The Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (AC PNP) Postgraduate Certificate prepares you as a population expert in caring for children with critical, complex illness or injury.
The AC PNP stabilizes patients, prevents complications, restores and maintains maximum health, and provides palliative and end-of-life care.
Through this program, you are prepared to provide advanced, comprehensive, holistic, family-centered care.
Patients may be characterized as physiologically unstable, experiencing life-threatening illness or injury, medically fragile, technologically dependent or vulnerable to complications.
This program will prepare you to sit for the CPNP-AC exam of the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.
Program Length and Location
Our program is offered part-time and based on a cohort model. It takes a minimum of eight months to complete for students with a pediatric or family nurse practitioner degree.
Graduates with other advanced practice degrees may require additional prerequisite coursework. A gap analysis is required to determine the plan of study.
Distance learning is not an option for residents of some states and locales.
Classes are offered online but not in all locations.
A clinical practicum is required. Two campus visits are also required: one week with each of the pediatric acute care management courses.
Applicants must contact the program director prior to application.
After program completion, you are eligible for the following:
- Certification as a certified pediatric nurse practitioner - acute care (CPNP-AC) by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board
- State licensure or certification, where available
Program Tuition
At RUSH University, we know your education is a big investment. We want to make sure you have all the information to be able to make the best financial decisions for you and your family.
Tuition for the Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (AC PNP) Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) program is $1,344 per credit hour.
Travis Kennedy, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CPNP-AC, now an acute care pediatric nurse practitioner at WVU Medicine Children’s in Morgantown, WV, reflects on his experience at RUSH.
Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (AC PNP) Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) Career Opportunities
Program graduates work with patients and their families within a continuum of care ranging from disease prevention to critical care.
They work independently as providers, specialty service consultants, and as members of interprofessional teams in a variety of settings:
- Inpatient unit
- Emergency department
- Critical care
- Specialty service
- Specialty clinic
- Transport team
- Acute care home service
Employment of nurse practitioners is expected to grow 40% from 2021-31. This is much faster than the average for other professions.
College of NursingDirector, Acute Care Pediatric NP ProgramDepartment of Women, Children and Family Nursing
College of NursingAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Women, Children and Family Nursing
College of NursingAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Women, Children and Family Nursing
College of Nursing
College of NursingAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Women, Children and Family Nursing
Elizabeth Miranda
Admissions Specialist
elizabeth_m_miranda@rush.edu
(312) 942-6986
Learn about upcoming sessions and events in your field of interest.