The health care industry is growing rapidly which is far outpacing the rate at which doctors are graduating from medical, thereby creating a shortage.  This has created an enormous opportunity for the field of advanced practice nursing, and nurse practitioners.  In order to become a nurse practitioner a RN must graduate from a accredited nurse practitioner program and achieve a masters in nursing degree.

Family Nurse Practitioner Program

A FNP prepares a nurse to provide basic health care to families in various settings. During this program a student will follow a patient through life using gynecologic, pediatric, obstetric, geriatric and adult primary care management and diagnostic skills.

The range of practice that takes place with a family nurse practitioner comes from the source of a group approach. The family nurse practitioner is an interdependent part of the health care team that is taught the following skills for primary care:

• Educational, therapeutic, and diagnostic care plans
• Physical assessment
• Alliance with doctors and other health care officials
• Referrals to proper health care providers
• Management of health care
• Documentation of family and individual health history

A graduate is eligible to take a certifying exam provided by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners and the American Nurses Association. Graduates are typically able to find positions in settings such as hospices, health departments, schools, homeless shelters, private practice programs and more. The following are top schools were family nurse practitioner degree programs are offered:

Top Family Nurse Practitioner Programs & Schools

1. The University of Washington-The school of nursing program at the University of Washington has received a continuous No. 1 ranking listed on the United States News and Reports about the top graduate nursing programs. The FNP curriculum emphasizes areas such as comprehensive and systematic assessment of health status, the primary principles of collaboration, health car continuity, comprehensive care, principles of health counseling and education, communication, behavior change, autonomy, advocacy, professional role development and more.

2. Oregon Health and Science University-The FNP Doctor of Nursing Practice program provides study emphasizes care this is culturally appropriate, collaborative, and interdisciplinary. The content of the program has a focus geared to all age groups and the program of study give in depth clinical experiences and knowledge in areas such as health promotion, pathophysiology, physical/assessment diagnosis, chronic and acute illness management and more.

3. University of California, San Francisco-This program has a strong emphasis on meeting the needs of multi-cultural, high-risk and undeserved populations. A two year study program typically leads to a Masters of Science degree eligibility certification as a FNP, another option is part time study. The one year option is for those who are already FNP holding a bachelors in nursing degree can ear a MS degree by completing 36 units of academic coursework in a program of study that is individually designed.

4. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing-This school was founded in 1973 and their family health nurse practitioner program is one of the oldest in the country. This school has been ranked in the top three of the Unites News and Reports list concerning the top practitioner programs in the country. Their intensive part time or full time MS in nursing program with a family health nurse practitioner specialty is great for those looking to advance their career.

5. Yale University School of Nursing-This school’s family nurse practitioner programs has receive a ranking of fourth by the United States News and Reports concerning top graduate family Nurse practitioner programs. It has an accredited family nurse practitioner track that includes child and adult health care training in order to prepare individual for family practice.

Nurse Practitioner Programs

Nurse Practitioner Program Guides has many other Nurse Practitioner Schools and Nurse Practitioner Degrees to choose from.  To learn more click on the links below.

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program

This program prepares nurses with the skills and knowledge needed in order to meet the health care needs of adolescents, children and infants in the health care system. The programs focus in on evidence based pediatric care that is provided in various pediatric settings.

The PNP option prepares nurses in advanced practice to deliver primary care children while having an emphasis on evaluation, treatment, diagnosis, assessment of the care of families and individuals. The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program prepares a graduate to effectively function as care providers in mutually respectful relationships with those who have significant influence on a child’s health environment.

Graduates of a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program are eligible to pursue national certification as Nurse Practitioner in pediatrics. A graduate is eligible to pursue prescriptive authority (state). Some career opportunities of a PNP included employment in the Armed Forces, home health agencies, physicians offices, community health clinics, Veterans Administration facilities, emergency rooms/urgent care and more.

