New pediatric nurse practitioner program begins in August

The University of Louisville School of Nursing is now offering a pediatric acute care nurse practitioner post-graduate certificate program (PACNP).
This program supports the existing pediatrics program offered at the School of Nursing - the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) to Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) track - creating another option for those interested in pediatric acute care.

The specialization offers qualified nurse practitioners with a direct pathway to becoming a PACNP in one year, or three semesters.

The first cohort for the post-graduate certificate program, which is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), is set to begin on Aug. 26.
The PACNP is educationally prepared to provide advanced nursing care to meet the specialized needs of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with complex acute, critical, and chronic health conditions, including the delivery of acute care services, as delineated in the acute care nurse practitioner competencies.

Graduates will be prepared to work in areas such as hospital-based pediatric acute care settings, pediatric intensive care units, pediatric cardiac intensive care units, emergency departments, and pediatric specialty practices that manage acutely ill patients across the spectrum of care settings from outpatient, to inpatient, and through discharge.

“As a practicing pediatric acute care nurse practitioner, I am thrilled that this much needed program has become a reality at the University of Louisville! Pediatric acute care nurse practitioners manage patients with acute illness or exacerbation of chronic illness’ and have proven time and again to provide cost-effective care while focusing on education, prevention of illness and access to community resources,” Assistant Professor of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine and School of Nursing Emily McRae said. "As the healthcare community as a whole strives to improve access to care we continue to need more and more pediatric nurse practitioners to deliver quality care that meets the needs of the children in our community.”

The program will be offered in a hybrid format, allowing students to take a mixture of online classes and in-person simulation and skills days each semester.

This post-graduate certificate program is ideal for master’s-prepared nurses. The date for applications for the program will be announced at a later time.

Graduates of the program will be eligible to sit for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board’s acute care certified pediatric nurse practitioner examination.

Learn more about the pediatric acute care nurse practitioner post-graduate certificate program.