About Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
The PNP is an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with specialized education and focused clinical practice dedicated to the care of all children (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015).
Primary Care PNP’s can deliver care to patients in a variety of settings, such as: Pediatric Primary Care Practices, School-Based Health Centers, Health Departments, Subspecialty Pediatric Clinics, Community Agencies that provide preventive care, and Telehealth Care.
Currently, there are insufficient numbers of primary care pediatricians to meet children’s increasingly demanding and complex needs, and many U.S. counties already have a critical provider shortage (AAP, 2013; Fraher, Knapton, & Holmes, 2017). In addition, a critical shortage of PNPs is predicted within the next decade (Gigli et al., 2019). In 2022, the U.S. News and World Report announced that NPs held the #2 spot for the best 100 occupations in the United States.
Curriculum
BSN-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Program of Study (effective Fall 2026)
Year One
Fall Semester
- N604: Principles of Population Health (3)
- N622: Evidence-based Practice Improvement I (3)
- N628: Evidence Acquisition, Appraisal and Synthesis (3)
Total of 9 hours
Spring Semester
- N557: Introduction to Health Care Informatics (3)
- N624: Evidence-Based Practice Improvement II (3)
- N649: Advanced Pathophysiology (3)
Total of 9 hours
Summer Semester
Full Summer
- N630: DNP Scholarly Project Proposal (3)
- N633: DNP Scholarly Project Immersion (1)
Summer I
- N631: Evaluation Methods for Evidence-based Practice Improvement (2)
Total of 7 hours in the summer
Year Two
Fall Semester
- N612: Health and Healthcare Policy (3)
- N613: Nursing Leadership in Complex Systems (3)
- N633: DNP Scholarly Project Immersion (2)
- N648: Advanced Clinical Pharmacology (3)
Total of 11 hours
Spring Semester
- N633: DNP Scholarly Project Immersion (1)
- N634: DNP Scholarly Project Dissemination (1)
- N639: Advanced Health Assessment (3)
- N676: Clinical Decision-Making: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (3)
- N677: Clinical Decision-Making Simulation: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (1)
Total of 8 hours
Summer Mini
- N678: Clinical Intensive: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner I (1) (Clinical Course)
Total of 1 hour
Summer Semester
Full Summer
- N679: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner I (3)
- N680: Clinical Practice: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner I (3) (Clinical Course)
- N681: Clinical Simulation: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner I (1)
Total of 7 hours in the summer
Year Three
Fall Semester
- N682: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner II (3)
- N683: Clinical Practice: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner II (4) (Clinical Course)
- N685: Clinical Simulation: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner II (1)
Total of 8 hours
Winter Mini
- N686: Clinical Intensive: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner II (1) (Clinical Course)
Total of 1 hour
Spring Semester
- N687: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner III (2)
- N688: Clinical Practice: Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner III (5) (Clinical Course)
- N673: Practice Issues – Nurse Practitioner (1)
Total of 8 hours
1 Credit hour = 60 Clinical OR Project Hours
Total of 69 hours
Residence and Licensure
Graduate students are required to complete clinical or project immersion hours within the state of their official residence and licensure. If students wish to fulfill these hours in a state other than Tennessee, they must ensure that the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Nursing holds state authorization with the Board of Nursing in their state of residence.
Students residing outside of Tennessee who plan to complete clinical or project immersion hours in another state must take any necessary steps to comply with that state’s specific requirements.
Clinical Practicum Details
Clinical rotations offer the student opportunities to practice their clinical skills and be mentored by licensed health care providers. Students will complete a minimum of 600 hours of direct patient care clinical hours as part of the 1000 required hours to confer the DNP degree. Beginning Fall 2024 students will complete a minimum of 840 hours of direct patient care clinical hours.
Identification of clinical sites and preceptors involves a collaboration between the student and CON faculty and staff. Students are encouraged to identify potential clinical sites and preceptors. Concentration Coordinators have ultimate approval of all clinical placements. Students desiring to complete clinical rotations outside the state of Tennessee must be familiar with their state Board of Nursing requirements for graduate clinical placements. Questions should be directed to the assistant dean of graduate programs.
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