Dual acute and primary care pediatric np

Program Overview

The dual Pediatric Acute and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program (PC/ACNP)  program prepares BSN nurses with two years of pediatric nursing experience to care for pediatric clients and their families at all stages of health, from wellness to critical illness and in all practice settings. Dual certified PNPs will be educated in both population specific foci and will complete the degree requirements and clinical hours for both programs in one streamlined MSN program.

Graduates are prepared to be recognized as Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioners by the Board of Nursing and to take the CPNP-AC National Certification Exam through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board and as Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioners by the Board of Nursing and to take the CPNP-PC National Certification Exam through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.

This program provides a background to:

• Assume responsibility as a Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner to provide health care to children and their families in a variety of primary and secondary clinical settings.

• Assume responsibility as a Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner to provide healthcare to children and their families with complex health needs in secondary and tertiary clinical settings.

• Develop collaborative relationships and coordinate care with interprofessional teams and agencies concerned with pediatric health problems related to economic, psychosocial, cultural and environmental factors in the quality improvement of health care delivery to the pediatric population.

• Lead teams utilizing expertise in providing care to well, chronically ill, and acutely ill children.

• Use research and theoretical knowledge in the delivery of care that maintains and restores health, minimizes complications, reduces risk factors, maintains and improves growth and development, and promotes positive clinical outcomes in the care of children and their families. 

Admission Requirements

Basic admission requirements must be met before a student can be accepted. Prospective students must apply to the university through the Office of Admissions, pay the application fee, and submit official transcripts to the UT Arlington’s Graduate Admission’s Office. The Graduate Admission’s Office is also responsible for calculating the admission GPA. All steps necessary to complete an application (i.e. submitting transcripts, paying fees) must be completed prior to progressing in the application process.

Prospective students should review of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation (CONHI) graduate program specific requirements. A CONHI Graduate Academic Advisor will review the application file for nursing specific requirements. Specific program requirements can be found in the University Catalog - Nursing, Graduate Programs.

If accepted, applicants will receive an acceptance form that must be signed and returned. If an applicant is denied, the option to appeal the decision is available.

Once the acceptance form has been completed and returned, an official email notification will be sent from the University to the student’s personal email. Accepted students with transfer credit should submit the transfer request form to the CONHI Academic Advisor during this time. 

An additional welcome email from an Academic Advisor will be sent with more information about the program orientation and next steps. 

Clinical Requirements

The clinical requirements included in the MSN Nursing Education and MSN and Certification Nurse Practitioner programs at UTA are intended to provide students with experiential learning opportunities to enable them to transition successfully into the role of the nurse educator or nurse practitioner. An essential part of each clinical experience is active, hands-on practice, guided by a licensed preceptor with expertise in their advanced nursing practice specialty.

Clinical placement at The University of Texas at Arlington in the Department of Graduate Nursing is a collaborative process with each student. Students are asked to locate a preceptor which is aligned with their program requirements; however, the Department of Graduate Nursing will provide assistance with clinical placement when a student is experiencing difficulty. Clinical placement policies are available in the Graduate Nursing clinical management system, InPlace, and are available to all students upon admission.

Applicants should be aware of expectations concerning Graduate Nursing Clinical Clearance Requirements.

Note: Some graduate programs have required courses and events scheduled on Saturdays. Please consult with the director of the program you are interested in, before applying for admission.

Nursing License Verification

Students are required to provide verification of an unencumbered license for acceptance into the Nursing program. The College of Nursing and Health Innovation uses NURSYS, a national database, to verify student license credentials. The NURSYS licensure and disciplinary database is the repository of the data provided directly from the Nursing Commission to the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s (NCSBN) and is primary source equivalent. To learn more about NURSYS, please click or tap here.

To assist in expeditiously verifying your credentials, please ensure your information is available in this database.

We also encourage you to sign up for NURSYS e-notify. As a nurse you will enjoy receiving license expiration reminders, status updates to your license, and tracking your nurse license verifications for endorsement. Visit the link above to learn more about the benefits of e-notify.

Resources

Policies

While University faculty and staff members give students academic advice and assistance, each student is expected to take responsibility for his or her education and personal development. The student must know and abide by the academic and disciplinary policies given in the catalog and MSN handbook, including rules governing quantity of work, the standard of work required to continue in the University, scholastic probation and dismissal, and enforced withdrawal.

Students will not be relieved of their responsibility to know the policies, deadlines and rules of the University on the grounds that they were not told. If students have questions regarding policies, it is the University’s expectation that the student will consult his/her academic advisor for guidance and resolution.

All students are expected to be familiar with the following sources of information.

Course Load

Graduate nursing education requires students to have dedicated time to devote to studying, completing assignments, preparing for, and completing clinicals and other course work. Students are encouraged to consider their work schedules and commitments considering the demands of the MSN/PMC program and adjust accordingly. Commitments which compete with graduate study may result in suboptimal academic performance and place the student in academic jeopardy. 

Study Time Recommendations

In general, for every-one graduate nursing semester credit hour of enrollment a student should allocate 5 hours of study time outside of class. For example, a 3 semester credit hours course, may reasonably require 15 hours of work, outside of class, plus anytime needed to complete clinicals. 

Employment Recommendations 

It is recommended that a student’s employment not exceed 16-20 hours per week in either regular or summer semesters. Students are encouraged to evaluate their energy level, familial and personal obligations, and school commitments before starting their degree program. 

Tuition

Academic Calendar

Students should review the academic calendar prior to enrolling and prepare accordingly.  

Students Success

MSN Student Success resources are available to all students achieving academic success at UT Arlington. Our dedicated faculty make every effort to assist students in meeting their academic goals across a wide variety of subject areas.

UTA CONHI is unique among many comparable universities for the remarkable amount of resources dedicated to student success. Learn more about our offerings on help with courses and writing/speaking.

Academic Advising

Students in the MSN program are welcome to meet with an advisor. Once admitted to UT Arlington, students may enroll in their coursework using the degree plan provided by the academic advisor and proceed to registration. Students are encouraged to contact their advisor with any questions. Learn more about Graduate Nursing Advising. 

UTA's Department of Graduate Nursing is unique among many comparable universities for the remarkable amount of resources dedicated to student success. Learn more about our offerings on help with courses and writing/speaking.

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