN 434: Emergency Care |
3 |
|
GNUR 514: Common Health Problems of Adults |
3 |
|
MSN 449: Complex Health Problems of Adults |
3 |
|
MSN 431: 12-Lead ECG Interpretation |
1 |
|
MSN 432: Chest X-ray Interpretation |
1 |
|
MSN 433: Suturing/Invasive Procedure Skills |
1 |
|
MSN 485: APN Practicum: Acute Care NP |
12 |
|
Total Hours |
49 |
Location: Most classes are offered at the Loyola University Health System campus in Maywood, Ill. Some courses are Web-based.
Program Prerequisites: Basic physical assessment and statistics courses and certification in A.C.L.S. Prior to beginning clinical, all A.C.N.P. students must be certified in C.C.R.N., C.E.N. or T.N.S. and have a minimum of 2,000 practice hours as an R.N. with recent critical care or E.D. experience.
Certification: Graduates are eligible to sit for either the acute-care nurse practitioner certification examination or the critical-care clinical nurse specialist certification examination, or both, depending on the area of study.
Certificate
A post-master's acute care nurse practitioner certificate program is offered for nurses who already have a master's degree in nursing. Upon completion of courses required, students will receive a certificate of completion.
