Certificate Level: Graduate
Admission Requirements: Master's degree
Certificate Type: Post-Graduate
Number of Credits to Completion: 39.0
Instructional Delivery: Online, Campus
Calendar Type: Quarter
Maximum Time Frame: 2 years
Financial Aid Eligibility: Eligible

ATTENTION WASHINGTON RESIDENTS

ATTENTION NEW YORK RESIDENTS

State Regulations

State restrictions may apply to some programs

Program

This Drexel Online certificate is offered to individuals who have earned a master's degree in nursing and seek further preparation as an Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG-ACNP).

This certificate program is designed to prepare practitioners for professional practice in the management of medical, surgical, and critical care patient populations.

Acute care nurse practitioners are needed in a variety of healthcare settings, including: intensive care units, consult services, hospitalist teams, palliative care services, home care, sub acute long-term care hospitals, specialty clinics and research intense settings.

The program is 29 credits and can generally be completed in one year of part-time study. Graduates will be eligible to apply for certification as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).

Students who are board certified nurse practitioners in another discipline may be eligible for a reduction in course work and clinical hours. An individual program of study will be formulated by performing a formal Gap Analysis of previously completed course work. Students wishing to be considered for a reduction in course or clinical work are required to submit syllabi, course calendars, and transcripts of courses under consideration.

• Master's Prepared Non-Nurse Practitioners, Non-practicing NPs:  Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning courses must be no more than 5 years old when entering the program. These students are also required to complete 800 clinical hours (ACNP I to ACNP V).
• Practicing NPs:  Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning courses are accepted even if they are more than 5 years old (on the basis that the student is a practicing as an NP); clinical courses could be up to 500 hours dependent on a GAP Analysis.

If these courses (Advanced Pathophysiology, Advanced Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning) are not transferred in they must be taken at Drexel prior to the first clinical course. Students should check with the MSN Program Coordinator for the exact schedule.

All students are required to successfully complete Adult-Gerontology Acute Care NP specific pharmacology at Drexel prior to beginning the clinical courses.

What you'll learn

This program provides the knowledge and skills needed to improve and sustain the health of acutely ill patients. Emphasis is placed upon diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision making. During your time in the program, you will participate in a mandatory on-campus and/or virtual intensive. The required intensive/s will be held during clinical courses. Exact dates and times will be confirmed with students prior to the term.

Graduates will be eligible to apply for certification as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner.

What makes the AG-ACNP Certificate program unique?

• Online lectures are offered in a highly interactive, e-learning method that challenges and engages students.
• Bridges the gap in formal education requirements between your current certification and what is required for Adult Gerontology Acute Care certification.
• Convenient format ideal for working professionals.

Pennsylvania RN licensure is required prior to the start of your clinical components. While this is not a requirement for admission, we recommend starting the process immediately after admission.

*The nurse practitioner programs in the Division of Graduate Nursing at Drexel University provide students the flexibility of finding and coordinating their own clinical site and preceptor. The Division of Graduate Nursing offers students resources to assist in this process. Accessibility to clinical sites and preceptors varies from state to state. Students may be required to travel to access clinical sites/preceptors and achieve the necessary clinical hours.

COMPLIANCE

The College of Nursing and Health Professions has a compliance process that may be required for every student. Some of these steps may take significant time to complete. Please plan accordingly.

Visit the Compliance pages for more information.

Application Deadline

August 1, 2025

Admission Requirements

Technical Standards - Nursing 

Degree:
A Master's degree with a major in nursing from a regionally accredited program.

Cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 on a scale of 4.0

Standardized Tests:
N/A

Transcripts:

• Official transcripts must be sent directly to Drexel from all the colleges/universities that you have attended. Transcripts must be submitted in a sealed envelope with the college/university seal over the flap. Please note that transcripts are required regardless of number of credits taken or if the credits were transferred to another school. An admission decision may be delayed if you do not send transcripts from all colleges/universities attended.
• Transcripts must show course-by-course grades and degree conferrals. If your school does not notate degree conferrals on the official transcripts, you must provide copies of any graduate or degree certificates.
• If your school issues only one transcript for life, you are required to have a course-by-course evaluation completed by an approved transcript evaluation agency
• Use our Transcript Lookup Tool to assist you in contacting your previous institutions

Prerequisites:
N/A

References:

Two professional references required from previous or current supervisors, managers, nursing faculty members or program directors who can attest to applicant's clinical knowledge, skill, and potential aptitude for graduate study. References will not be accepted from colleagues or family members.

• You may use our electronic letter of recommendation service

Personal Statement/ Essay:
A personal essay (under 1,000 words) emphasizing your professional goals.

Interview/Portfolio:
A personal interview via phone or in-person may be required.

CV/Resume:
Required.

Licenses:
A copy of your current, unrestricted United States RN license or eligibility for licensure as a registered nurse. License verification from your nursing license registry website are acceptable. Applicants must have a current RN license in the state of Pennsylvania. In addition, students are required to have a RN Nursing License for the state in which the clinical practicum rotations are being completed. 