Top Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. The University of Pennsylvania-Fulltime students that are in the pediatric nurse program at the University of Pennsylvania can finish this program in one year and part time students can complete the program in 2-3 years. The curriculum includes study in practice concepts for the childbearing family, physical assessment, high risk neonate theory, the medically fragile child, and therapeutic and pediatric pharmacology.

2. Yale University-Their pediatric nurse practitioner program is a combination of clinical and academic training. Students are required to complete 530 clinical hours and 50 classroom credits. This program takes two years to complete and gives a student a clear comprehension of how to treat and take care of adolescents and children. The emphasis of the program is child development, chronic and acute conditions, pharmacology, parent counseling and development and health.

3. University of Colorado-Denver-the pediatric nurse practitioner program in the College of Nursing at the University of Colorado follows a curriculum that has been given by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Facilities. In this program students are taught pathophysiology, ethics, patient assessment, health promotion, and development and growth. Students are required to complete at least 540 hours within a clinical setting.

4. University of Virginia-The Masters or post master’s program at the University of Virginia builds on both the clinical experience and theoretical knowledge of the nurse. In this programs student are taught how to handle home visits, counseling of families and children, episodic/sick examination, conducting research and more. Full time student start their study in the fall semester and finish the program in twenty months.

5. Duke University School of Nursing-The PACNP also known as the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program was created to prepare a graduate to meet the needs of children and infants that have rapidly and complex changing clinical conditions. These nurses are prepared to provide children with care in setting such as specialty based and rehabilitative, ambulatory, inpatient, emergency departments, and intensive care unit settings.

Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Program

The NNP also know as the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program prepares nurses to meet the needs of infants that are high risk and their family within tertiary care centers. The program prepares the neonatal nurse practitioner to handle a caseload of neonatal patients with collaboration and consultation from a doctor. This program teaches physiology, pharmacology, and pathophysiology which the nurse uses for

assessing, initiation, diagnosis of delegated medical processes, nursing, and procedures. The Neonatal Nurse Practitioner gains knowledge that will enable them to be involved in research, consultation and education. Graduates are employed in setting such as home health services, neonatal intensive care units, managed care organizations, nurse manage clinics and more. The three levels that are in the neonatal nursing specialty include:

• Level I-The care of healthy infants. This level is continuously decreasing as newborns and mother typically stay in the same room.

• Level II-there is a constant demand for these nurses because sick and premature babies require constant attention

• Level III-Nurses work in the NICU monitoring premature or seriously ill babies around the clock.

Top Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. Baylor University Louise Herrington School of Nursing-The Dallas Texas School provide a MS degree with Advanced Neonatal Nursing major for nurses. . This is a viable option in the area or neonatal nursing education for those nurses who already have a masters or doctorate degree.

2. Arizona State University-Arizona State University provides a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner track within their Doctor of Nursing Practice Program for nurses pursuing a post baccalaureate degree. The focus of this program is health assessment, advanced pathophysiology, application of theory and other foundational courses. This program also offers a hybrid distance educational format for full time nurses.

3. University of California, San Francisco-The focus of the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program at the University of California, San Francisco is to prepare leadership roles for neonatal nurses. The advanced practice degree neonatal nursing program is a two year gateway program in pursuant of the MS degree. A student can opt between a neonatal clinical nurse specialist tract and a nurse practitioner track.

4. University of Florida-The Master of Science degree program Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program at the University of Florida is the only one offered in the state. The focus of the program is management of high risk patients, tools needed for neonatal care, and management of families and patients. This program is available online although students are required to have one year involving clinical practice to include neonatal patient in order to complete the program.

5. Vanderbilt University-The prerequisite for admission to the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner program at Vanderbilt School of Nursing is two years of prior nursing experience. This program provides education for care of full term infant as well as the critically ill preterm in studies to include family and patient management, physiology, pharmacology, and embryology.

Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Program

This program prepares an advanced practice nurse to become primary mental health care providers to families and individuals. The focus of this program is in the area of mental health care through an individual’s lifespan having a sub specialty that is available in adolescent psychiatry/child or gerontological/adult psychiatry. The Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner program teaches a nurse to apply psychosocial and neurobiological theories and the ability to use non pharmacological and pharmacological therapies that are needed for mental health care. Nurses learn how to take on the responsibility of Psychiatric Mental Health Care Nurse Practitioner in order to provide collaborative and compassion mental health care for families and clients. This program also teaches nurses how to carry out clinical expertise in treatment, illness prevention, health promotion of individuals with addictive disorders and mental health issues.

Top Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. The University of Missouri online-Through it virtual site called Mizzou Online, this four year school provides education in the form of two master’s degree mental health nurse practitioner programs. Students can earn a MS in nursing that has a specialization in family mental health or mental health nurse practitioner. The programs contain around 43 to 46 credit hours. The classes include psychotherapy, family/patient interventions, drug treatment in mental disease cases, and session therapy.

2. Drexel University Online-This program offers a M.S. in nursing degree that also has a tract in the area of Adult Psychiatric Mental Health. The requirement of the course is fifty –five quarter credit hours and around 650 hours of clinical experience in order to complete the program. The course topics include biometrics and mental diseases, bodily and biochemical changes, psychiatric nursing.

3. University of South Alabama Online-This program offers a M.S. degree in nursing that has a concentration of an Advance Family Psychology Nurse Practitioner. There is also a post graduate certificate offered. Internships and practice are required and classes may include mental health evaluations, psychology for dealing with mental health evaluations and families, nursing policies and leadership in nursing.

4. Arizona State University-Arizona State University’s College of Nursing and Innovation offers a fifteen credit program created for family and pediatric nurse practitioners who desire to work with behavioral and mental health problems in adolescents and children. Prerequisites include a M.S. degree in Nursing and are a pediatric clinical nurse specialist or work as a family or pediatric nurse practitioner.

5. Sinclair School of Nursing-this program accepts students in to their Family Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program that hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing. An applicant is required to have a GPA minimum of 3.0 in the last parts of the baccalaureate program of 60 credit hours. Applicants must also currently hold a registered nurse license.

Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Program

The WHNP also known as the Health Nurse Program (Women’s) is a course of study that is advanced and is designed in order to prepare nurse who have previously earned a M.S. in nursing degree for careers in the area of WHNP also known as Women’s Health Nurse Practitioners. This program trains nurses with the ability to provide comprehensive initial health care assistance to women which includes those in their adolescent years all the way to their elderly years, within various health care setting. This program will train Women’s Health Nurse to assess the problems and status of women as it relates to menopause, birth and pregnancy, reproductive health, and additional basic healthcare problems. These nurses will be able to provide continuous care for women who experience stable and acute on going health problems.

Top Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. California State University at Fullerton-This Women’s health nurse practitioner program offered by California State University prepares a nurse for providing initial health care to women thought out the course of their lives. The program was designed to aid students in enhancing interdisciplinary collaborative ability and to take on initiative in performance in a healthcare setting.

2. University of Cincinnati-The M.S. in nursing degree in the area of Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner program teaches students to provide primary care to women by promoting disease wellness and prevention though out the course of the woman’s life. From the periods of childhood to adulthood, the nurse will be able to assess, diagnose, and perform clinical management of sexual and reproductive health issues of women.

3. California State university of Long Beach-the M.S. degree offered by California State University at Long Beach in the MSN also known as the science of nursing program that has a concentration women’s health for nurse practitioners focuses on clinical knowledge and skills in addition to ideas of behavioral science. Applicants are required to have a current registered nurse and bachelors’ degree that is a health related field.

4. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing-This program focuses on the basic health care needs of women form childhood to advanced years and observes the issues that affect the lives of women such as public policy and also maintains and promotes wellness. This curriculum examines a variety of women’s health care issues such as prenatal management such as fetal examination, clinical management, alternative medicine, normal pregnancy, the clinical management of menopause, well women health care, family planning and more.

5. Drexel University-This is an online course in the area of Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner which provides students with the opportunity to take part or full time course of study. Clinical and didactic educational courses are provide through pre approved clinical preceptoships and online learning.

