Loyola University > School of Nursing > Academics > Degree Programs > Graduate Degrees > Doctor of Nursing Practice > Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Learn to care for adults with complex and critical conditions.
For nurses who thrive in fast-paced clinical settings, Loyola Nursing can help you advance your career as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (NP). Working closely with our faculty, you will develop the advanced skills and knowledge to handle complex and critical patient situations, involving adults and older adults. Our graduates work in various acute care and hospital settings, including intensive care, trauma, neurology, pulmonary, cardiovascular, transplant, hospitalist/observation, and surgical/procedural units.
Loyola Nursing's Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP track prepares students using a rigorous curriculum delivered in a hybrid format, which includes classroom learning, online educational activities, simulated experiences, and clinical practicum experiences. Clinical placements and preceptor assignments are customized to each student, and we partner with the most sought-after health care institutions in the Chicago area.
Our Commitment to You
As a Loyola Nursing graduate, you will possess the following knowledge, competencies, and professional values to provide patient-centered, quality care to adults and older adults.
KNOWLEDGE
You will learn:
- Population health principles and concepts
- Theoretical, conceptual, and evidence-based foundations for advanced practice nursing care for adult and gerontologic patients in acute care settings
- Methods of advanced physical and health assessment and history taking
- Advanced pharmacology and pharmacotherapeutics
- Advanced physiology of health and illness
- Management of common, complex, and acute/critical health problems in adult and gerontologic populations
- Emergency and acute procedures
- Systems thinking principles and concepts
- Resource management in health care
- Quality improvement principles and practices
- Health care policy and advocacy
- Health care economics and finance
- Decision-making tools and processes
Competencies
You will be able to:
- Conduct advanced physical assessments and health histories for adult and gerontologic patients in an acute care setting
- Educate patients on disease prevention and healthy lifestyle measures
- Develop treatment plans for acute illness and chronic disease management
- Order and interpret diagnostic tests and screening evaluations
- Prescribe medications and other therapies
- Manage overall patient care, including issues related to aging and development
- Perform skills common to adult and gerontologic populations in acute care settings such as suturing, wound management, and electrocardiogram and radiology interpretation
- Analyze trends, issues, and evidence in health care and health care systems
- Integrate the best evidence and patient preferences into the development, delivery, and evaluation of care
- Foster and maintain team partnerships in collaborative health care environments
PROFESSIONAL VALUES
Loyola Nursing is committed to preparing nurse leaders that value:
- The hallmark characteristics of a Jesuit education:
- Commitment to excellence
- Faith in God
- Service that promotes justice
- Values-based leadership
- Global awareness
- Ethical and moral judgement
- Eliminating health disparities
- Promoting patient safety and excellence in nursing practice
- Engaging in leadership activities through intra- and inter-professional collaboration
- Ensuring equity in health policy
- Accountability to patients, society, and the profession
Curriculum
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track offers a blended learning format with online and in-person instruction. Because many students are working professionals with families, we offer both part-time and full-time options to fit your schedule. All students will work with their program director to create their course schedule prior to starting the program.
Credit Hours
71 credits
Courses
Core Courses:
- Theories and Concept for Advanced Clinical Practice
- Research for Advanced Clinical Practice
- Population-focused Health
- Social Justice and Ethics in Health Care
- Leadership and Roles in Advanced Nursing Practice
- Statistics for Health and Biological Sciences
- Health Care Policy and Economics
- Evidence Translation for Advanced Clinical Practice
- DNP Project
Role (NP) Courses:
- Advanced Pathophysiology
- Advanced Pharmacology
- Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
- Basic Diagnostics for Advanced Practice
- Role Socialization
Population (Adult-Gerontology Acute Care) Courses:
- Management of Common Adult Health Problems
- Management of Complex Adult Health Problems
- 12-Lead ECG Interpretation
- Diagnostic Imaging for Advanced Practice Nurses
- Suturing and Acute Wound Management
- Management of Adults with Acute/Critical Conditions I & II
- Standardized Patient and Skills Lab/Simulation Experiences
Practicum
- Acute Care Practicum
- Interprofessional Education Practicum
CLINICAL EXPERIENCES
A minimum of 2,000 hours of recent clinical practice experience is required before entering the first APRN clinical rotation. Clinical placements for students in these programs are in the Chicago area, and students must have an Illinois RN license and CCRN certification before they begin their clinical experience/rotation.
Admission
You must be a registered nurse with a baccalaureate or master's degree in nursing from an accredited program to apply. Admission is competitive and based on the strength of application materials and interview.
Begin your journey to becoming an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner! Learn more about the specific application requirements.
Have a question or want to learn more about the AGACNP track? Contact Program Track Director Vicki Bacidore, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, CEN, TNS, at vbacido@luc.edu
