Program Overview
This program prepares advanced practice nurses to provide direct care to acute and chronically ill children, and participate in the support of systems, education, and consultation in a variety of settings including intensive care units, emergency departments, other inpatient units, as well as ambulatory, rehabilitative and specialty-based clinics. As a Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist(PCNS), you will be prepared to collaborate with members of the health care team to enhance patient care by developing, educating, and supporting nursing staff and providing clinical expertise to patients in the pediatric setting. You will be prepared as a clinician, educator, investigator, consultant, role model and leader. This program will prepare you to make clinical judgments based upon a synthesis of current research, concepts, principles, theories, and outcomes to solve complex problems. You will function as an integral part of a larger interdisciplinary team contributing to excellence in patient care, research, teaching, and in providing leadership to the nursing staff and to the organization.
PCNSs work in collaboration with health care teams in a variety of settings to facilitate quality care for children across the continuum of care settings. PCNSs function as clinical experts in the planning, implementation and evaluation of patient care standards. The curriculum combines both broad foundational knowledge essential for the care of children as a vulnerable population, as well as specialty knowledge in pediatrics. Attention is given to health promotion, prevention of disease and disability, disease process, treatment, clinical management, and family-centered care provided in a variety of acute and critical care settings including hospitals, intensive care units, emergency departments, and clinics.
Admission Requirements
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. As soon as an application is complete, it will be forwarded on to members of the Graduate Admissions and Progressions Committee and will reviewed at the next scheduled committee meeting. An admission decision will be made and applicants will be notified promptly.
Applicants must have a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in nursing (or Masters? degree if post-Masters) from a program accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) and should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher.