You can complete your program in just 40 months and 100% online. You can begin your coursework the semester after you are accepted, in spring, summer, or fall.
Graduate education makes a difference in your care – and your career.
Are you ready to become an adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner? We offer four pathways for you to get there. No matter what route you take, adult-gerontology acute care is an in-demand specialization offering steady career growth. Our online acute care nursing programs are designed to help you concentrate on providing holistic care for adult patients in specialized units, such as intensive care, cardiovascular, oncology, and emergency care.
100% online with no campus visits required
No GMAT, GRE, or Statistics required for admission
Complete clinicals locally in your preferred setting
No waiting list once you’re accepted
Four Online AGACNP Programs
Focus your nursing skills in adult care. Our advanced degree program offers an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track designed to help active nurses excel in the acute care environment.
Are you motived to reach the pinnacle of the nursing profession? Our program offers a direct path to a DNP career with the added advantage of structuring a portion of your coursework to focus on adult-gerontology acute care.
If you have your MSN, and you’re now interested in specializing in adult-gerontology acute care, choose our post-master’s certificate. Focus your career in caring for individuals experiencing acute illness.
Go from your MSN to your DNP with an AGPCNP concentration, and you can earn a terminal degree that helps bring you back into the clinical setting. You’ll earn your AGPCNP along with attaining your DNP, allowing you to practice at the highest level and lead interdisciplinary teams
More rewarding.
Dedicating your career to the adult-gerontology acute care specialty can be dually rewarding. Not only will you get the chance to provide compassionate care that addresses quality-of-life concerns, but you will also have the opportunity to become part of a professional sector that is generally very well compensated.
What else does an AGACNP do?
- Diagnose conditions that could result in a rapid, life-threatening physiological decline.
- Order and conduct diagnostic tests and screening procedures, such as EKGs and X-rays.
- Perform emergency medical procedures and other condition-stabilizing interventions.
- Offer pain relief and sedation through pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions.
- Administer blood and blood product transfusions and intravenous infusions.
- Operate and monitor invasive devices such as colostomy or tracheotomy equipment, mechanical ventilators, catheters, gastrointestinal tubes, and central lines.
Adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners are predicted to be in particularly high demand well into the middle of the 21st century, due to a steadily aging population. People over age 65 will comprise 19% of the population by 2030. These same individuals will have a greater life expectancy than previous generations. Because of their lifestyles, they will also have a greater chance of suffering from heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory problems, and other acute conditions.
This iconic generation comprises 76 million Americans. To prepare for the massive size of today’s aging population, some health systems are adding specialized acute care for the elderly (ACE) units to meet the increasing needs. AGACNPs will play a key role in these practice areas, addressing the unique requirements of older adults in the hospital setting to improve clinical outcomes. In this role, you have the opportunity to help patients maintain the greatest possible degree of independence during hospitalization and after being discharged.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) anticipates a 31% increase in job opportunities for nurse practitioners between 2012 and 2022.
Scrubs Magazine identifies the adult-gerontology nurse practitioner as one of the “Top 10 Highest Paying Nursing Specialties.”
The role of nurse practitioner also ranked No. 1 on the 2013 list of “Today’s Hottest Jobs” as chosen by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
Data from the BLS reports an annual median salary of $94,460 for NPs overall. Pay rates are expected to stay elevated as demand continues to grow.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) estimates that there is only one qualified candidate for every four available nurse practitioner jobs.
We’re a private, four-year institution ranked as one of America’s Best Colleges by both U.S. News & World Report and Forbes. We’re also proud to have been named to the Military Friendly Schools List for the 6th consecutive year. When you choose us, you receive a highly flexible and highly regarded education with the added convenience of being delivered 100% online. Here are a few more reasons why we offer you the best path:
Streamline your time and talent to earn a post-master’s certificate.
Graduate from a program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Enjoy a flexible and convenient 24/7 online learning model.
Explore important topics that will help pave the way to a better future for yourself and the nurses who follow in your footsteps.
