Application Deadline for Fall 2024 has been extended to April 23rd

Program Description

The pediatric acute nurse practitioner (AC-PNP) role is designed to meet the specialized physiologic and psychological need of children with complex acute and chronic health conditions. AC-PNPs respond to rapidly changing clinical conditions, including the recognition and management of emerging health crises, organ dysfunction and failure. In accordance with this practice focus, AC-PNP role activities encompass a wide range of NP practice strategies including contributions to the management of children’s illness/health states, the client-nurses relationship, the teaching-coaching function, the professional role, managing and negotiating healthcare delivery systems, monitoring and ensuring the quality of health care practice, providing family centered care, and demonstrating cultural competency. The short-term goal of care is stabilization of the child, minimizing complications, and providing physical and psychological care measures. The long-term goal of care is to restore maximal health potential through implementation of NP strategies to reduce health risks. The continuum of care spans the geographic settings of the home, emergency departments, hospitals, sub-specialty clinics, and intensive care units.

The Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner BS to DNP hybrid program is 3 years and 9 months full-time.

The program is divided into 4 parts:

  1. Core Courses: 4 days each quarter on-campus with online interaction, mentored-inquiry courses.
  2. Concentration Courses: Pharmacology I & II, and Advanced Pathophysiology meet up to four times a quarter.
  3. Clinical Experience: The clinical experience is a combination of clinician hours and DNP Project hours to total at least 1000 hours
  4. DNP Project: The DNP Project can be done in the workplace allowing students to collect evidence-based research data.

Program Length

3 years and 9 months full-time

Admissions Requirements

The requirements for admission into the Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program are:

  • Application with personal statement
  • Baccalaureate or Masters degree in nursing from an accredited program
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Science GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license in the United States with an unrestricted Registered Nurse license in California BEFORE matriculation and the California RN license must be maintained until program completion.
  • Minimum of two years of full-time RN experience in an acute care setting where the RN must have developed critical decision making and psychomotor skills; competency in patient assessment; proficiency in monitoring and calculating infusion rates for critical care medicines and monitoring those infusions; and the ability to use and interpret advanced monitor techniques including, but not limited to mechanical ventilation and invasive monitoring for cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological status.
  • Current certifications – American Heart Association Basic Life Support (CPR) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certification.
  • Three strong letters of recommendation using the LLU form provided.

Letters of Recommendation requirement:

  • Clergy/Spiritual
  • ICU Nurse Manager or Supervisor
  • RN Co-worker

If Interview is granted by the Acute Care NP Program Admissions Committee

  • Completion of Emotional Intelligence Screening and continued participation in the Emotional Intelligence Program and course work through completion of the program

Admissions Deadlines

  • Application deadlines: Autumn (April 23rd); Winter (October 1st)

Possible Careers

AC-PNPs are prepared for careers in a variety of settings, including:

  • Emergency departments
  • Hospitals
  • Sub-specialty clinics
  • Intensive care units

Important Information

  1. The DNP Program has been approved as a hybrid program with much of the academic work completed in an asynchronous manner on line. Students are required to attend and actively participate in any scheduled Zoom and face-to-face meetings scheduled for the DNP Program courses.

  2. Most of the DNP Program Core courses and the prerequisite clinical courses require that students participate on-campus for 4 to 8 hours during Seminar Week in the middle of each quarter. Students are also required to be on campus to take all course exams including the midterm and final exams.

  3. NGRD 657 – Intermediate Statistics – has four mandatory synchronous class meetings during each quarter and students are required to participate in them either face-to-face or by Zoom.  Students must attend take the midterm exam and the final exam on campus during scheduled face-to-face meetings. Additional optional group sessions held both face-to-face and by Zoom are available for students enrolled in NGRD 657.

  4. NGRD 624 – Advanced Health Assessment – has mandatory synchronous lab meetings every two weeks during the quarter.  Students must attend each of these sessions. The faculty coordinate the course exams including the midterm and final exams so that they are scheduled when the student is on campus for a scheduled lab session.

  5. The CNS and NP clinical courses meet at least four (4) times per quarter face-to-face on campus and all exams are administered on campus.  The NP Program skills courses meet weekly during the quarter that the skills course is scheduled.  Attendance at each of the assigned labs is mandatory for students enrolled in the skills course.

 

Students in the CNS and NP clinical courses will be assigned clinical rotations in the Inland Empire (IE) region of Southern California (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties).  The CNS and NP Program faculty members arrange all clinical rotations for students as required by the California Board of Registered Nursing Regulations (Sections 1484, h (11) of Division 14 of Title 16 of the California Code of Regulations).

Discipline Accrediting Agency

The program is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). Graduates are prepared for certification by the State of California and the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (program approval pending).

Accreditations

Loma Linda University is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The BS, MS, and DNP Programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE). The Nurse Anesthesia Concentration is accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs.

Advanced practice nurse graduates, Nurse Practitioner (NP) and Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), are certified by the State of California Board of Registered Nursing and eligible to apply for certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Corporation, American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, and Pediatric Nursing Certification Board, as appropriate for the area of professional practice.The California State Board has approved all programs offered at the Loma Linda University School of Nursing. Many states may offer a compact license to individuals already licensed in California. If this opportunity is of interest to you, please contact your program director. Students who decide to pursue a license in another state should check with the applicable licensing authority in that state.

Our programs address and meet outcome expectations as articulated by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Master’s (AACN), and DNP Essentials.

Cost of Attendance

View Expected Cost of Attendance Here

Sample Schedule

AC Peds NP Sample Schedule

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