1. What is the role of an acute care/adult nurse practitioner?
   An acute care/adult nurse practitioner is an advanced practice nurse with a specialty certification in the areas of both acute care and adult.  The Acute Care / Adult Nurse Practitioner has the expertise to care for the adult patient in the acute healthcare environment such as in emergency rooms, intensive care units, trauma centers or advanced diagnostic areas such as cardiac catheterization. The dual adult certification also prepares the graduate to practice in the outpatient/primary care setting. Graduates of the program are prepared for a wide range of employment opportunities in both the Acute Care Inpatient setting (ICU, CCU, Emergency Department) or the Outpatient Primary Care/ Long Term Care settings.  Students are prepared to manage the young adult, adult and elderly patients across the wellness-to-illness health care continuum.



2. What is required for dual national certification?
   For the Acute Care NP certification, RN’s must complete a MSN program which includes 500 + hours of direct care of the acutely ill adult patient, acute care pharmacology and acute care diagnostics.  For the Adult NP certification you must complete 500+ hours in direct care of the adult client (young adult, adult and elder adult) in a variety of healthcare settings across the continuum from wellness to illness. At the University of Miami’s Acute Care /Adult Program you will be prepared in both areas and complete 1000+ hours of clinical time.



3. What are the career opportunities for Acute Care/Adult Nurse Practitioners?
   Acute care/adult nurse practitioners may be employed in a variety of healthcare settings. This may range from specialty units such as coronary care, surgical ICU, medical ICU, transplant, trauma, and emergency room to outpatient primary care and long term care units.  They also may practice in specialty areas such as cardiovascular surgery, neurosurgery, neurology, general surgery, etc. in both the inpatient and outpatient setting.  Recently acute care/adult NP’s have been placed as leaders in rapid response teams in many hospital settings.
 


4. What type of nurse becomes an Acute Care / Adult Nurse Practitioner?
   The NP who enjoys variety in their work, autonomy in practice, who works well in a challenging environment, who can think on the run, is a team-player and adapt to a variety of situations on a daily basis.
 


5. What type of student performs well in this program?
   A student with a strong background in pharmacology, pathophysiology, clinical decision-making, critical thinkers, individuals who seek learning and personal growth opportunities, are flexible, and work well with others with strong communication skills and leadership qualities.



6. Where do I get my clinical experience in the program?
   The program identifies community preceptors with a high level of expertise in managing the adult patient in the inpatient and outpatient setting.  We will coordinate your clinical experiences in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties in a variety of health care settings. We also assist you in enhancing your knowledge and clinical expertise in a specialty area or location of practice in the final integration course work of the program. For example, this may be focused in the area of cardiology, trauma, surgery, emergency room, preventive health or palliative care.
 


7. Who is admitted to your program?
   We are very interested in creating a diverse cohort of students. We encourage minority and international registered nurses with bachelor’s degrees to apply to the program. Students with Graduate Record Exam scores of 1000 or better, and an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better, have the best chance of admission. Our academics are rigorous and any student who receives a “C” in a nursing course is dismissed from the program.  All students must be registered nurses in the State of Florida to begin clinical courses. If admitted, students must also pass a drug screening, a background check, have a current CPR and ACLS certification, and required immunizations.



8. Are all applicants invited for a personal interview?
   No. Our admissions committee reviews every applicant’s file. They review GPA, GREs, letters of recommendation etc. and then decide which candidates to invite for personal interviews or for phone interviews.
 


9. Are there any courses that I can take to help me prepare for the program?
   We suggest that students trying to prepare for the program or trying to improve their admission packet take a graduate level science course like Biochemistry or take a graduate level statistics course.
 


10. I have a bachelor’s degree in a non-nursing area.  Am I eligible to apply to your program?
    Registered nurses with baccalaureate degrees in another discipline may apply to the program.  However, they must have had at least a basic statistics course and sufficient formal education in science in order to be prepared for master’s level coursework. We also encourage all full time applicants to have at least one year of bedside clinical experience caring for the acutely ill adult. Part time applicants who are new graduates may apply and work in the acute care area while completing their first year of course work.

  
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