The Pediatric Primary/Acute Care Dual program prepares graduates to practice as advanced practice registered nurses with specialized education and focused clinical practice to deliver advanced care to children with acute, chronic, complex, and critical conditions in various settings from birth until young adulthood.
Dually certified Pediatric Nurse Practitioners can deliver care in settings such as: Emergency Departments, Pediatric Hospitalist Service, Urgent Care Centers, Outpatient Clinics, Primary Care Practices, Inpatient Management of Subspecialties, School-Based Health Centers, Community Agencies Caring for Technologically Dependent Children, Intensive Care Units, Cardiovascular ICU, Sedation Services, Home Health Care, Telehealth Care, Palliative Care, or Specialty Care (PNPs working in specialty care may often work between the inpatient and outpatient care settings).
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ABOUT PEDIATRIC NURSE PRACTITIONERS
The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (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).
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.
PROGRAM FEATURES
- Hybrid online curriculum with required on-campus visits twice a semester
- On-site requirements provide opportunities for networking with peers, formative learning, and summative assessments of advanced clinical skills within the College of Nursing’s high-fidelity simulation center.
- Synchronous online course meetings will occur throughout the semester for case discussions, content review, and presentations. These mandatory online course meetings will be scheduled prior to the beginning of the term so students may arrange their schedules accordingly.
- Clinical rotations offer the student opportunities to practice their clinical skills and be mentored by licensed health care providers.
CURRICULUM
Prospective applicants can review the current Program of Study to learn more about the sequencing of courses and timeline for the program.
RESIDENCE AND LICENSURE
Special note for prospective students with residence and licensure outside of Tennessee: Graduate students may only complete clinical or project immersion hours in the state of their official residence and licensure. Students wishing to complete clinical or project immersion hours in a state other than Tennessee are responsible for ensuring the University of Tennessee, Knoxville College of Nursing has a state authorization with the Board of Nursing in their state of residence. Additionally, Students who reside outside of Tennessee and plan to complete clinical or project immersion hours in a state other than Tennessee, will need to take additional steps to comply with the requirements of that state.
CLINICAL PRACTICUM DETAILS
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.
PROGRAM FEES
Please note that the tuition and cost estimates listed here are based on the current tuition costs and may be subject to increases by the Board of Trustees. These resources should allow you to calculate an estimated tuition and fees cost per semester of your program based on the current tuition rates.