Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

MSN Program Director

Dr. Valerie O’Dell
3132 Cushwa Hall
(330) 941-2177
vmodell@ysu.edu

Graduates of this program will be qualified and eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center certification examination.  Following national certification, graduates are also qualified to be recognized as an Adult Gerontology - Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and are granted prescriptive authority through the State Board of Nursing. 

Admission Requirements

Complete online application and pay $45 non-refundable application fee.

1. Hold a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from an accredited program
2. Regular admission requires a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) and verification of work experience.

• For AG-ACNP: A minimum of 1 year of critical care experience, is required (this can include emergency room, ICU or intermediate acute care experience) prior to registering for the first specialty course (AG-ACNP NURS 7037, 7039, 7041). *

  If GPA is 2.7 – 2.99 (on a 4.0 scale)

• For AG-ACNP: A minimum of 2 years of critical care experience is required (this can include emergency room, ICU or intermediate acute care experience) prior to registering for the first specialty course (AG-ACNP NURS 7037, 7039, 7041). *

Degree-seeking students having an undergraduate GPA below 2.7 are required to meet the 2,000 clinical hours or 2 years’ experience as written above AND must present a satisfactory score on the general test of the Graduate Record Exam or the Miller Analogies Test.

1. Official transcripts of all undergraduate academic work from each college or institution of higher learning attended (other than Youngstown State University (YSU)
2. Verification of a current, unencumbered RN license and expiration date in the state in which the student is licensed and practices, and will be completing practicum hours.

*Please use Supplemental Employment Verification form to verify clinical hours and experience.

• For AG-ACNP Only: Current ACLS certification required prior to the start of practicums
• Current BLS certification, immunizations, drug screen and criminal background checks are maintained while in the program annually. Youngstown State University online nursing program must meet the standards of the state(s) in which we possess authority to provide education and may only admit students from states in which we have approval.
• Youngstown State University online nursing program must meet the standards of the state(s) in which we possess authority to provide education and may only admit students from states in which we have approval. Online nursing program students must complete the program in the state of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Michigan, or Florida.

The areas of coursework in the MSN program include core courses, and one of the following options:

• Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner 

The breakdown of these course requirements is as follows:

Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner

Centofanti School of Nursing - MSN Grade Requirements 

Satisfactory academic progress at the graduate level is main­tained by satisfying the following criteria: 

• A degree-seeking graduate student must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). Any required course grade of D or F must be repeated and passed with a grade of C or better. 
• A degree-seeking graduate student must successfully meet the requirements, including the time requirement, of all comprehensive examinations of the degree program. 
• A degree-seeking graduate student must complete with a passing grade any thesis require­ments (or the equivalent) of the degree program. 
• A non-degree graduate student must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). 
• Grades of D and F carry no graduate credit but will be used to determine the student’s grade point average. A student has the privilege of repeating a course once, but the repetition is treated merely as another course, along with the first, in calculating the student’s grade point average. 
• Any required course grade of D or F must be repeated and passed with a grade of C or better. Students may not advance in the program until they have taken the failed course, passed with a grade of C or better and maintain a GPA of 3.0.

For degree programs requiring up to 39 semester hours for completion, a student may count no more than six semester hours of coursework with a grade of C toward the minimum graduation hour requirements. For students in programs requiring 40 semester hours or more for completion, no more than nine semester hours of coursework with a grade of C may count toward the mini­mum graduation hour requirement.

MSN Student Learning Outcomes

All graduates of the program are prepared to:

• Synthesize theory and research from nursing and related disciplines for advanced nursing roles.
• Utilize leadership strategies to influence health and health care and to promote the nursing profession in the advanced nursing role. 
• Expand the knowledge of evidence-based practice by identifying nursing research problems and contributing to research investigations.
• Integrate assessment of own learning in developing a lifelong pattern of scholarly inquiry.

Upon successful completion of the MSN program, graduates are eligible to sit for national certification examinations. Once certified, graduates must apply for a Certificate of Authority to practice as an Advanced Practice Nurse in the State of Ohio or in the state in which they intend to practice.