Take the opportunity to conduct research via clinical inquiry courses that will challenge your assumptions.
Learn from an expert faculty of nursing leaders who openly share their experiences and insights regarding public health and the nursing profession.
Founded in 1872 — Top Ranked for Today
Proud to be recognized as one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.
The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program, and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Maryville University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, 202-887-6791.
Four curriculum models.
One rewarding career specialty.
Online MSN AGACNP Concentration
Online Master of Science in Nursing — Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (MSN AGACNP)
You can complete your AGACNP in just 32 months. Begin your coursework the semester after you enroll with six entry points per year (January, March, May, July, August, and October).
The focus of this course is to critique, evaluate and apply appropriate theory within advanced nursing practice.
This course explores evidence-based practice as it relates to changing and improving current advanced nursing knowledge and application.
This course explores systems of health care delivery, finance and policies that guide the local, national and global level. The historical, philosophical and sociocultural aspects of health care policy are examined.
This course provides a theoretical foundation for exploring, analyzing and evaluating advanced nursing practice roles within the health care system. Legal and ethical contexts are included.
This course will prepare the advance practice nurse for a leadership role on interprofessional teams that effectively implement patient safety and quality improvement initiatives. Budget and marketing principles will be explored.
Provides the basis for understanding the pathophysiology of diseases and the changes in normal function that result in manifestations indicative of illness across the lifespan.
This course explores focused and comprehensive health assessments in a variety of settings and patients across the lifespan. This includes development of health promotion strategies and prioritization of care.
Prerequisite: Online - NURS 611, NURS 615
Corequisite: On Ground - NURS 615
This course focuses on the pharmacological foundation for safely prescribing medical regimens of illnesses for individuals across the lifespan. Also included are illness prevention, non-pharmacological and legal implications for prescriptive authority for the nurse practitioner.
Note: Selection of appropriate therapies, patient education and evaluation parameters are stressed.
This is the first didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Focus is on individuals experiencing illness seen in the acute care setting. Students will analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 641 or NURS 641C
First practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will apply and integrate concepts presented in NURS-640 with focus on applying knowledge and skills in acute care practice settings.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 640
This course is the second didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Students will continue to expand on knowledge, decision making and management of acute and emergent physiological alterations in health. Students will analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management.
Prerequisite: NURS 640 and NURS 641 or NURS 641C
Corequisite: NURS 643 or NURS 643C
This is the second practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will apply and integrate concepts presented in the NURS 642 with focus on comprehensive health care to complex, acute and critically ill patients in a clinical, preceptored practicum experience.
Prerequisite: NURS 640 and NURS 641
Corequisite: NURS 642
This is the final didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will continue to analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management in complex symptomology.
Prerequisite: NURS 640, NURS 641 or NURS 641C, NURS 642 and NURS 643 or NURS 643C
Corequisite: NURS 645 or NURS 645C
This is the final practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. The student will apply and integrate concepts presented in the NURS-644 with focus on comprehensive health care to complex, acute and critically ill patients in a clinical, preceptored practicum experience.
Prerequisite: NURS 642 and NURS 643
Corequisite: NURS 644
Online BSN to DNP Program AGACNP Concentration
Online Bachelor of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice Program — AGACNP Concentration (BSN to DNP AGACNP)
The focus of this course is to critique, evaluate and apply appropriate theory within advanced nursing practice.
This course explores evidence-based practice as it relates to changing and improving current advanced nursing knowledge and application.
This course provides a theoretical foundation for exploring, analyzing and evaluating advanced nursing practice roles within the health care system. Legal and ethical contexts are included.
This course focuses on health screening, health promotion and disease prevention at the individual, regional and national level. This includes the exploration at the advanced nursing practice role to direct program planning, development, implementation and evaluation to improve healthcare outcomes.
Provides the basis for understanding the pathophysiology of diseases and the changes in normal function that result in manifestations indicative of illness across the lifespan.
This course explores focused and comprehensive health assessments in a variety of settings and patients across the lifespan. This includes development of health promotion strategies and prioritization of care.