Oncology Nurse Practitioner Program

A M.S. degree that has a nurse practitioner and emphasis on oncology provides training and education in courses that involve disease management, ethics, and research. The program may also include advanced practice training in palliative care, cancer care, and community health nursing. There are some nursing schools that offer adult oncology minors that are within the M.S. degree program. The education prerequisites include a bachelor’s degree but it does not necessarily have to be in nursing. Individuals that have associates degrees that are in nursing but have a bachelor’s degree in an unrelated field may be required to take some classes prior to beginning the program. An applicant is also required to have an unrestricted and active RN license. Some courses in some oncology nurse practitioner programs include:

• Symptom management and cancer care

• Pathophysiology and epidemiology

• Clinical pharmacology

• Policy and health issues

• The genomics of cancer

Top Oncology Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. Duke University-The School of nursing at Duke University offers post master’s degree certificate option to study oncology and a M.S. in nursing. Students in this program are taught the most up-to-date approaches to the early cancer prevention and detection. This programs’ focus includes teaching nurses how to improve the life of the oncology patient and also their families. Clinical experiences are combined with traditional methods of learning and students are taught about brain tumors and stem cell transplants as well as palliative care, radiation and inpatient oncology and genetic counseling.

2. Loyola University in Chicago-The University offers a M.S. degree program in nursing has an emphasis that has an emphasis in oncology in addition to an oncology in nursing certificate. The program prepares nurses to handle the care of oncology patients at the advanced level in addition to caring for their families. Students are also given the option of combining the adult nurse practitioner tract with the study of oncology.

3. Columbia University-Their school of nursing oncology program prepares students to give health care to cancer patients and to their families. This program takes on patient care through a holistic approach in which the patient’s spiritual, cognitive, cultural, biophysical, and psychological needs are combined in order to provide the patient with best nursing care possible.

4. University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing-Their pediatric oncology nurse practitioner program teaches student the basics in specialization and normal development in oncology. This curriculum prepares nurses within a high specialized region to provide comprehensive care to children that have cancer and to their families. The curriculums clinical experiences, content, and structure all teach the student how to refine and develop their physical assessment abilities, clinical making decision skills and more.

5. University of California at San Francisco- through this program students learn leadership positions in research, case management, clinical practice(chronic and acute oncology care and adult cancer control) and education. Students learn how to deliver health care through setting such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, hospice and homecare.

Adult Nurse Practitioner Program

The ANP also known as the Adult Nurse Practitioner Programs teaches nurses with advanced practice in the area of primary health care providers how to handle the health of people aged 12 to old age in addition to their families. The emphasis of this program is on the management of chronic and acute illnesses, illness prevention, and health promotion. The Adult Nurse Practitioner program promotes research in the carrying out of quality health care for adults and families and it also provides leadership. The students are taught to take on the responsibilities of and Adult Nurse Practitioner in order to provide health care to adults and families within various settings. They are taught to use the needed resources in order to provide continuous, quality care to adults and their families and how to collaborate with professionals in the health field. They are also given instruction with how to diagnose, assess and manage adult health care needs.

1. South University- Students can enjoy the convenience of South University’s Master of Science in nursing online program any time day or night. This program develops clinical and teaching skills, increases the knowledge used as a registered nurse and provides instruction on how to use research in the nursing practice. The specialization for Adult Health Nurse Practitioner program was created for individuals that want to obtain advanced practical skill needed to address the need of their adult patients.

2. The University of Maryland School of Nursing-The Adult and Gerontological Nurse Practitioner masters program that is offered by the Department of Organizational Systems and Adult Health was established in the year 1974. This program prepares a student as an advanced practice nurse in disease prevention, the management and diagnosis of common acute illness, gerontology and adult care, handling of chronic illness through out a person’s life.

3. University of Cincinnati-This is an online program that specializes in treating patients who are older than age 13. The focus in this program includes the elderly, adolescents, and adults. This program equips an Adult Nurse Practitioner with skills to work in a variety of setting that include private practice, specialty care, primary care, hospitals, community health organizations, government organizations and other health care setting.

