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Post Master's Certificate - Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner

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Nursing (BSN, LNBSN, ADN, RNBSN, MSN, RNMSN, Post Masters Certs, DNP)Certificate

General

Details

Program Specific Requirements and Policies

Curriculum

Program Admissions Requirements

Post Master Certificates (Online) Admission Requirements
Applicants to the program must meet the following standards (Post Master’s Certificates All Track Options):
1. Completion of the application for admission.
2. Complete all university admissions requirements.
3. Completion of a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from an ACEN, CCNE, or CNEA accredited program, with a 3.0 GPA or better
4. A valid and unencumbered license as a registered nurse in any US State or territory in which the student is licensed, including the State in which the student completes all assignments for the program.
a. Military, federal, and foreign-educated nurses must meet this State requirement for nursing licensure.
b. An active and unencumbered RN license(s) must be maintained throughout the program.
c. A domestic or foreign medical degree is not equivalent to a nursing degree.
5. Submit official transcripts from a Master of Science in Nursing program, by the add/drop date of the student's first term.

  1. Completion of all pre-requisite courses.

    *Applicants submitting non-U.S. or non-English transcripts should refer to the International Admissions section of the catalog.

In addition to the admissions requirements above, applicants to the PMC - Advanced Practice Registered Nurse tracks must also meet the following admissions requirements:

  1. Recommendation for admission by the Program Dean/Director and admission committee members. Past academic performance and professional achievements will be evaluated using a rubric to determine the applicant’s level of qualification.

  2. A valid and unencumbered license as an RN in any US State or territory in which the student is licensed, including the State in which the student completes practicum experiences.

  3. PMC applicants who have been dismissed from a previous WCU nurse practitioner program track do not qualify for admission into any of the PMC Nurse Practitioner Tracks.

  4. PMC applicants will have a formal transfer of credit gap analysis prior to acceptance of admission.

  5. PMC applicants who do not meet full admissions criteria will not be considered.

  6. Applicants to the APRN tracks must have a minimum of one (1) year of direct patient care RN experience before entering APRN core courses as verified using the experience verification form.

*Students admitted to APRN tracks under previous admissions requirements and have withdrawn that have completed more than 75% of the credits associated with the program will be re-admitted to the previous version of their program using previous requirements.

Program Pre-Requisites

Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Advanced Health/Physical Assessment course(s) [3Ps] must have been completed within the last five (5) years with a grade of "B" or better.

Any 3P courses that are population-specific (e.g., Advanced Pediatric Assessment, Advanced Pathophysiology for the CRNA, Advanced Pathophysiology for the Neonate, Advanced Psychopharmacology, etc.) are not considered completed for the purposes of pre-requisite coursework.

If courses were taken more than five (5) years from the date of program application, applicants must repeat the course(s) to be eligible for the PMC.

Applicants who have taken an equivalent 3P course(s) that is more than five (5) years from the date of program application, pre-requisite fulfillment may be considered for those who have an active NP certification.

Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Advanced Physical Assessment for applicants who hold an MSN degree with a focus on education, leadership, informatics, or another non-APRN area will not fulfill the pre-requisite requirement. 

WCU offers the pre-requisite courses for students who do not meet the requirements. Financial Aid may be available for those who qualify.

Breakdown of Credits

Course Category

Credits

Graduate Core Credits

28

Total

28

Program Clinical Requirements

Clinical Hour Requirement:  this track requires a total of 540 precepted clinical hours.

Program Progression Requirements

A cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.0 is required for all 500 and 600-level courses for graduation. Students are also required to meet all requirements under the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) policy.
 
1) Maintain an active, unencumbered RN license throughout the program.
2) An active, unencumbered license is required up to degree completion and will be verified throughout the program.
3) Failure to present a valid RN license may result in dismissal from the university until such time as an active, unencumbered license is obtained.
4) A student in the APRN tracks must participate in two (2) mandatory On-site Intensives (OSI). The OSI brings students to campus or other locations to learn, practice, and demonstrate essential hands-on skills and competencies required by nurse practitioners. Students who do not attend the OSI automatically fail the course that is associated with the missed OSI, and the student must retake the course and complete the OSI to progress in the program.
5) All course and clinical educational program requirements must be successfully completed to meet graduation requirements. All course and practicum requirements are published in the course syllabi and expanded upon in the Post-Licensure Nursing Student Handbook. Students will have access to course syllabi one week prior to the term start date. Students will have access to the Post-Licensure Nursing Student Handbook after acceptance into the nursing program.
6) Students in good standing are required to meet the academic progression standards as stated in the Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy. Failure to meet the SAP standards will result in dismissal from the nursing program.
7) Students in the nursing graduate program must earn a B or better in all post-licensure nursing courses. Students will be required to repeat any course for which they achieved less than a "B" the next term the course is offered.
8) Students who fail a sequenced theory and/or clinical course may not continue to the next course in the sequence until the failed course is repeated successfully. Students must complete all required clinical hours in each of the clinical courses, or they will not progress to the next course and must follow the University's Incomplete policy.
9) Student Conduct from a Clinical Site
• Students in clinical sites will be held to the University’s Student Conduct Code. Incidents reported to the student’s Program Dean will be reported to the Campus Director of Student Affairs for investigation and potential adjudication and disciplinary sanctions.

Program Dismissal Policy

Fully admitted students in a nurse practitioner track who receives a second grade less than a "B" in any nursing course will be dismissed from the nursing program.

Additional Program-Specific Policies or Requirements

A student in the MSN Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) online program at West Coast University participates in two (2) On-site Intensive (OSI) weekends.  The OSI brings students to campus to learn, practice and demonstrate essential hands-on skills and competencies needed by nurse practitioners.