1. What is the role of an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner?
An Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner is an advanced practice nurse with a specialty certification in acute care. The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner has the expertise to care for the adult patient in the acute healthcare environment such as in emergency rooms, intensive care units, trauma centers or advanced diagnostic areas such as cardiac catheterization. Graduates of the program are prepared for a wide range of employment opportunities in the Acute Care Inpatient setting (ICU, CCU, Emergency Department) or specialty areas (Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Neurology). Students are prepared to manage the young adult, adult and elderly patients across the wellness-to-illness health care continuum.
2. What is required for national certification?
For the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Certification, RN’s must complete a MSN program which includes 500 + hours of direct care of the acutely ill adult patient, acute care pharmacology and acute care diagnostics. At the University of Miami’s adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner Program you will complete 500+ hours of clinical time.
3. What are the career opportunities for Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner?
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner may be employed in a variety of healthcare settings. This may range from specialty units such as coronary care, surgical ICU, medical ICU, transplant, trauma, and emergency room to specialty areas such as cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, neurology, general surgery, etc. in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. Recently Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners have been placed as leaders in rapid response teams in many hospital settings.
4. What type of nurse becomes an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner?
The nurse who enjoys variety in their work, autonomy in practice, who works well in a challenging environment, who can think on the run, is a team-player and adapt to a variety of situations on a daily basis.
5. What type of student performs well in this program?
A student with a strong background in pharmacology, pathophysiology, clinical decision-making, critical thinkers, individuals who seek learning and personal growth opportunities, are flexible, and work well with others with strong communication skills and leadership qualities.
6. Where do I get my clinical experience in the program?
The program identifies community preceptors with a high level of expertise in managing the critical care patient. We will coordinate your clinical experiences in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties in a variety of health care settings. We also assist you in enhancing your knowledge and clinical expertise in a specialty area or location of practice in the final course work of the program.
7. Who is admitted to your program?
We are very interested in creating a diverse cohort of students. We encourage minority and international registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees to apply to the program. Students with an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better and critical care experience have the best chance of admission. All students must be registered nurses in the State of Florida to begin clinical courses. If admitted, students must also pass a drug screening, a background check, have a current CPR and ACLS certification, and required immunizations.
8. Are all applicants invited for a personal interview?
Yes. All candidates who meet the admission criteria will be scheduled for a personal interview. Clinical questions will be asked during the interview.
9. Are there any courses that I can take to help me prepare for the program?
We suggest that students trying to prepare for the program or trying to improve their admission packet take a graduate level science course like Biochemistry or take a graduate level statistics course. An online/remote pre-immersion course is offered prior to the start of each new cohort to help students prepare for their first semester.
10. I have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing area. Am I eligible to apply to your program?
Registered nurses with baccalaureate degrees in another discipline may apply to the program. However, they must have had at least a basic statistics course and sufficient formal education in science in order to be prepared for master’s level coursework.
