The request to revise program requirements for the MSN & Post-Master’s Certificate in Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan

Date: November 1, 2012
To: College of Health and Human Services
From: Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: September 14, 2012
Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Spring 2013

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan

This specialty leads to a MSN with a specialty in Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan. These Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) will be prepared to function as Nurse Practitioners providing primary care to families across the lifespan. The graduates of this program will be eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) examination for Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan certification.

Additional Admission Requirements

  1. Unencumbered license as a Registered Nurse in North Carolina
  2. 2. BSN degree from nationally accredited program. The RN to MSN option is not available for NP applicants. is preferred. If the baccalaureate is not in nursing, the following courses from the RN to BSN program (or their equivalent) are required:
  3. NURN 4100 Aging and Health
  4. NURN 3108 Health Assessment for Nurses with Lab
  5. NURN 4203 Leadership in Nursing Practice
  6. NURN 4440 Community Health Nursing

NURN 4900 Research in Nursing Practice

  1. 3. Total score of 293 on the revised GRE or 950 on the old GRE on verbal and quantitative portions is preferred or a score of 400 on the Miller Analogy Test is preferred. Applicants with scores less that those designated may be considered based on the total application profile. Millers Analogy Test (MAT) is not accepted.

4. One year of professional nursing practice following completion of an RN programthe BSN degree.

5. Overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the last degree and in the last 60 hours of of nursing coursework.

  1. 6. Statement of purpose in application packet should explain the applicant’s career goal in relation to primary care and family practice. Purpose statement should not exceed two double-spaced typed pages.
  2. 7. References should be from professional colleagues and should speak to clinical knowledge and expertise and one’s ability to function a member of the health care team. At least one reference from a supervisory person is preferred.
  3. 8. Applicants who meet admission requirements will be eligible to be invited for an interview with the nurse practitioner sub-committee. Interviews are held in early March of each year. Only after a successful interview will the candidate be admitted.

Students are admitted annually in the Fall, with applications due to the Graduate School by by February 1st.February 15. Students who wish to enroll in courses during the summer prior to matriculation should apply for Summer I admission.

Degree Requirements

The program requires completion of 46 semester credit hours in approved courses.

Core Courses (9 hours)

NURS 6101 Theoretical Basis for Nursing Practice (3)

NURS 6160 Research in Nursing and Health Professions (3)

NURS 6115 Health Policy & Planning in the U.S. (3)

Cognate Courses (6 hours)

STAT 6127 Introduction to Biostatistics (3)

BIOL 6274 Advanced Human Pathophysiology (3)

Advanced Clinical Core (7 hours)

NURS 6220 Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Nursing Practice (3)

NURS 6230 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice (3)

NURS 6430 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice Practicum (1)*

FNP Specialty Courses (21 hours)

NURS 6210 Family Health In Advanced Practice Nursing (2)

NUNP 6250 Advanced Primary Care and Health Promotion of Adults (3)

NUNP 6450 Advanced Primary Care and Health Promotion of Adults Practicum (2)*

NUNP 6240 Advanced Primary Care Reproductive Health (3)

NUNP 6440 Advanced Primary Care Reproductive Health Practicum (2)*

NUNP 6260 Advanced Primary Care of Children and Adolescents (3)

NUNP 6460 Advanced Primary Care of Children and Adolescents Practicum (2)*

NUNP 6400 Internship in Family Health Nursing (4)*

Synthesis Project or Thesis (3 hours)

NURS 6601 Synthesis and Integration in Advanced Nursing Practice I (1)

NURS 6602 Synthesis and Integration in Advanced Nursing Practice II (2)

OR

NURS 6962 Thesis (3)

Additional Degree Requirements

  1. A minimum of 600 hours of supervised clinical experience as a Nurse Practitioner is required.
  2. Students may receive no more than one C grade in any graduate course. The second C will result in suspension from the program.
  3. In order to progress in the specialty, a grade of B is required in the following courses:
  • BIOL 6274 Advanced Human Pathophysiology
  • NURS 6220 Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Nursing Practice (3)
  • NURS 6230 Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice (3)
  • NURS 6430 Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice Practicum (1)*
  • All required courses with a NUNP prefix.
  1. Faculty advising is required.

Research Opportunities

Students who choose to do so will have the opportunity to serve as Research Assistants on faculty research projects. Students will have an opportunity to choose a mentored research experience in their Synthesis courses.

