Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
(ACNP)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be a nurse to enter the ACNP program?
Do I have to have experience as an RN, if I have either
my ADN or RN?
Can the ACNP program be taken part-time?
Can the ACNP program be done in a distance format?
What is the distance format?
If I choose to take classes on campus, what will my
schedule be like?
What are the clinical requirements for the ACNP program?
Can I subspecialize in the ACNP program?
Do I have to select a subspecialty?
Do I have to be a nurse to enter the ACNP program?
No, non-nurses may enter the ACNP program after completing the first year of study within the bridge program.
Do I have to have experience as an RN, if I have
either my ADN or RN?
No, new graduates from either an associates degree program or a bachelor of science program are welcome to enter the program.
Can the ACNP program be taken part-time?
Yes, the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program can be taken part-time, however because most courses are offered only once a year, the semester hours are not evenly split. All clinical courses, N305B, N342 and N343 are during the second year of a part-time program of study. Below is the current program of student for the ACNP program:
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | Summer |
| N300 (2 credits) N306A (4 credits) N307C (3 credits) N346A (1 credit) |
N301 (3 credits) Elective (3 credits) (or take in summer) |
N303 (1 credit) Elective (3 credits) (or take in spring) N304 (2 credits) |
| Year 2 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Spring | Summer |
| N305A (2 credits) N305B (1 credit) N340A (3 credits) |
N340B (3 credits) N342 (4 credits) |
N340C (2 credits) N343 (4 credits) N302 (2 credits) |
Can the ACNP program be done in a distance format?
Yes, if you are either an RN-AD (and have completed the first year program of study), or a BSN graduate and you have at least two years of current clinical experience you can take the ACNP in a distance format.
What is the distance format?
The distance format means that students do a portion of their course work in an asynchronous format, and a portion of their work in a block format here on campus.
The asynchronous format applies to the following specialty courses: N306a (Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology, N307C (Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics) , N340A, B, C (Pathophysiology and Collaborative Management in Acute Care, I, II and III). Those courses are taped, and CD's are mailed weekly to the distance students. N340A, B and C also have a web conferencing component in order to help the students integrate and apply the course material to case studies.
The block format courses are N300 (Theory), N305A(Advanced Health Assessment), N301 (Nursing Research), N302 (Inquiry), N303 (Health Systems Management) and N304 (Transition), N346A (Cardiac Dysrhythmias). The block courses meet on campus either over a long weekend, three times per semester, or in the case of N302, N303 and N304, they are offered over a four day period during one week in May.
Assignments and conferencing for the distance format courses is done either on the web or via assignments emailed to faculty. The clinical courses, N305B, N342 and N343 are done off campus, with preceptors that have been pre-arranged.
If I choose to take classes on campus, what will my schedule be like?
Classes that are offered on campus vary semester by semester, but basically they are offered Monday thru Friday during the day. Electives may be offered in the late afternoons depending upon the course.
What are the clinical requirements for the ACNP program?
The ACNP curriculum has 620 clinical clock hours. 60 clinical hours are for the Fall, and both the Spring and Summer semesters have 280 hours each.
Can I subspecialize in the ACNP program?
Yes, there are a number of wonderful and exciting subspecialties that one can focus on in the ACNP. These include cardiology, cardiac surgery, diabetes and endocrine disorders, emergency care, nephrology, pulmonology, oncology, orthopedics, sports medicine and trauma. Many of the subspecialties have electives that accompany them. If you choose to subspecialize, one of your clinicals in either the spring or summer will be in that focus area. All subspecializations must be cleared with the Program Director in order to determine its appropriateness for the ACNP program, and preceptor availability.
Do I have to select a subspecialty?
No, if you wish you may have general, broad focus ACNP clinicals, and not have to subspecialize.
