Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP)
Starting summer 2019 Advanced Practice Nursing Programs will transition to offering the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree EXCLUSIVELY. Learn More about the DNP
Doctor of Nursing Practice Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Acute & Primary Care (PNP AC/PC)
Program Description
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) Program is designed to prepare advanced practice registered nurses to deliver primary and acute care to children (birth to 21 years of age) across practice settings and institutional boundaries.
The overall objective of the DNP-PNP Program is to provide the foundation and scaffolding for students to become competent and caring pediatric nurse practitioners, scholars, and leaders. The program includes both didactic and clinical courses, beginning with foundational coursework and advancing to specialized clinical applications. In addition to providing direct care to children, graduates are prepared as lifelong learners, leaders, and advocates for children and their families.
Portland Based
The DNP-PNP program is Portland-based program. Students work closely with faculty and are required to participate in 1:1 annual reviews with the PNP Program Director. The expectation is that students come ready and open to learning with/from faculty, clinical preceptors, peers, and the children and families they are privileged to care for.
Dual Preparation
All students will be prepared to be certified as both primary care (PC) and acute care (AC). The scope of practice for the PNP-PC- or PNP-AC is not setting specific, but instead is based on the child's health-related needs:
Primary Care (PC) Emphasis: The PNP-PC practices wherever pediatric patients are in need of primary care. The focus for the PNP-PC is an ongoing relationship with the child and family in the delivery of comprehensive health care and coordination of health services. Accordingly, course work concentrates on foundational knowledge of child growth and development, health promotion and disease prevention behaviors and interventions, and common acute/chronic illnesses and/or conditions.
Acute Care (AC) Emphasis: The focus for the PNP-AC is the delivery of restorative care, characterized by rapidly changing clinical conditions. The PNP-AC practices in acute care settings, such as intensive care units (ICU) or Emergency Departments;however they may also practice wherever pediatric patients are acutely ill, physiologically unstable, technologically dependent, and/or vulnerable to complications.
Coursework
Students will begin with foundational coursework in advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, and advanced health assessment. The curriculum builds on this foundation adding advanced didactic pediatric coursework and exposing students to varied clinical rotations through pediatric primary, acute, specialty, and/or chronic care clinical sites.
The program was developed for full-time study. Students opting for part time may have to wait until specific courses are offered, as coursework is offered using a specific sequence and only once each year.
The general competencies that must be met for the master of nursing for the AGACNP, FNP, HSOL, MNE, NA, NMW, PNP and PMHNP programs are:
- Apply advanced knowledge in the science of a specialty area of advanced nursing practice.
- Use emerging information and health technologies to access current research and health care data to improve patient care.
- Make sound, culturally appropriate and ethically grounded clinical judgments based on critical analysis of the best available evidence.
- Demonstrate the leadership skills that are essential for influencing policy and organizational systems for improving patient outcomes.
In addition to meeting the general Master of Nursing competencies, upon graduation, it is expected that PNP graduates will be able to:
- Demonstrate safe care of children and their families in primary and acute care settings.
- Provide individualized, culturally sensitive management using quality improvement strategies where applicable.
- Use effective communication skills and technologies to provide collaborative care.
- Integrate professional leadership skills in delivery of care.
- Synthesize and translate relevant, current and scientific knowledge and evidence based research findings into practice.
- Employ advocacy strategies to influence health care policy.
For program specifics, Student Learning Outcomes and detailed school information, check out the School of Nursing Catalog/Student Handbook.