*Clinical Course that requires 60 hours practice for each 1 credit hours

Post-Master’s Certificate

in Nurse Practitioner Across the Lifespan

The 21 credit certificate consists of specialty courses in advanced practice nursing. This certificate program will prepare nurses holding master’s degrees in nursing to enter advanced practice nursing as a nurse practitioner. Nurses already certified as Psych NPs, Women’s Health or Pediatric NPs will be evaluated for possible exclusion of respective specialty courses and practica from their program. The recipients of this certificate will be eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioner (AANP) examination for Nurse Practitioner across the Lifespan certification. Coursework must be completed within four years and a 3.0 (B) grade point average is required.

Admission Requirements

  1. A master’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited nursing program
  2. Written application to graduate admissions
  3. Unencumbered North Carolina License as a Registered Nurse
  4. Official transcripts from the Master’s degree.
  5. Evidence of a GRE with a total score of 293 on the revised GRE or 950 on the old GRE on verbal and quantitative portions is required
  6. Overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the MSN degree.
  7. Statement of purpose in application packet should explain the applicant’s career goal in relation to primary care and family practice. Purpose statement should not exceed two double-spaced typed pages.
  8. References should be from professional colleagues and should speak to clinical knowledge and expertise and one’s ability to function a member of the health care team. At least one reference from a supervisory person is preferred.
  9. Applicants who meet admission requirements will be eligible to be invited for an interview with the nurse practitioner sub-committee. Interviews are held in early March of each year. Only after a successful interview will the candidate be admitted.
  1. Students are admitted annually in the Fall, with applications due to the Graduate School by February 1st. Students who wish to enroll in courses during the summer prior to matriculation should apply for Summer I admission.
  2. Graduate Health Assessment course equivalent within the last 3 years**
  3. Graduate Pharmacology course equivalent within the last 3 years**
  4. Graduate Pathophysiology within the last 3 years**

**Nurses certified as adult nurse practitioners, women’s health nurse practitioners, or pediatric nurse practitioners may have these courses waived from the admission requirements after assessment of transcripts.

Certificate Requirements

NURS 6210 Family Health in Advanced Practice Nursing (2)

NUNP 6240 Adv Primary Care Reproductive Health Care (3)***

NUNP 6440 Advanced Primary Care Reproductive Health Care Practicum (2)***

NUNP 6250 Advanced Primary Care and Health Promotion of Adults (3)**

NUNP 6450 Advanced Primary Care and Health Promotion of Adults Practicum (2)**

NUNP 6260 Advanced Primary Care of Children and Adolescents (3)****

NUNP 6460 Advanced Primary Care of Children and Adolescents Practicum (2)****

NUNP 6400 Internship in Family Health Nursing (4)

**Nurses certified as Adult nurse practitioners will not be required to take these courses.

***Nurses certified as Women’s Health nurse practitioners will not be required to take these courses.

****Nurses certified as Pediatric nurse practitioners will not be required to take these courses

NOTE: Nurses with other backgrounds will be evaluated on an individual basis

Students are admitted annually in the fall with applications due to the Graduate School by February 15.1st.

NURS 6210. Family Health in Advanced Practice Nursing. (2) Provides an overview of the family as the basic unit of advanced nursing care. Focuses on strategies of family assessment, family empowerment, and family health promotion. Includes reviews of relevant theories, concepts and research for the assessment and management of family health and the analysis of the socio-cultural context of families. (Spring)(online)

NURS 6220. Pharmacotherapeutics in Advanced Nursing Practice. (3) Principles of pharmacology and drug therapy for advanced nursing practice including legal and social considerations related to prescriptive authority and prescribing patterns. Satisfies NC Board of Nursing requirements for nurse practitioner. (Fall)(Evening)(On campus)

NURS 6230. Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning for Advanced Practice. (3) Pre- requisite or corequisite: BIOL 6274 or BIOL 6273. Corequisite: NURS 6430. This course provides knowledge and skills necessary for advanced practice nurses to synthesize concepts from nursing and the biopsychosocial sciences in the comprehensive health assessment of adults and children. The diagnostic reasoning process, differential diagnosis, advanced health evaluation techniques, laboratory tests, diagnostic studies and interpretation and evaluation of findings are incorporated into the course. The development of collaborative relationships between the nurse practitioner role and the nurse anesthetist role are developed through analysis of case studies. (Spring) (Day)(On Campus)