Prerequisite: Online - NURS 611, NURS 615
Corequisite: On Ground - NURS 615
This course focuses on the pharmacological foundation for safely prescribing medical regimens of illnesses for individuals across the lifespan. Also included are illness prevention, non-pharmacological and legal implications for prescriptive authority for the nurse practitioner.
Note: Selection of appropriate therapies, patient education and evaluation parameters are stressed.
This course is designed to introduce students to the purpose, content, and methods of epidemiology and biostatistics. Students will learn to evaluate and use output from statistical computing software.
Prerequisite: NURS 710
This course is designed to explore the phenomenon of interest related to the DNP scholarly project. Students will systematically develop a project protocol that is supported by the literature and submit it for department approval.
Course objectives:
- Develop a clinical question that guides the scholarly project.
- Read critically from professional nursing literature and other related disciplines to interpret, analyze and apply current research to improve practice.
- Apply a systematic approach to address clinical problems within healthcare organizations, including outcome measures and a sustainability plan to create meaningful changes in clinical outcomes.
- Develop a protocol and submit it to the DNP council for project approval.
- Develop the first chapter of the scholarly project that includes needed sections based on the selected DNP project format.
This course is designed to emphasize an objective approach to the integration and synthesis of knowledge. Manuscript preparation and practical use of evidence are incorporated to prepare students for the design of research proposals.
Prerequisite: NURS 700 and NURS 701
This course is designed to explore ethical principles for the highest level of nursing practice. Students will use evidence-based nursing and interprofessional literature to analyze ethical issues in professional practice.
This course is designed to provide students with the foundation of process improvement (PI) and quality improvement (QI) concepts. Evidence-based practice and change management will be integrated with concepts of PI and QI. Systems thinking will be emphasized.
This course will allow the students to design an evidence-based project that will guide clinical practice. The feasibility of conducting this initiative will be explored. Potential funding sources and budget issues will be examined. Students will apply the elements of protection of human subjects and complete the Maryville IRB.
Prerequisite: NURS 700, NURS 701, NURS 702, and NURS 703
This course is designed to expand the students knowledge of clinical project data collection and analysis of data. Students will apply integrated research concepts pertaining to the clinical project. Utilization of various methods of data analysis and data management systems will be explored. Complete project data is needed prior to the start of this course.
Prerequisite: NURS 705 and NUS 705L
This course is designed to expand the students understanding of methods of dissemination in translational research. Variables that impact the analysis of data related to the scholarly project will be examined. Implications for patients, clinical practice and the healthcare systems will be explored and findings disseminated.
Prerequisite: NURS 706
This course is designed to allow students to analyze organizational, management and social science theories in the context of organizational leadership and change management. Systems thinking is emphasized.
This course is designed to present the student with knowledge of the American healthcare system. Economically and politically feasible/viable policy changes that would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system’s delivery of health care will be explored. The student will analyze the policy making process in preparation to be effective advocates for health policy change.
This is the first didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Focus is on individuals experiencing illness seen in the acute care setting. Students will analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 641 or NURS 641C
First practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will apply and integrate concepts presented in NURS-640 with focus on applying knowledge and skills in acute care practice settings.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 640
This course is the second didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Students will continue to expand on knowledge, decision making and management of acute and emergent physiological alterations in health. Students will analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management.
Prerequisite: NURS 640 and NURS 641 or NURS 641C
Corequisite: NURS 643 or NURS 643C
This is the second practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will apply and integrate concepts presented in the NURS 642 with focus on comprehensive health care to complex, acute and critically ill patients in a clinical, preceptored practicum experience.
Prerequisite: NURS 640 and NURS 641
Corequisite: NURS 642
This is the final didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will continue to analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management in complex symptomology.
Prerequisite: NURS 640, NURS 641 or NURS 641C, NURS 642 and NURS 643 or NURS 643C
Corequisite: NURS 645 or NURS 645C
This is the final practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. The student will apply and integrate concepts presented in the NURS-644 with focus on comprehensive health care to complex, acute and critically ill patients in a clinical, preceptored practicum experience.
