Jacksonville State University School of Nursing offers a BSN-DNP Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track.
Highlights include:
- Delivered 100% online.
- Students attend limited on-campus sessions for:
- Orientation
- Simulated learning experiences
- Scholarly project dissemination
- Program outcomes include:
- Eligibility for national certification through ANCC
- Eligibility for national certification through AACN
Graduates are prepared to provide direct patient care in acute care facilities and specialty clinics.
Program Track Overview
BSN-DNP – Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Track
The estimated cost for the BSN-DNP AG-ACNP program is approximately $34,500 (69 credits at $500 per credit hour) and would take 4 years to complete on a full-time basis.
Curriculum
The BSN-DNP AG-ACNP track requires 69 total credit hours, integrating foundational nursing science, advanced practice specialty courses, and DNP leadership coursework. Students earn their MSN after completing specialty coursework and then continue four additional semesters to complete the DNP degree.
Core Foundational Courses:
NU 8002: BSN-DNP Online Orientation (0 credits)
This course welcomes new BSN-to-DNP students and explains expectations, technology, and support services. It introduces faculty, the learning management system, professional online behavior, and key program processes such as immersions and document tracking.
NU 7007: Advanced Health Assessment (3 credits)
This course builds advanced skills in interviewing, health history, and physical and psychological assessment across the lifespan. Students practice systematic data collection, diagnostic reasoning, and clinical problem-solving to support future specialty practice.
NU 7013: Physio-Pathological Basis of Advanced Nursing (3 credits)
This course examines pathophysiology of common conditions across the lifespan and in special populations. Students connect disease mechanisms and research evidence to clinical signs and symptoms so they can link pathologic changes to appropriate therapies.
NU 7020: Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses (3 credits)
This course covers pharmacokinetics and pharmacotherapeutics of major drug classes used to prevent illness and manage acute and chronic conditions. Students study mechanisms of action, dosing, adverse effects, interactions, and special considerations for vulnerable populations.
NU 8007: Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
This course explores scientific and theoretical foundations that shape health, illness, and care delivery. Students evaluate nursing and non-nursing theories and apply conceptual models to guide advanced practice at the patient, population, and systems levels.
NU 8008: Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement in Healthcare (3 credits)
This course prepares students to find, appraise, and apply research evidence to improve care. It emphasizes quantitative and qualitative methods, quality improvement frameworks, and strategies to implement evidence-based changes within healthcare systems.
NU 8010: Health Care Policy and Finance (3 credits)
This course introduces health policy, regulation, and financing concepts that influence access, quality, and safety. Students examine economic principles, payment models, and advocacy strategies so they can engage in policy development and financial decision-making.
NU 8012: Clinical Prevention and Population Health (3 credits)
This course addresses population health issues at local, national, and global levels. Students use theory and public health indicators to design and evaluate approaches that reduce health disparities and support prevention, safety, and quality for diverse groups.
NU 8013: Organizational and Systems Leadership for the Advanced Practice Nurse (3 credits)
This course focuses on leadership in complex healthcare organizations. Students study systems thinking, communication, conflict resolution, shared governance, and strategic planning to help them foster high-reliability, team-based practice settings.
AG-ACNP Specialty Courses:
ANP 7068: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP I (3 credits)
This course introduces advanced assessment and management of acute, chronic, and complex conditions in late adolescent, adult, and geriatric patients. Students build diagnostic reasoning skills and begin developing the core competencies expected of adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioners.
ANP 7869: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP Practicum I (2 credits)
This practicum applies beginning AGACNP skills in supervised clinical settings with late adolescent, adult, and older adult patients. Students practice basic management strategies and strengthen confidence in the advanced practice role through direct patient care.
ANP 7071: Health Promotion/Disease Prevention and Issues for AGACNP (1 credit)
This course focuses on health promotion and disease prevention strategies for late adolescent, adult, and geriatric populations. Students examine preventive services, lifestyle counseling, and clinical issues that influence outcomes in acute and chronic conditions.
ANP 7072: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP II (3 credits)
This course deepens students’ understanding of complex pathophysiology and clinical management for acutely and critically ill adults and older adults. Emphasis is placed on refining diagnostic decision-making and implementing safe, evidence-based treatment plans.
ANP 7873: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP Practicum II (3 credits)
In this practicum, students manage more complex patient cases and refine advanced assessment and intervention skills. They design and adjust individualized plans of care based on diagnostic findings, current guidelines, and patient responses.
ANP 7074: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP III (3 credits)
This course continues the progression of acute care management for high-acuity adult and geriatric patients. Students focus on advanced clinical reasoning, stabilization of unstable conditions, and coordination of care across settings.
