Josh Moore pediatric NP and DNP grad

PNP-AC - Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Acute Care

Preparing students to be advanced practice nurses providing front-line care to children as clinicians, educators and researchers.

  • Virginia's #1 nursing school and ranked among the top 3% of American graduate nursing programs
  • Available only as part of the BSN to DNP pathway program and as a post-master's certificate
  • Clinical and faculty affiliations at UVA Health, including its top-ranked UVA Children's Hospital
  • Graduates are eligible for the PNP-AC certification exam administered by PNCB
  • Guaranteed admission for UVA School of Nursing alumni
  • Application deadline: January 5

PNP-ACs—on the cutting edge of advanced practice—provide care to the most vulnerable pediatric populations across many inpatient and outpatient settings. UVA's PNP-AC track offers baccalaureate-educated nurses enrolled in the BSN to DNP pathway and as a post-master's certificate.

UVA School of Nursing provides exceptional, affordable education in accordance with AACN, NONPF, and PNCB standards in the preparation of pediatric nurses as leaders, scholars, and expert licensed independent practitioners in the care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with acute, complex, critical, and chronic illness.

Apply

The PNP-AC role

Are you interested in learning more about the differences in training and job expectations between acute-care and primary-care PNPs?

Admission Requirements

Classes

MSN Core Coursework (23-24 credit hours)

  • GNUR 6010: Advanced Pathophysiology (4 credits)
  • GNUR 6020: Advanced Pharmacology (3 credits)
  • GNUR 6027: Advanced Pharmacology Specialty Seminar (1 credit)
  • GNUR 6025: Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits)/GNUR 6025: Advanced Neonatal & Pediatric Assessment and Reasoning (4 credits)
  • GNUR 6031: Transition to Advanced Practice (2 credits)
  • GNUR 6050: Theoretical Foundations of Nursing (3 credits)
  • GNUR 6054: Research & Biostatistical Processes for Health Care (4 credits)
  • GNUR 6056: Health Policy: Leading Change to Advance Population Health (3 credits)

Pediatric NP – Acute Care Specialty Diagnoses & Management Coursework (10 credit hours)

  • GNUR 6730: Genetics, Embryology & Development Physiology (2 credits)
  • GNUR 6620: Pediatric Health & Wellness (2 credits)
  • GNUR 6632: PNP-AC Seminar II (3 credits)
  • GNUR 6633: PNP-AC Seminar III (3 credits)

Pediatric NP – Acute Care Specialty Practicum Coursework (11 practicum hours)

  • GNUR 6634: PNP-AC Practicum I (1 credit)
  • GNUR 6635: PNP-AC Practicum II (5 credits)
  • GNUR 6636: PNP-AC Practicum III (5 credits)

Clinicals

Clinical placement sites are assigned according to student requests, learning experiences, and availability. Students complete more than 600 clinical hours.

All clinical/practicum activities are generally conducted within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Clinical/practice activities may be conducted outside Virginia if the University is authorized to place students in that state and pending faculty approval.

Technology Requirements

All graduate nursing students are required to have a laptop; information about these requirements will be sent to enrolling students before classes begin. Please see the School of Nursing Computing Policies for more guidance on laptop ownership requirements.

State Authorization and Professional Licensure Disclosures

As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).  

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Nursing, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state.

Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))

Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).