Prerequisite: NURS 642 and NURS 643
Corequisite: NURS 644
Online MSN Post-Master's Nurse Practitioner Certificate AGACNP Concentration
Post-Master’s Nurse Practitioner Certificate — Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
You can complete your certificate in 35 credits. You can begin your coursework the semester after you are accepted, with six entry points either in spring, summer, or fall.
This course provides a theoretical foundation for exploring, analyzing and evaluating advanced nursing practice roles within the health care system. Legal and ethical contexts are included.
This course focuses on health screening, health promotion and disease prevention at the individual, regional and national level. This includes the exploration at the advanced nursing practice role to direct program planning, development, implementation and evaluation to improve healthcare outcomes.
Provides the basis for understanding the pathophysiology of diseases and the changes in normal function that result in manifestations indicative of illness across the lifespan.
This course explores focused and comprehensive health assessments in a variety of settings and patients across the lifespan. This includes development of health promotion strategies and prioritization of care.
Prerequisite: Online - NURS 611, NURS 615
Corequisite: On Ground - NURS 615
This course focuses on the pharmacological foundation for safely prescribing medical regimens of illnesses for individuals across the lifespan. Also included are illness prevention, non-pharmacological and legal implications for prescriptive authority for the nurse practitioner.
Note: Selection of appropriate therapies, patient education and evaluation parameters are stressed.
This is the first didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Focus is on individuals experiencing illness seen in the acute care setting. Students will analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 641 or NURS 641C
First practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will apply and integrate concepts presented in NURS-640 with focus on applying knowledge and skills in acute care practice settings.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 640
This course is the second didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Students will continue to expand on knowledge, decision making and management of acute and emergent physiological alterations in health. Students will analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management.
Prerequisite: NURS 640 and NURS 641 or NURS 641C
Corequisite: NURS 643 or NURS 643C
This is the second practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will apply and integrate concepts presented in the NURS 642 with focus on comprehensive health care to complex, acute and critically ill patients in a clinical, preceptored practicum experience.
Prerequisite: NURS 640 and NURS 641
Corequisite: NURS 642
This is the final didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will continue to analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management in complex symptomology.
Prerequisite: NURS 640, NURS 641 or NURS 641C, NURS 642 and NURS 643 or NURS 643C
Corequisite: NURS 645 or NURS 645C
This is the final practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. The student will apply and integrate concepts presented in the NURS-644 with focus on comprehensive health care to complex, acute and critically ill patients in a clinical, preceptored practicum experience.
Prerequisite: NURS 642 and NURS 643
Corequisite: NURS 644
Online DNP-NP Program AGACNP Concentration
This course is designed to introduce students to the purpose, content, and methods of epidemiology and biostatistics. Students will learn to evaluate and use output from statistical computing software.
Prerequisite: NURS 710
This course is designed to explore the phenomenon of interest related to the DNP scholarly project. Students will systematically develop a project protocol that is supported by the literature and submit it for department approval.
Course objectives:
- Develop a clinical question that guides the scholarly project.
- Read critically from professional nursing literature and other related disciplines to interpret, analyze and apply current research to improve practice.
- Apply a systematic approach to address clinical problems within healthcare organizations, including outcome measures and a sustainability plan to create meaningful changes in clinical outcomes.
- Develop a protocol and submit it to the DNP council for project approval.
- Develop the first chapter of the scholarly project that includes needed sections based on the selected DNP project format.
This course is designed to emphasize an objective approach to the integration and synthesis of knowledge. Manuscript preparation and practical use of evidence are incorporated to prepare students for the design of research proposals.
Prerequisite: NURS 700 and NURS 701
This course is designed to present the student with knowledge of the American healthcare system. Economically and politically feasible/viable policy changes that would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the system’s delivery of health care will be explored. The student will analyze the policy making process in preparation to be effective advocates for health policy change.
This course is designed to provide an understanding of the measurement of phenomena as it relates to the research process. Procedures for selecting, applying, and interpreting the correct statistical application to a research problem will be presented with students processing the results.