Clinical Work/Volunteer Experience:
N/A

International Students:
International applicants, as well as immigrants to the United States and U.S. permanent residents whose native language is not English and who have not received a bachelor's degree or higher in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom, must show proficiency in English speaking as well as listening, writing and reading. American citizens born on U.S. military bases abroad may be waived from the TOEFL requirement after providing documentation of this status. Otherwise, applicants must meet one of the following requirements: 

If you take the TOEFLiBT exam, you must have: 

• a minimum combined score for listening, writing, and reading sections of 79 plus a speaking section score of 26 or higher.
• a minimum score of 550 or higher and a Test of Spoken English score (TSE) of 55 or higher.

Tuition and Fee Rates: 
Please visit the Drexel Online Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Post-Masters Certificate tuition page

Application Link (if outside organization):
N/A

Curriculum

This program is organized into four 10-week quarters per year (as opposed to the traditional two-semester system) which means you can take more courses in a shorter time period. One semester credit is equivalent to 1.5 quarter credits.

Graduate students who utilize student loans (FAFSA) must maintain a minimum enrollment of 4.5 credits per term.

For Full List of courses, please visit Drexel Online.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master's degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate program at Drexel University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, 655 K Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington DC 20001, 202.887.6791.

Program Outcomes

• Practices within a legal and ethical framework of health care delivery.
• Advances the role of advanced nursing practice in the health care system through scholarship, clinical experience and political involvement.
• Demonstrates critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning skills in clinical decision-making.
• Integrates multiple technologies and relevant theories into the organization and synthesis of health data required to develop plans of care for patients, families and communities.
• Integrates culturally sensitive health promotion activities that contribute to the health and wellness of the community into clinical practice.
• Demonstrates leadership in nursing and health care through involvement in the development of outcome-based standards of care and practice-based health policy issues.
• Evaluates and modify the quality and effectiveness of clinical practice based on current research findings, standards of care and patient outcomes.
• Contributes to the advancement of nursing, health care and humanity through communication, collaboration and education.

Nursing Program Mission and Values

The Nursing program faculty and staff are committed to educating nurses to embrace both the art and science of nursing, to integrate caring into practice, to think critically and practice competently, compassionately and safely in complex rapidly changing practice environments. The Nursing program supports administrators, faculty, staff and students in developing holistic evidence-based programs, which create healing and caring environments at all levels that reflect innovative education, interdisciplinary practice and research.

The highest goals of the program include demonstrating efficacy, quality and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based nursing interventions in promoting health, preventing disease, preserving human dignity, reducing health disparities and caring for the sick and injured.

All efforts in the Nursing program are designed to build nursing knowledge, enhance nursing practice, foster professional integrity, promote innovation, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration and ultimately improve the health outcomes of patients and families from diverse communities across the continuum of care.

The Nursing program is committed to excellence in nursing education through educational programs that are:

• Authentic: We value a deep connection to others, appreciation of diverse opinions and respect for the other’s frame of reference. We value going beyond objective assessment to understand the context of the other, creative use of self and engagement in the artistry of the caring-healing process—the essence of Nursing.
• Complex: We value complexity science by recognizing that our Nursing program is a complex, dynamic, unpredictable, emerging, self-organizing and adaptive system that cannot be reduced to the sum of its members. As such, we seek that administrators, faculty, staff and students develop skills to improvise, build on the innovations of others, develop positive interpersonal interactions, appreciate the reciprocity that our actions have on the larger system and ourselves and embrace surprise as an opportunity to learn, make sense of our dynamic reality and make a positive impact on the health of our clients.
• Rigorous: We continuously review and redesign programs, courses, technology-infused learning systems and educational products for depth and quality with the learner's experience and background in mind.
• Relevant: We continuously examine changing market forces, the progression of nursing knowledge and the best practices in health care and education to redesign educational programs. There is a strong commitment to population-focused care practice in diverse communities; therefore, we strive to ensure clinically relevant education and simulation experiences. Our faculty serves as excellent role models for developing clinicians.
• State of the Art: We value the use of technological innovation and patient simulation scenarios which foster advanced and evidence-based interdisciplinary communication and teamwork, multiple patient management and crisis resource management skills, provision of culturally relevant care, decreased prevalence of errors and adverse events and a higher intellectual standard in both undergraduate and graduate nursing education.
• Learner-Friendly: In consideration of the demanding, fast-paced lives of our students and nurse consumers, we offer high-quality educational programs in convenient and contemporary formats, including access to academic online courses with attention to user-friendly interfaces as well as resources to enhance academic success. In addition, the College of Nursing and Health Professions is committed to being a challenging and rewarding work environment for faculty, staff and administrators. Information and data on all aspects of the college’s operations are widely shared with faculty, staff and students and all are encouraged to participate in its decisions and activities.