4. Rush University College of Nursing-Their Adult Nurse Practitioner program has a combination of onsite and online didactic courses; clinical sites that are assessable; it teaches individualized clinical practice that is taught by experts in the field of health care practitioners; individuals are able to select individualized post masters certificate programs; Gerontological/Adult Nurse Practitioner programs; and also applications that are competency bases on the knowledge of clinical practice.

5. Spring Arbor University-This is great for nurses seeking a certain amount of autonomy with this online nurse practitioner tract program that allows its graduates to provide care to gerontology and adult environments. This is a three year, 62 credit program for working nurses and includes clinical practice (8 credit hours) with an applied learning project or capstone thesis. This program is designed to qualify student to date the Gerontology or/and Adult Nurse Nations Certification Examination.

Public Health Nurse Practitioner Program

These programs are purposed for current nurses that want additional skills and knowledge for advancements in employment. The emphasis of public health masters program is the prevention of disease and promotion of health. Students learn to put emphasis on the health needs of the community as a whole rather than just one patient. Students in this program are taught leadership roles in the health care industry and given preparation for the clinical nurse specialist examination. The educational prerequisites for this program vary and depend on the particular institution but an applicant is required to have an associate, diploma or bachelor’s degree. Those that have and associate degree may also need work experience, a resume, references, a fee, MAT and GRE scores. There are separate application made to both the public health department and the nursing department and applicants must receive admission to each of these in order for joint master program enrollment to take place.

Top Public Health Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. The University of Texas School of Nursing- Both the University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston and the University of Texas School of Nursing offer a dual degree program known as a M.S. degree in nursing and a MPH also known as a Master of Public health that gives students the opportunity to earn both degrees while individuals are enrolled in both schools.

2. University of South Florida-the College of Public Health and the College of Nursing offer the MS/MPH which is an interdisciplinary Dual Degree master program which is in the area of Occupational Health/Adult Nurse Practitioner. This program is designed to train advanced occupational health nurses to work in setting such as management and administration, direct clinical practice, occupational health program development.

3. John Hopkins University School of Nursing-The MPH/MSN-NP program offered at John Hopkins combines advanced management and nursing practice with perspective that is population based for the enhancement of nursing service delivery in a variety of international and local settings. Students learn how to evaluate, implement, and develop original healthcare policies and programs. Students are also taught to refer, treat, and identify the treatment needed for health problems.

4. University of Virginia-The University of Virginia offers a program that combines preparation with their Public Health Leadership Concentration. The emphasis of this program is on the health delivery and health status systems within a community and the ability to design interventions in nursing for better manage care in various settings.

5. LSU School of Nursing-Through this program students are taught to work with patients and their families through their life span in the community and additional health care environments in the area of illness and health. Students are taught to deliver health care in settings to include school based clinics, ambulatory care clinics, long tern care environments and more.

Clinical Nurse Specialist Program

The objective of the M.S. Nursing degree with a major in the area of Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist is to provide skills and knowledge to a RN needed in order to practice as a client advocate and professional clinician within the adult population. Upon completion of this program a student will be able to give direct care to clients which includes preventive care and health promotion, prescribing treatments such as non pharmacologic and pharmacologic medicines of health problems, planning, diagnosing, assessing. The students are also taught to comprehend the sub roles of researcher, consultant, educator, leader, expert clinician and be able to act accordingly when called upon.

This program is designed to prepare RNs in three main areas such as health care organizations, nursing practice, patient care. The curriculum includes innovative techniques for patient care, evidence based practice, nursing motivation and leadership, patient safety, health care delivery systems and more.

Top Clinical Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. The University of California at San Francisco-This institution was established in the year 1907 and its psychiatric and mental health clinical nursing program has been ranked as 2nd best in its category. The also have programs for a M.S. clinical nursing degree in neonatal and pediatrics health care, oncology, gerontology, health policy, and cardiovascular medicine.

2. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-This school was established in 1789 and is a public institution that has greater than 28,000 graduate and undergraduate students on its campus. The school of nursing psychiatric clinical nursing program includes additional specialties that are offered such as obstetrics, gynecology and children’s health. Amidst the M.S. in clinical nursing program, a student completed greater than 500 credit hours of training in a hospital or another health care setting.

3. Purdue University at Indianapolis-This school has greater than 30,000 graduate and undergraduate student and its clinical nurse specialist program has been ranked 3rd in the country. Students taking the adult health program are permitted distance learning which allows a student to take courses online or at one of eight satellite campuses in Indiana.

4. Minnesota State University—Mankato-CNSs also known as Clinical nurse specialist, through the program offered at this school, are prepared at the graduate level to be able to make diagnosis of potential or actual illness, they are taught to deliver nursing interventions that are evidenced based, and how to assist with the treatment and diagnosis of a disease for the purpose of a specialty population.

5. Georgia State University-This school has greater than 28,000 graduate and undergraduate students and their M.S. clinical nursing concentrations that are offered are mental health and perinatal, child health and pediatrics and adult health. These programs requires students to complete classroom and clinical training totaling 48 credits, and offers scheduling options that are flexible.

Nurse Midwifery Program

An education in midwifery requires the student to attain a certain amount of specific competencies but there is no required number of clinical hours or clinical experiences. The design of these programs is to make sure that the student enrolled in the program receive competence before graduation which means a student typically takes anywhere from 500 to 900 clinical hours in their complete midwifery training. The amount of training a student completes depends largely on the attitude the student comes into the midwifery program with. Although many of the nurse practitioner programs are based on the amount of hours a student completes, many midwifery programs target a student’s competency level. Within a midwife education, clinical rotations cover a complete variety of clinical care in which a midwife provides such as primary care, gynecology, postpartum, intrapartum, and prenatal.

Although a student may complete a large range of extensive clinical work within a master’s program, some hospital bylaws require at least 20 to 50 deliveries that have been observed by a physician within certain hospitals.

Top Nurse Midwifery Programs

1. Philadelphia University School of Science and Health-the Master of Science program at Philadelphia University consists of 36 credit graduate hours. Students are awarded 24 credits for completing their accredited certificate in midwifery/nurse midwifery also known as ACNM. Students successful in this program have the option of learning through distance learning programs that are disciplined and self motivated.

2. Columbia University-Their Midwifery Nurse Program was designed to prepare a nurse for the role of a midwife. The focus of the clinical aspects combined with academics is for the management of the health of a newborns and women. The curriculum has an emphasis on the childbearing cycle and also the care that is received during the course of a woman’s life cycle.

3. University of Kansas-the Nursing school at the University of Kansas offers a midwifery M.S. program that has a curriculum which has 46 credits of classes in areas such nurse midwifery specialty, general graduate level nursing, and advanced practice. Applicants enrolled in this program must currently have a valid RN license and have an undergraduate degree that is in nursing sciences combined with statistics and physical assessment college level classes.

4. University of Cincinnati-UC’s School of nursing program offers a nurse midwifery program at the graduate level where nurses are prepared to for the American Midwifery credentialing exam. Students must currently have a RN valid nurse’s license in addition to experience of one year professional practice.

5. University of California at San Francisco-this program leads to a M.S. degree with certificates as a women’s health nurse practitioner and a nurse midwifery. The curriculum includes courses in: we care of new born ad women’s health, midwifery management of the postpardtum, intrapartum and antepartum woman, advanced health assessment, linguistic and cultural competency, clinical pharmacology and more.

Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program

Acute care nurse practitioners also known as ACNPs have a specialty in acute care nursing but are also a nurse practitioner. These nurses must complete a two to four year nursing degree program and have a license a RN. Most acute care nurse practitioners receive their experience as RNs in acute care prior to coming back to school and earning their advanced degree to become APNs. Acute practitioner nurses are specialized nurses that have doctorate or master’s level training which prepares them to administer services that have been typically delivered by a doctor. In order to earn APN degree individuals need to meet certain requirements such as: Individuals will need to earn a M.S in nursing degree which must include coursework that is specialized in ACNP. Most nursing schools offer this particular degree in a two year program that includes hundreds of hours of clinical study and 40 credit hours of coursework.

