Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner DNP

An Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP DNP Program is designed to prepare students to become clinicians who provide primary care to adults throughout their lifespan. This includes adolescents and older adults.

An adult-gerontology primary care NP focuses on health promotion, preventive care, disease prevention and management of chronic and stable acute diseases. They provide care for patients who are not critically ill and can be managed in an outpatient setting. They may work in hospitals and specialty clinics, but many work in ambulatory care, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, hospice and palliative care.

The program takes about three and a half years to complete. For students with masters’ degrees, the program length may vary based on which coursework has been previously completed. A gap analysis will be the basis for developing an individualized plan of study.

Most students can keep working full-time until management and clinical courses begin. Those start about two-thirds of the way into the program.

You can find out more about admission requirements, including prerequisites, deadlines, guidelines and restrictions, on the program’s Admissions page.

The program includes three semesters of clinical rotation before graduation. One of those three should be in primary care internal medicine. This exposes students to a wide variety of patients. The other two are based on students’ interests. Each student is sent a survey of their clinical interests before rotation and is typically matched with those interests. Then, a clinical residency is usually available for students who have special fields of interest, such as cardiology. That way, they get experience in the field that they will pursue after graduation.

Coursework for the program is completed online. But the program also includes clinical practica and residency hours at sites in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Students who are from out of state can complete their practicum in their home states. Students must be on campus for a minimum of five visits for simulation experiences, their DNP project proposals and their DNP project final presentations.

Graduates often go on to nurse practitioner positions in a variety of settings. About half go into primary care sites, while the other half work in specialty fields, like cardiology. Many students pursue this program because they want to work in these specialty fields.

The program is designed to focus on clinical courses during the last year of study. This way, the emphasis on clinical management and practicum happens closer to when students graduate and take their board certification exams. Graduates are able to take exams with the information and experience they’ll need still fresh in their minds. 

The program also includes clinical conferences throughout the students’ last year. These conferences focus on cases that prepare students as advanced practice nurses. They expose students to practical considerations they may see after graduation and in the process of certification. 

Students are encouraged to review their materials and take a review course before exams.

Demand for adult-gerontology primary care NPs is very high and continues to grow rapidly. The population of older adults has increased very quickly over the last few years and is expected to continue to do so. The need for NPs to serve this population is estimated to expand by about 40% over the next decade.

Qualified students in primary care during their last year of clinical rotation can apply for stipends through Rush’s HRSA grant. Applications are sent to all students in primary care at the beginning of the year, usually in summer. Once the application is submitted, students who meet the criteria are selected to receive stipends. 

Rush University also provides other resources for students in need of financial aid. You can also learn more about financial assistance from our Office of Student Financial Aid.