Nursing: Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, D.N.P. - CHHS, UNH

Bachelor's of Science in Nursing to Doctor of Nursing Practice (BSN-DNP): Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP)The Post-Baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice (PB-DNP) program is designed for registered nurses with a baccalaureate degree in nursing who aspire to become certified as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (AGACNPs) and develop leadership skills for advanced nursing practice.

The online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program prepares nurses for the highest level of specialized nursing practice. Graduates emerge as innovative leaders equipped to translate evidence into practice, improve systems of care, and measure health outcomes across diverse settings.

As part of the program, students transitioning to the role of an AGACNP will assess clinical practice sites to identify opportunities for quality improvement. They will design, implement, and evaluate a customized quality improvement project tailored to their professional aspirations.

Clinical Requirement
In addition to 750 clinical hours of direct patient care for the AGACNP component,  the DNP component requires 500 hours of practicum work in the project courses NURS 980, NURS 981 and NURS 982. Students are required to successfully complete DNP coursework, produce a publishable scholarly paper, and present their DNP Project.

Program Outcomes
Graduates of the BSN-DNP AGACNP program are fully prepared to practice as Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners in acute care settings such as hospitals and ambulatory care centers, apply advanced clinical knowledge and skills acquired through the program to improve patient outcomes and healthcare delivery and sit for national certification exams offered by the AACN or ANCC.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the BSN-DNP program must meet the following requirements:

1. Registered Nurse Licensure- Hold an unencumbered RN license in the United States.

2. Letters of Recommendation - Submit three letters of reference that address academic ability, professional competency, and personal character.

3. Updated Resume - Provide a current resume detailing relevant education, work experience, and professional achievements.

4. Professional Statement - Include a written essay addressing the following topics:

   • Professional Goals: Discuss your immediate and long-term goals as an AGACNP, focusing on one of the following areas:
     • Healthcare quality improvement.
     • A local or global policy or health issue you are passionate about and how the University of New Hampshire's DNP program can help develop your leadership skills to address this issue.
   • Interest in the AGACNP Program: Explain your specific professional interests, experiences, or research in this area and your motivation to pursue the AGACNP role.

5. Interview - Applicants may be contacted for an interview following the initial review of their application.

Degree Requirements

Clinical Hours: 750*

*

Clinical hours are completed through the following required courses: NURS 851, NURS 853, NURS 855, NURS 857, NURS 859.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Master of Science in Nursing, the graduate student is expected to:

• Employ strategic leadership skills to shape practice environments to produce positive, patient centered, healthcare outcomes at individual and system levels.
• Serve in a healthcare leadership and change agent role as part of a diverse, complex, and patient-centered health care system.
• Act as a practice scholar to design, direct and evaluate system changes to promote safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient-centered care.
• Use data analytic methods, information systems and technology to evaluate, integrate and apply knowledge that will improve programs of care, outcomes of care and care systems.
• Use translational science and analytic methods to develop, identify, implement, and evaluate best practices to improve health care and health care systems.
• Design and implement health promotion and clinical prevention strategies across the health/illness continuum to optimize health and disease management.
• Systematically use improvement methods to monitor and evaluate care processes and outcomes and applies data for continuous improvement and safety
• Advocate for social justice through policy, professional and political engagement.
• Applies leadership principles that support inter-professional practice.
• Facilitate interprofessional collaboration to implement practice models, peer review, practice guidelines, health policy, and standards of care.

In addition, the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner graduate will:

• Meet eligibility requirements for certification as an AGACNP with the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or as an ACNPC-AG with the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).
• Meet state requirements for certification, licensure, and prescriptive authority.
• Obtain federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) authorization to prescribe controlled substances (Schedules II through IV) for patients within the AGACNP’s practice area.
• Participate in the education of future AGACNPs through preceptorship.
• Be lifelong learners.

Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures

The University of New Hampshire offers a number of academic programs designed to lead to professional licensure or certification in New Hampshire. However,  completing a UNH degree/program does not guarantee professional licensure or certification. Eligibility may also depend on factors like years of work experience, professional examinations, passing a background check, and other criteria.

UNH does not guarantee that its professional licensure programs will satisfy the criteria of professional licensure boards in other states. Some states maintain different requirements for professional licensure or certification and requirements can change frequently. Federal regulations require the University to make public disclosure of certain information regarding professional licensure or certification programs, regardless of the modality the program is offered (i.e., in-person or online). The University provides guidance below but recommends students contact their state/territory licensing or certification board to ensure a program meets specific state/territory requirements.

Visit the Office of the Registrar's website for information about whether this program meets professional licensure requirements in your state.

Apply now

Deadlines

Application fee: $65

Campus: Online

New England Regional: No

Accelerated Masters Eligible: No

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission, or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

• Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
• Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

The professional statement must include a written essay responding to each of the following.

1. Describe a clinical experience that demonstrates your critical thinking and readiness to enter doctoral study.
2. Explain how you use a nursing theoretical/conceptual lens to improve care.
3. Tell us about a U.S. policy or health issue you are passionate about and why.

Resume

A current resume is required with your submitted application.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.