Prerequisite: NURS 700
This course is designed to explore ethical principles for the highest level of nursing practice. Students will use evidence-based nursing and interprofessional literature to analyze ethical issues in professional practice.
This course is designed to provide students with the foundation of process improvement (PI) and quality improvement (QI) concepts. Evidence-based practice and change management will be integrated with concepts of PI and QI. Systems thinking will be emphasized.
This course will allow the students to design an evidence-based project that will guide clinical practice. The feasibility of conducting this initiative will be explored. Potential funding sources and budget issues will be examined. Students will apply the elements of protection of human subjects and complete the Maryville IRB.
Prerequisite: NURS 700, NURS 701, NURS 702, and NURS 703
This course is designed to expand the students knowledge of clinical project data collection and analysis of data. Students will apply integrated research concepts pertaining to the clinical project. Utilization of various methods of data analysis and data management systems will be explored. Complete project data is needed prior to the start of this course.
Prerequisite: NURS 705 and NUS 705L
This course is designed to expand the students understanding of methods of dissemination in translational research. Variables that impact the analysis of data related to the scholarly project will be examined. Implications for patients, clinical practice and the healthcare systems will be explored and findings disseminated.
Prerequisite: NURS 706
This course is designed to allow students to analyze organizational, management and social science theories in the context of organizational leadership and change management. Systems thinking is emphasized.
This course provides a theoretical foundation for exploring, analyzing and evaluating advanced nursing practice roles within the health care system. Legal and ethical contexts are included.
This course focuses on health screening, health promotion and disease prevention at the individual, regional and national level. This includes the exploration at the advanced nursing practice role to direct program planning, development, implementation and evaluation to improve healthcare outcomes.
Provides the basis for understanding the pathophysiology of diseases and the changes in normal function that result in manifestations indicative of illness across the lifespan.
This course explores focused and comprehensive health assessments in a variety of settings and patients across the lifespan. This includes development of health promotion strategies and prioritization of care.
Prerequisite: Online - NURS 611, NURS 615
Corequisite: On Ground - NURS 615
This course focuses on the pharmacological foundation for safely prescribing medical regimens of illnesses for individuals across the lifespan. Also included are illness prevention, non-pharmacological and legal implications for prescriptive authority for the nurse practitioner.
Note: Selection of appropriate therapies, patient education and evaluation parameters are stressed.
This is the first didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Focus is on individuals experiencing illness seen in the acute care setting. Students will analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 641 or NURS 641C
This course will cover the theoretical, clinical and role components of care by an advanced practice nurse and are integrated in a supervised clinical practicum.
Prerequisite: NURS 611, NURS 612, and NURS 615
Corequisite: NURS 620
This course covers the care of adults experiencing acute, chronic and complex health problems of select body systems in this second of two sequential courses. Current research based interventions are analyzed. Individual, family, and group counseling/education for patients and families are incorporated. Included is primary, secondary and tertiary disease prevention and management of complex symptomatology
Prerequisite: NURS 620 and NURS 621 or NURS 621C
Corequisite: NURS 624 or NURS 624C
This course will cover the theoretical, clinical and role components of care by an advanced practice provider and are integrated in a supervised clinical practicum. Opportunity is provided for the assessment, management, and evaluation of adults with chronic and acute health problems in a primary care setting
Prerequisite: NURS 620 and NURS 621
Corequisite: NURS 623
This is the final didactic management course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. Students will continue to analyze practice guidelines and develop differential diagnoses, implement clinical judgment and decision-making, as it relates to evidence based care management in complex symptomology.
Prerequisite: NURS 640, NURS 641 or NURS 641C, NURS 642 and NURS 643 or NURS 643C
Corequisite: NURS 645 or NURS 645C
This is the final practicum course in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program. The student will apply and integrate concepts presented in the NURS-644 with focus on comprehensive health care to complex, acute and critically ill patients in a clinical, preceptored practicum experience.
Prerequisite: NURS 642 and NURS 643
Corequisite: NURS 644
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