What is Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner ? The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner—Acute Care focuses on the management of children with complex acute and chronic health conditions within the hospital or pediatric acute care setting. This includes providing care for children from birth to 21 years with life threatening illnesses and organ dysfunction or failure, negotiating health care delivery systems, monitoring and ensuring the quality of health care practice, providing family centered care, and demonstrating cultural competency. Graduates of the program are eligible to sit for the Pediatric Nurse Certification Board (PNCB) Acute Care certification exam. Graduates have opportunities to practice in a variety of acute care settings including emergency departments, subspecialty clinics, hospitals and intensive care units. A minimum of one year of pediatric acute care nursing practice is required for program admission because a basic working knowledge of pediatric growth and development, family dynamics and pediatric assessment are cornerstones for moving toward the role of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner—Acute Care. If students do not have a year of clinical experience, they may enter the program on a part-time basis and begin taking didactic courses while gaining valuable experience as a working RN.

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