Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)

Meet the Program Director

Leslie WelchLeslie Welch Hopkins
MSN, APRN, BC, FNP-BC, ANP-C

 

Professor Hopkins is a board certified adult and family nurse practitioner who specializes in adult primary care and cardiovascular disease risk management and treatment. She joined the faculty at Vanderbilt in 1994 in a joint practice and academic role. Professor Hopkins has practiced in a variety of settings ranging from a rural family practice to an urban, indigent care clinic. Currently, she practices at the Vanderbilt Williamson County walk in clinics in Franklin and Spring Hill, TN. She has been instrumental in helping to develop the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program. Professor Hopkins works closely with the faculty to provide students with a broad base of adult primary care knowledge. She coordinates clinical rotations for students in a wide variety of settings in Tennessee and around the country.

 

Modified Class Schedule for Nurses and Non-Nurses

Whether you have a nursing background or not, you will complete your AGPCNP specialty program through a modified learning (block) format that includes: (1) courses offered in concentrated blocks of time on campus, including weekends, up to four times per semester, (2) on-line conferencing and (3) distributed course delivery methods which allow for continued faculty contact between sessions.

You may choose to attend weekly lectures on-campus or to access these lectures from a remote site through:

 

  1. Live video-streamed lectures broadcast over the Vanderbilt School of Nursing website at the specified class time,
  2. Archived video-streamed lectures available for one week after the live lecture, and/or
  3. CD recordings which are mailed to your home.

In addition, students are required to attend courses in concentrated blocks of time on campus, up to four times per semester over an extended weekend of approximately five days. Clinical practicum placement is arranged in your home area provided a suitable agency and preceptor are available. Sites and preceptors are subject to Vanderbilt faculty approval.

Students with a Background in Nursing
(ADN/Diploma RN, BSN, MSN)
The modified learning format provides flexibility for working nurses and others. Students need not relocate or give up their employment while completing their MSN at Vanderbilt.

Students without a Background in Nursing
Students who enter Vanderbilt School of Nursing without a nursing background are traditional students and are required
to attend live weekly lectures and complete clinical hours in Nashville during their pre-specialty year. In the following specialty year, the entire AGPCNP program is delivered in a blocked format.

 

Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program Faculty

The AGPCNP program faculty at Vanderbilt School of Nursing are supportive and committed to assuring an excellent educational experience. Our faculty combine their diverse experiences, educational backgrounds, resources and professional alliances to create a program that fosters intellectual growth and clinical acumen.

 

Dual-Focus Program Expands Scope of Practice

Vanderbilt School of Nursing also offers a dual-focus Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner/Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner program that expands the Scope of Practice for Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioners. AGPCNPs who also want to meet the unique health care needs of women often choose this dual certification. In addition to adult primary care, it addresses a range of women’s health issues including normal pregnancy, prenatal management, well-woman health care and menopause.