Top Acute Care Practitioner Programs

1. University of California at San Francisco-This program has an emphasis in three major areas which include: trauma/emergency department, cardiopulmonary, and critical care. This program also gives enough flexibility where students are able to take other specialties. Students receive training such as pharmacology, differential diagnosis, chest and lab x-ray interpretation, patient care management and more.

2. Indiana University-Offer acute nurse major that is comprised 600 clinical hours and forty three credit hours and prepare a nurse to deliver direct patient care to adults with acute illnesses. This program is designed for full or part time students. Students must have at least 2 years of full time emergency department or critical care experience prior to applying.

3. Wright State University College of Nursing and Health-The ACNP also known as the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program teaches student how to assume basic responsibility for direct patient for those with chronic and acute conditions within various settings. The program consists of nursing science and advanced clinical practice but has the core of the courses in pharmacology, pathophysiology and physiology.

4. Kent State University-Their MSN also known as the M.S. in nursing Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs prepares a student to provide comprehensive and advanced acute care that falls within the legal parameters. The clinical education can take place at any setting in which there is a requirement of patient care that includes high intensity interventions, therapies and complex monitoring.

5. University of Texas Arlington-The ACNP program at the University of Texas prepares a nurse to be able to deliver advanced nursing care to adults already chronically and acutely ill. The emphasis in this program is on making the patients condition stable, restoration to maximum health, and lessening acute complications.

Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Program

There is a range of health care needs within the health care field which creates a requirement of different types of care. Because of this need nurses such as Geriatric nurses are composed of different types of nursing professionals. Students enrolled in a geriatric program can choose from different graduate and undergraduate level degree programs. There are many nurses that work in the geriatrics field where they provide foundational bedside care and they also help patients with their everyday activities such as personal hygiene, bathing and dressing. A Geriatric Nurse Practitioneer skill include management, creation of community needs and the resources that are available for improvement of health, screening acute and triage episodic illness, the medical and nursing functioning of typical chronic and acute illnesses in consultation and collaboration with a medical team, health promotion and maintenance, counseling to include patients and their families and more.

Top Geriatric Nurse Practitioner Programs

1. Kent State University-The MSN also known as the M.S. in nursing degree is earned by graduates who successfully from GNP program. This master’s degree program focuses on management of chronic and acute illness, illness prevention, risk detection, and health promotion. This program offers: Online course offerings, part and full time plans of study, faculty advising and mentorship and more.

2. Columbia University-Their GNP also known as GNP program was created in order to prepare nurse practitioners for health care of the elderly. This program is responsive and sensitive the diverse and complex psychosocial and heal needs of our ever growing environment of the elderly in community, chronic, ambulatory, acute care settings.

3. Arizona State University-This program is for nurses who are pursuing an advanced practice nurse degree in the area of geriatric/gerontological nurse practitioner. This program includes graduate courses that are in advanced pathophysiology, evidence to advanced practice, theory of advanced practice. The emphasis of the program is skills for primary care and acquisition of advanced knowledge.

4. Texas Technical University- the GNP also known as the M.S. in nursing Geriatric Nurse Practitioner program at this school prepares its graduates to deliver dedicated health care to the elderly. The Geriatric Nurse Program is online and requires an individually to make several trips to the Lubbock campus. Also available is a post master Geriatric Nurse Certificate.

5. Long Island University-This program is comprised of forty three credits in the area of Master of Science Geriatric Nurse Practitioner program which prepares nurses to provide health care to older adults through various settings to include rehabilitative facilities, nursing homes, hospital, and clinics. This program teaches nurses how to restore and maintain the health of their geriatric patients, how to increase functioning abilities, and how to mi

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