Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Program Description
The University of Utah College of Nursing introduced the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner in 1999 as an effort to meet the changing needs of health care in the intermountain region. Acute Care Nurse Practitioners play a vital role in caring for the acutely and critically ill in hospitals, nursing facilities, and in the community.
Acute Care Nurse Practitioners have the opportunity to care for patients in the pre-hospital arena as flight nurse, emergency department, intensive care unit, medical/surgical floor, nursing facilities, and as outpatients in specialty clinics. Our graduates are currently working in multiple areas including, trauma, intensive care units, surgical services, cardiology, pulmonology and oncology. A great advantage to becoming an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner is the ability to tailors one's clinical training to meet one's career goals.
The program provides in depth coursework in pathophysiology, acute medicine, critical care medicine, pharmacology, diagnostic reasoning, and physical examinations. Lectures are provided by experts in their respective fields. Our faculty, instructors, and clinical preceptors are practicing nurse practitioners and physicians in a variety of fields including trauma surgery, general surgery, orthopedics, internal medicine, palliative care, oncology, neurosurgery, cardiology and neuro-critical care. The program director is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner working in surgery and trauma in a level 1 trauma center.
Length of Program
The Acute Care Nurse Practitioner DNP program is eight (8) semesters in length, requiring 85 credit hours in didactic and clinical coursework. It is available only as a full-time program (9+ credit hours per semester) and is completed in three (3) years, including two (2) summer semesters.
Program of Study
The Acute Care program of study requires completion of the BS-DNP core curriculum, Acute Care specialty courses, a Capstone Project, and approximately 1000 hours of practicum and residency experience.
Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program of Study
Studying at a Distance
Some courses are available online or via distance, but this program cannot be completed online.
Admission Requirements
See the BS-DNP Degree Admission Requirements page.
How to Apply
A cohort of approximately 10-12 students is accepted into the Acute Care program each fall semester. The Application cycle begins in the fall for the following academic year.
See the How to Apply page for deadlines and more information.
Post Graduate Certificate
An Acute Care Postgraduate Certificate is available. For more information, click here.
More Information
For more information about this program and answers to frequently asked questions, visit the related links at the right side of the page. If you have additional questions, contact the advisor below.
Renée Mixco, Graduate Academic Advisor
(801) 587-7605
renee.mixco@nurs.utah.edu