ANP 7875: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP Practicum III (3 credits)
This practicum provides extensive experience managing high-acuity and multi-system problems in adult and older adult patients. Students integrate advanced diagnostic and therapeutic skills while leading care planning in collaboration with the interprofessional team.
ANP 7076: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP IV (3 credits)
This capstone didactic course consolidates advanced knowledge for managing complex acute and critical illness in adult and geriatric populations. Students prepare for independent practice by integrating clinical, ethical, and systems-level perspectives into decision-making.
ANP 7877: Advanced Adult-Gerontology Acute NP Practicum IV (3 credits)
This final practicum emphasizes refinement of AGACNP competencies and readiness for practice. Students evaluate outcomes, apply best-practice models, and provide advanced, sometimes palliative, care to adult and geriatric patients across diverse acute care environments.
DNP Leadership Courses:
NU 8011: Biostatistics and Translating Evidence (3 credits)
This course reviews data sources, collection, management, and analysis with a focus on biostatistical methods. Students learn how to interpret quantitative findings and use them to translate research evidence into practice improvements.
NU 8015: Innovative Leadership and Collaboration in Healthcare (3 credits)
This course emphasizes creative leadership and effective change management. Students explore how to build teams, form collaborative partnerships, communicate clearly, and use project planning and quality improvement models to address real practice problems.
NU 8016: Interprofessional Health Care and Informatics (3 credits)
This course develops skills in using health information systems and clinical technologies. Students learn to select, evaluate, and apply digital tools and data for clinical and administrative decisions that support better patient and system outcomes.
DNP 8796: DNP Project Planning and Development (3 credits)
This course guides students in selecting and designing a practice-focused DNP project. Learners identify a clinical or systems problem, review supporting evidence, and develop a detailed plan for implementation and evaluation in the residency sequence.
DNP 8797: DNP Residency I (3 credits)
In the first residency, students begin implementing their DNP project while engaging in advanced clinical practice. They link scholarly activities with real-world change efforts aimed at improving outcomes for a defined patient population or system.
DNP 8798: DNP Residency II (3 credits)
This residency continues project implementation and data collection within the clinical or organizational setting. Students further integrate evidence-based strategies, adjust their plan as needed, and expand leadership activities that support sustainable practice change.
DNP 8799: DNP Residency III (3 credits)
In the final residency, students complete their DNP project, analyze outcomes, and prepare a formal scholarly presentation. Emphasis is on demonstrating advanced practice leadership and showing how the project improves quality, safety, or population health outcomes.
More curriculum details are available here.
Clinicals
Students complete 1,330 total supervised academic program practice hours combining simulation and direct patient care.
The NP specialty practica include:
- 110 hours in Practicum I
- 210 hours in Practicum II
- 250 hours in Practicum III
- 280 hours in Practicum IV
- total: 850 clinical hours for NP certification eligibility
DNP residency courses add an additional 630 clinical hours (210 hours each in Residency I, II, and III). Students must also complete a satisfactory DNP project and paper, professional electronic portfolio, and comprehensive exam.
Admission Requirements
- Completed graduate studies application
- Official transcript with cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in BSN program or last 60 hours (whichever is higher)
- Undergraduate science courses with minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
- Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a regionally accredited institution certified by a national accreditation agency
- Current unencumbered RN licensure in the United States
- Current resume or curriculum vitae
- Favorable recommendation from the DNP admissions committee
- Application deadline: May 1 for fall admission; October 1 for spring admission (or until seats are filled)
- Note: The DNP program does not accept transfer credits; 100% of credits must be earned at JSU
Tuition
DNP tuition is $500 per credit hour for students entering in Fall 2024 or later.
Students enrolled prior to Fall 2024 with consecutive enrollment pay $520 per credit hour with a total program cost of $35,880.
Graduate online courses are also available at $434 per credit hour for MSN-level coursework.
See the official tuition page for more details
Accreditation
The Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program at Jacksonville State University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Graduates meet eligibility requirements to take the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Examination through ANCC and/or the ACNPC-AG Examination through AACN.
Related Nursing Programs at JSU
Doctor of Nursing Practice:
- BSN-DNP Family Nurse Practitioner
- Post-Master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice
Master of Science in Nursing:
- Population Health Nursing
- Population Health – Concentration in Nursing Education
- Population Health – Concentration in Emergency Management
Graduate Certificates:
- Nursing Education
- Emergency Preparedness Nursing Coordinator
Undergraduate Programs:
- BSN
- STEP RN-BSN
Additional ACNP Programs for Alabama Residents
- University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham
- University of Alabama in Huntsville - Huntsville
- University of South Alabama - Mobile