Purdue Global offers a Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGAC-NP) Postgraduate Certificate.
- Fully online program.
- Includes VR acute care training with an Oculus headset.
- Taught by experienced nursing faculty.
- Prepares master’s-prepared nurses to care for acutely ill adult and older adult patients in medical, surgical, and critical care settings.
Program Track Overview
AGACNP Postgraduate Certificate
The estimated cost for the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Certificate is $23,940 (57 credits × $420/credit) and would take 1.5 years to complete on a full-time basis.
Certificate Curriculum
The curriculum consists of 12 core courses totaling 57 quarter credit hours focused on acute care management, pharmacology, and critical care:
NU551 – Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan (5 credits)
This course examines normal and altered organ system function from the cellular level through integrated body systems across the lifespan. Students analyze pathophysiologic factors behind acute, episodic, and chronic diseases, including symptom patterns and management strategies, with attention to gender, genetic, ethnic, and cultural influences.
NU552 – Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (5 credits)
This course develops advanced health history and physical assessment skills across the lifespan. Students interpret subjective and objective data, link findings to underlying physiology and pathophysiology, and use clinical reasoning to form differential diagnoses while considering age, gender, culture, ethnicity, and developmental stage.
NU553 – Advanced Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics (5 credits)
This course covers advanced pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and genomics to support safe prescribing across the lifespan. Students review ethical, legal, regulatory, and cost-conscious prescribing practices and plan effective communication with patients, families, and the interprofessional team about drug and non-drug therapies.
NU648 – Specialized Pharmacology for the AGACNP (2 credits)
This course extends advanced pharmacology concepts to the acute care needs of adult and older adult patients. Students focus on safe, cost-effective prescribing in acute care settings, including ethical, legal, and regulatory issues and communication about medication plans with patients, families, and the care team.
NU650 – AGACNP Introduction to Acute Care Management I (5 credits)
This course introduces the adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner role and scope of practice. Students design age-appropriate, culturally responsive, evidence-based care plans for common primary and acute conditions and learn to collaborate with patients, families, and the interprofessional team.
NU651 – AGACNP Introduction to Acute Care Management Clinical I (5 credits)
This clinical course introduces students to AGACNP practice in inpatient acute care settings. Under preceptor guidance, students provide age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, evidence-based care for common acute and chronic conditions and reflect on their clinical experiences in diagnosis and management.
NU652 – AGACNP Acute Care Diagnosis and Management II (5 credits)
This didactic course builds skills in advanced interviewing and physical examination for adult and geriatric patients with acute, episodic, and unstable chronic conditions. Students refine differential diagnoses, create management plans, and consider population health and disaster response in acute care practice.
NU653 – AGACNP Acute Care Diagnosis and Management Clinical II (5 credits)
This clinical course emphasizes assessment, differential diagnosis, and management of acute, episodic, and unstable chronic conditions in adult and geriatric patients. Working with a preceptor, students assume more responsibility for care planning and initiate health promotion and maintenance activities for individuals and groups.
NU654 – AGACNP Acute Care Diagnosis and Management III (5 credits)
This course advances knowledge in diagnosing, treating, and evaluating adult and older adult patients with complex acute and unstable conditions in acute care. Students focus on developing and critiquing evidence-based management plans for multisystem disorders commonly seen in this population.
NU655 – AGACNP Acute Care Diagnosis and Management Clinical III (5 credits)
This clinical course further refines students’ ability to manage medically and surgically complex patients in acute care. Students expand differential diagnoses, order cost-conscious diagnostic tests, and design comprehensive management plans that integrate acute and chronic conditions along with patients’ social, cultural, and personal health beliefs.
NU656 – AGACNP Critical Care Management (5 credits)
This course concentrates on advanced management of critical care conditions in adult and geriatric patients. Students synthesize prior learning to create and evaluate evidence-based plans of care for complex acute and chronic multisystem problems and review key content from the acute care curriculum.
NU657 – AGACNP Critical Care Management Clinical (5 credits)
This capstone clinical course immerses students in the full AGACNP role in critical care settings. Students practice independent decision making under preceptor supervision, manage acute and chronic conditions, function as provider and educator, and demonstrate commitment to quality care and professional growth, including preparation for national certification.
More curriculum details are available here.
Certificate Clinicals
Students complete a series of clinical practice sessions at health care facilities under qualified preceptors to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings.
The program requires a mandatory virtual reality immersive learning acute care skills experience using VR technology.
Some states may require additional clinical hours beyond standard requirements, which are completed through NU820A Graduate Extension Course without additional tuition charges.
Certificate Admissions Requirements
- Master’s degree with upper-level major in nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice with minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA
- Approved criminal background check
- Minimum one year full-time practice (2,000 hours) as registered nurse in acute care setting
- Current Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) certification maintained throughout enrollment
- Professional resume or curriculum vitae verifying acute care experience
- Not available to residents of District of Columbia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, or Guam
Tuition
Graduate tuition is $420 per quarter credit hour for certificate programs.
See the official tuition page for more details.
Accreditation
The postgraduate APRN certificate program at Purdue Global is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Purdue Global is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Upon completion, graduates are eligible to sit for ANCC’s Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification or AACN’s Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification, enabling academic eligibility for advanced practice registered nurse licensure in states where the program is available.