NURS 6430. Advanced Health Assessment Practicum. (1) Pre-requisite or corequisite: BIOL 6274 or BIOL 6273. Corequisite: NURS 6230. This clinical practicum is designed to provide an opportunity for students to practice advanced health assessment skills on clients across the lifespan. Comprehensive health histories and physical examination techniques are used to complete a database on clients to formulate differential diagnoses and make advanced clinical decisions (60 lab/clinical hours). (Spring)(Day) (On campus)

NUNP 6240. Advanced Primary Care Reproductive Health. (3) Prerequisites: NURS 6220, NURS 6230, and NURS 6430. Pre- or corequisite: NUNP 6250. Focuses on the role of the nurse practitioner in the primary care of family members in the reproductive stages. Uses a developmental approach to provide knowledge needed for advanced understanding and care of common health concerns related to the reproductive organs, including the genitourinary, and reproductive cycles of men and women. Concepts of health promotion, health maintenance, cultural competence and environmental variations are integrated throughout the course. (Fall) (Evening)(On campus)

NUNP 6250. Advanced Primary Care and Health Promotion of Adults. (3) Prerequisites: NURS 6230, NURS 6430, and NURS 6220. This course will build on knowledge of advanced assessment, pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutics, and theory and research to provide the advance practice nurse with the framework to manage adults with chronic illness in the ambulatory setting. Emphasis is placed on a wellness focus in the care of adults throughout the life span with common reoccurring acute illnesses and stable chronic conditions. Models of health promotion, disease prevention, health education and wellness will be used to guide the advanced practice nurse in assessing, diagnosing and planning care for adults. The case study approach will be used as a framework to implement the diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision making process. (Fall) (Evening)(On campus)

NUNP 6260. Advanced Primary Care of Children and Adolescents. (3) Prerequisites: NURS 6220, 6230, and 6430; NUNP 6250 and 6450. Corequisite: NUNP 6460. Focus is on the role of the family nurse practitioner in the primary care of families with children and adolescents. The course uses a developmental approach to providing knowledge needed for advanced clinical decision making related to children with common health problems including acute episodic illness and stable chronic disease. Concepts of health promotion and maintenance and cultural and environmental variables are integrated throughout. (Spring) (Evening)(On campus)

NUNP 6400. Internship in Family Health Nursing. (4) Prerequisites: NUNP 6240, 6250, and 6260. Role of the family nurse practitioner in the assessment and management of the health of individuals and families across the lifespan. Implementation of clinical decision making skills in family health promotion and management of acute episodic and stable chronic conditions and consideration of professional practice issues. Includes one credit hour of seminar/case presentation and three credit hours of clinical practice (240 clinical hours). (Summer) (Individually arranged)(On campus)

NUNP 6440. Advanced Primary Care Reproductive Health Practicum. (2) Pre- or corequisite: NUNP 6240. This clinical course is designed to provide the family nurse practitioner student with the opportunity to manage the reproductive and GU care in primary care settings. The course uses a developmental approach to increase competence in providing care to clients from diverse backgrounds. The focus is on the synthesis of knowledge from the physical and psychosocial sciences to formulate advanced clinical decisions effective in reproductive health care (120 supervised clinical hours). (Spring) (Individually arranged)(On campus)

NUNP 6450. Advanced Primary Care and Health Promotion of Adults Practicum. (2) Pre- or corequisite: NUNP 6250. This clinical course is designed to provide family nurse practitioner students the opportunity to manage the health care of adults in primary care settings. The course uses a developmental approach to manage the care of adults from diverse backgrounds. The focus is on the synthesis of knowledge from the physical and psychosocial sciences to formulate advanced clinical decisions effective in the health care of adults and their families (120 supervised clinical hours). (Fall) (Individually arranged)(On campus)

NUNP 6460. Advanced Primary Care of Children and Adolescents Practicum. (2) Prerequisites: NURS 6220, 6230, and 6430; NUNP 6250 and 6450. Corequisite: NUNP 6260. This clinical course is designed to provide family nurse practitioner students the opportunity to manage the health care of children and adolescents in primary care settings. The course uses a developmental approach to guide management of the healthcare of children and adolescents from diverse backgrounds. The focus is on the synthesis of knowledge from the physical and psychosocial sciences to formulate advanced clinical decisions effective in the health care of children and adolescents and their families (120 clinical hours). (Spring) (Individually arranged)(On campus)