Online Post-Graduate APRN Certificate Program
Apply the advanced clinical knowledge you gained during your Master of Science in Nursing program to a new career as a primary care practitioner with Gwynedd Mercy University. Our online graduate certificate program prepares you to become a nurse practitioner who can provide treatments, diagnoses, prescriptions, and referrals without physician supervision.
This 25-credit certification program gives you the option to specialize in one of the following population areas:
- Adult-Gerontology—for patients from adolescence to the elder years
- Pediatrics—for patients from birth to age 21
- Family Nurse Practitioner—for patients from childhood through geriatric adulthood
In as little as one year, you can be prepared to pass the American Nurses Credentialing Center Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Primary Care, Pediatrics Nurse Practitioner Primary Care, or Family Nurse Practitioner examination. This program is currently available online.
Curriculum and Course Topics
The goal of the nurse practitioner certification program is to equip master’s-qualified nurses with the additional skills and clinical knowledge they need to become primary care practitioners.
Course topics include a 7-credit core of courses:
- Advanced Assessment Practicum
- Advanced Physical Assessment for APN Across the Lifespan
- Nurse Practitioner Role Seminar
The remaining 18 credits focus on the student’s population specialty of choice:
Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Option
- Management Adult Health Concerns I
- Practicum Adult Nurse Practitioner I
- Management Adult Health Concerns II
- Practicum Adult Nurse Practitioner II
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Option
- Management Pediatric Health Concerns I
- Practicum Pediatric Nurse Practitioner I
- Management Pediatric Health Concerns II
- Practicum Pediatric Nurse Practitioner II
Family Nurse Practitioner Option
FNP programs can vary, so we will develop a personalized curriculum for you.
Completing Your Clinical Requirements
The nurse practitioner certification program requires 600 hours of precepted clinical practice in a setting other than your place of employment. Gwynedd Mercy University has hundreds of partnerships with health care providers that you can take advantage of in order to find your clinical site.
Faculty members will be able to assist you in locating a site, designating a preceptor, and completing all necessary documentation.
Admissions Requirements
This nursing graduate certificate program is for current, licensed Registered Nurses who hold a master’s degree in nursing.
Admissions requirements include:
- Application
- 3.0 GPA minimum requirement
- Master’s degree with a major in nursing from a program approved by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE)
- Two references, one professional and one academic reference (who have known the candidate a minimum of one year)
- Personal Goal Statement
- APA format including citations and references with 12-point font and one-inch margins
- Minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1000 words
- In the statement, identify the following:
- Purpose for attending graduate school
- Discuss the responsibilities of the role that you are pursuing
- Why are you suited for the role that you are pursuing
- How will you incorporate adding graduate school into your life
- Resume
- Evidence of the equivalent of 12 months of clinical practice in the last three years in the area in the area in which you are applying
- Must be completed within the last three years and prior to beginning the graduate practicum courses
- Official sealed transcripts from all colleges/universities attended
- Valid unencumbered Pennsylvania RN license (Must be PA)
- Maximum of six transferable credits will be evaluated for transfer
- Must provide the syllabus including course description and student learning outcomes within 30 days of the personal interview
- Personal Interview with the Program Director and/or faculty
- Graduate courses in Pathophysiology and Pharmacotherapeutics for APN that have been completed within the last five years
*We are currently unable to accept students from the following states: Alabama, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Utah, California, Washington.
Discover the next in Your Nursing Career
Do more for patients, their families, and your community as an advanced practice nurse. Contact Gwynedd Mercy University today to learn more about our master’s degree programs in nursing.
Licensure: This program was designed to meet the licensure requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. If you reside in a different state, you should carefully review your home state’s licensure requirements prior to enrolling in this program. For more information, please visit out Program Licensure Requirements page.