School of Nursing
 

Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

School of Nursing

The Master of Science with a specialization in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) prepares nurses with the specialized skills needed to care for infants, children, and adolescents.  The School of Nursing offers two tracks for the pediatric nurse practitioner student. The primary care tract prepares students for the role of pediatric nurse practitioner focusing on well child care and prevention, and management of common acute and chronic illnesses. The dual track prepares students for the primary care role as well as the acute care role. Pediatric Acute care nurse practitioners are prepared to care for patients with acute, complex, critical and chronic illness in a variety of settings.

Students may study either full-time or part-time. Nurses who possess an MS degree in Nursing are eligible for the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in this specialization.

Sample Curriculum

All master’s students are required to take the professional and research core, the clinical core and specialty clinical courses. The Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PNP) program requires 41 semester hours. Completion of this program allows students to sit for the Pediatric Primary care certification exam.  Students may choose to obtain dual specialization in both Acute and Primary Care PNP. Students planning to sit for the Acute Care PNP certification exam are required to take an additional 11 semester hours, which are completed the summer following completion of the primary care track. The program provides a broad background of advanced pathophysiology and advanced health assessment. Diagnostic reasoning skills are taught and developed as students learn the advanced nursing management and technology skills needed to care for children across the continuum of care.

Contact Info
Magee Tracy

Tracy Magee, PhD, RN, CPNP
408D Robinson Hall

bouvegrad@neu.edu

REQUIRED COURSES AND SEMESTER HOURS

Professional Core
NRSG 5118 Health Care Systems and Professional Role Development (3)
NRSG 5121 Epidemiology and Population Health (3)

Research Core
NRSG 7105 Translating Research Evidence into Practice (3)
NRSG 7110 Evidence Based Practice Research Application (2) (must have completed 7105 first)

Clinical Core
NRSG 6115 Health Assessment (3)
NRSG 5126 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice (3)
NRSG 5117 Pharmacology (2)
NRSG 6262 Advanced Pediatric Pharmacology (2) (must have completed 5117 first)

Primary Care PNP
NRSG 6275 Urban Families at Risk (4) (must have completed 6115 first)

NRSG 6264 Care of Well Infants, Children, Adolescents (4) (must have completed 6275 first)
NRSG 6265 Care of Infants, Children, Adolescents with acute and chronic health Problems (4) (must have completed 6264 first)

NRSG 6460 Pediatric Practicum I (4) (taken with 6264)
NRSG 6461 Pediatric Practicum II (4) (taken with 6265)

(Acute care clinical courses to be taken the summer following completion of primary care curriculum)

CAEP 5151 Early Intervention (3)

NRSG 6267 Care of Critically ill child (4) (taken with 6463)

NRSG 6463 Care of critically ill child practicum (4) (taken with 6267)

Total 52 SH

REQUIRED COURSES AND SEMESTER HOURS

Professional Core
NRSG 5118 Health Care Systems and Professional Role Development (3)
NRSG 5121 Epidemiology and Population Health (3)

Research Core
NRSG 7105 Translating Research Evidence into Practice (3)
NRSG 7110 Evidence Based Practice Research Application (2) (must have 7105 first)

Clinical Core
NRSG 6115 Health Assessment (3)
NRSG 5126 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice (3)
NRSG 5117 Pharmacology (2)
NRSG 6262 Advanced Pediatric Pharmacology (2) (must have 5117 first)

Primary Care PNP
NRSG 6275 Urban Families at Risk (4) (must have 6115 first)

NRSG 6264 Care of Well Infants, Children, Adolescents (4) (must have 6275 first)
NRSG 6265 Care of Infants, Children, Adolescents with acute and chronic health  Problems (4) (must have 6264 first)

NRSG 6460 Pediatric Practicum I (4) (taken with 6264)
NRSG 6461 Pediatric Practicum II (4) (taken with 6265)
Total 41SH

All students in the pediatric concentration have 4 SH; they may take any course in the graduate schools at NU. Acute Care PNP students will have the option of taking 4 SH elective or using the 4 SH toward the acute care module.

Pre-requisite Courses or equivalent:
NRSG 5126 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice 3
NRSG 6115 Health Assessment 3
NRSG 5117 Pharmacology 2

Required Courses: Primary Care PNP CAGS
NRSG 6262 Pediatric Pharmacology 2
NRSG 6264 Primary Care of Well Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults 4
NRSG 6265 Primary Care of Well Infants, Children, Adolescents, & Young Adults with Health Care Problems 4
NRSG 6275 Urban Families at Risk 4
NRSG 6460 Pediatric Practicum I 4
NRSG 6461 Pediatric Practicum II 4
Elective 2 SH
Total 24SH

Pre-requisite Courses or equivalent:
NRSG 5126 Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice 3
NRSG 6115 Health Assessment 3
NRSG 5117 Pharmacology 2

Acute Care and Primary PNP CAGS
NRSG 6262 Pediatric Pharmacology   2
NRSG 6264 Primary Care of Well Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults 4
NRSG 6265 Primary Care of Well Infants, Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Health Care Problems 4
NRSG 6275 Urban Families at Risk 4
NRSG 6460 Pediatric Practicum 1 4
NRSG 6461 Pediatric Practicum II 4
NRSG 6267 Care of the Critically III Child 4
CAEP 5151 Early Intervention: Infant & Toddler Dev. Risk & Disability 3
NRSG 6463 Care of the Critically III Practicum 4
Total 33SH

Curriculum subject to change

Experiential Learning

Clinical practice of the advanced nurse is a major focus of this program. Our long history of partnering with local agencies to serve the urban, underserved community ensures access to research and clinical opportunities with at-risk pediatric populations. Our affiliations have included Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston Medical Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Franciscan Hospital for Children, among many. Students also have clinical experiences in neighborhood health centers, health maintenance organizations, child care centers, school-based clinical, homeless shelters and private practices. Working with expert clinicians and supervised by our faculty, students develop the expertise necessary for patient management and advanced nursing practice skills across the care continuum for children and adolescents.

Application Info

Graduate Handbook

School of Nursing Graduate Handbook

Special Student Status

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the application deadline?

The application deadline is March 15 for the following fall admission.  There are no rolling admissions.

What is the GPA requirement and are GRE’s required?

The GPA requirement is 3.0 or higher. Students must provide a transcript showing a grade of B or better for a 3 credit (CR) college statistics course. The statistics course has no expiration date and must include probability and hypothesis testing. GRE’s are not required.

Is work experience required?

The full time program of study requires at least 1 year of nursing experience in pediatrics. The Acute care program of study requires at least 1 year in-patient experience. Part time students must have completed their nursing experience in pediatrics before beginning the clinical components of the program.

How many credits can I transfer in from another program?

Students may transfer 9 semester hours from other masters’ level courses from a different institution if not credited to a previous degree. Courses must be approved by the program director.

Can I attend the program on a part time basis?

Yes, 1 year of nursing experience in pediatrics is required prior to beginning clinical sequences. During the final year of the program, students must complete a minimum of 16 hours per week of clinical along with course work.

When are classes offered?

Primary Care PNP specific courses are typically held on Tuesday evenings. Acute Care PNP specialty courses (additional 11 CR) are held during the final summer semester.

How do I know which classes to take each semester?

Each plan of study is individualized and requires a meeting, by appointment, with the program director.

How many clinical hours are required and how are they arranged?

A minimum of 500 precepted hours are required for the primary care specialization and an additional 250 – 300 hours are required for the acute care specialization. The program director and lead acute care faculty work closely with partner institutions and students to identify individually appropriate clinical placements.

Apply to the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program.