The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) with a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care (PNP-AC) clinical specialty prepares nurses for advanced practice in the care of acutely and critically ill children and adolescents. The goal of this innovative program is to prepare advanced practice nurses who will promote the health and development of children and adolescents as individuals and as population groups encountering changing health care systems within urban and global environments.

Graduates of the PNP-AC program are prepared to provide expert clinical care to meet the specialized physiological and psychological needs of children and adolescents with complex acute, critical and chronic health conditions and/or urgent, emergent and life-threatening conditions.

The curriculum combines both broad foundational knowledge essential for the care of children as a vulnerable population as well as specialty knowledge in pediatrics. Attention is given to health promotion, prevention of disease and disability, disease process, treatment, clinical management, and family-centered care provided in a variety of acute and critical care settings including hospitals, intensive care units, emergency departments and clinics. Upon program completion, students are eligible to take a certification examination through the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB).

Please note: The equivalent of one full-time year of RN pediatric in-hospital experience is required prior to the start of the clinical course sequence.

Learn more about this career path in an episode of our Nightintales podcast