Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Certificate Program
Program Description
The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner University Statutory Certificate Program is designed to prepare nurses to care for patients who are acutely and critically ill across the continuum of acute care services. Students gain a strong background in advanced assessment (including children), therapeutics, and technology.
Clinical experiences are provided within the Columbia University Medical Center facilities and require full time study. Emphasis is placed on integrating didactic knowledge with patient management and advanced clinical skills.
Graduates are eligible to take the national professional certifying exam offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The program is certified for advanced practice/nurse practitioner status by the New York State Education Department.
Admission
Please contact the Office of Admissions for details regarding admission and financial aid packages. Faculty review applications on a rolling basis so that students may apply to begin this program in the summer or fall semester. Please note, applications for the Acute Care Certificate Program can only be submitted online.
Admission criteria include:
- Current New York State nursing license or eligibility
- Master’s degree in nursing from an NLN or CCNE accredited program
- Minimum of one year clinical experience (acute/critical care preferred)
- Satisfactory score on the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
- Personal interview with the program director
- Three references attesting to applicant’s academic ability and potential
- Personal goal statement that is congruent with program goals (two pages, double-spaced, 12 pt. font)
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae
Students must secure a site and preceptor for primary care student practice that is acceptable to the program director.
Curriculum
| Courses | Credits |
| Advanced Clinical Assessment | 3 |
| Introduction to Primary Care | 3 |
| Advanced Clinical Assessment: Acute Care | 1 |
| Diagnosis and Management Acutely Ill Adult I | 3 |
| Practicum in Acute Care | 3 |
| Diagnosis and Management Acutely Ill Adult II | 3 |
| Advanced Practicum in Acute Care | 3 |
| Acute Care Integration Practicum | 5 |
| Nurse Practitioner Role Integration | 1 |
| Advanced Management Intensive | 1 |
| Total Credits | 26 |
The above listing represents the basic post-master’s statutory certificate in this major. Individual students may need additional course work, depending on previous study and experience. Students may receive advanced standing or exemption, based on standard School policy.
School of Nursing
The School of Nursing has paved the way for professional nursing since 1892 and continues to lead the field as the foremost institution for advanced practice nursing.
The School of Nursing is a designated World Health Organization Collaborating Center for International Nursing Development in Advanced Practice. With urban clinical sites, expert faculty practitioners, cutting edge research, and the strength of the Columbia name and reputation, the School of Nursing produces graduates who possess the skills necessary to bring advanced practice nursing into the new millennium. As medical advances offer a cascade of new and useful therapies, the need for more health care providers will increase exponentially. Our country will face many health care challenges in the next 20 years, and nurse practitioners are essential to providing access to quality primary care.
Founded in 1892 as Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing, the School became part of Columbia University in 1937 and began offering the baccalaureate degree. It is one of the oldest schools of nursing in the US. In 1956, it became the first nursing program in the country to awards a master’s degree in a clinical nursing specialty. In 1999, the School granted its first doctoral degree. More than 9,000 nurses have graduated since the School opened.
The School shares the Columbia University Health Sciences Campus with the School of Public Health, the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Each of these schools adds to the richness and diversity of the educational experience of students and faculty.
School of Nursing faculty have substantial experience in curriculum, instructional design, and research. They maintain expertise in their areas of teaching responsibility through participation at local, regional, and national conferences, involvement in scholarly presentations and publications, and faculty practice.
Columbia University School of Nursing is distinguished by the clinical excellence of its programs and graduates. Columbia nurses are making crucial contributions and improving the health of individuals wherever they practice.
The above information is current as of 6/07 and is subject to change at any time.