Specialty Highlights
Complete in 4 Full-time Semesters
MN Prespecialty students complete in 3-4 semesters. Part-time plans are also available.
Online/Hybrid Learning Format
Online/hybrid classes with some in-person sessions over the course of the program
Robust Clinical Experience
630 hours of clinical practice
Health Care Experience Preferred
Health care experience is strongly preferred but not required.
Without the exceptional acute care knowledge base I gained from VUSN, as well as the significant investment my AGACNP instructors made in honing my ability to acquire and master complex new medical knowledge effectively and efficiently, I simply would not be able to keep up in such a dynamic and quickly evolving environment.
Prestigious Program with Exceptional Outcomes
- Consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top AGACNP programs.
- Classes are small and collaborative, with low faculty-to-student ratios and personalized attention.
Program Format
The Vanderbilt AGACNP curriculum is offered in a modified distance learning format that does not require relocation for experienced RNs. Didactic coursework is taught asynchronously using a blend of lecture and online educational activities. Clinical courses are taught using a hybrid model, with asynchronous lectures and educational activities plus on-campus block intensives for simulated clinical experiences and immersive clinical training. MN Prespecialty students are encouraged to have health care experience before entering the AGACNP program. Students with less than one year of nursing experience are required to complete their clinical experiences in the Nashville area, which will be arranged by clinical placement faculty. Students with more than a year of nursing experience may complete their clinical experiences in their hometown.
Curriculum & Objectives
The curriculum balances online learning with in-person experiences. Concepts of nursing theory, evidence-based practice, pathophysiology, and management of acute and critically ill and clinically complex patient problems are the foundation of the curriculum. The rigorous AGACNP curriculum is taught by faculty who share their own diverse, real-world practice experiences. Students benefit from diverse peer engagement, low faculty-student ratios and personalized attention.
The AGACNP curriculum incorporates the 2021 AACN Essentials, assuring students receive a comprehensive and up-to-date education that meets the highest standards in nursing education and assures they are well-prepared for practice.
Explore the MSN full-time, MSN part-time, MN Prespecialty, sample Post-Master's Certificate, and DNP curriculums.
Clinical Experience
The School of Nursing’s full-time clinical placement team partners with students and faculty to create enriching clinical practicums, ensuring each student receives robust training in their specialty. For students classified as inside the Middle Tennessee area, clinical rotations will be arranged at Vanderbilt and at other surrounding medical centers. The Middle Tennessee area is classified as a 150-mile radius from the Vanderbilt campus. Clinical rotations for students outside the Middle Tennessee area may be completed in their home area if qualified preceptors are available. Clinical placement faculty will partner with distance students to identify appropriate preceptors.
Time Commitment
BSN graduates and Vanderblt MN graduates with at least one year of RN experience are eligible for the distance learning format and do not need to give up employment or relocate to Nashville. Classes are primarily online, with intermittent in-person sessions over the length of the program. MN Prespecialty,BSN and MN graduates without at least one year of experience must complete the program of studies in Nashville. The length of the accelerated full-time program is four semesters (16 months). Graduates of VUSN’s MN Prespecialty program without two years’ experience must complete the program in Nashville.
Outcomes
AGACNPs provide care to adults in the acute hospital, inpatient rehabilitation, long term acute care and specialty clinic setting. Their focus is on managing current and ongoing problems and prevent complications. Vanderbilt AGACNPs collaboratively deliver care to adults and older adults, providing complex monitoring, ordering and interpreting diagnostic tests. and developing complex treatment plans to stabilize each patient and maximize their overall health.
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners are in demand and are well-qualified to meet the growing health care demands of patients in specialties, including cardiology, critical care, hospital medicine, hematology/oncology, neurology/neurosurgery, nephrology, orthopedics, palliative care, pulmonology, surgery, transplantation and trauma, as well as other acute subspecialties. AGACNP graduates are prepared to take the national Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner certification exam offered by either the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
Our goal is to prepare students for all levels of care, both hospital and specialty-based. We do this by exposing them to a variety of settings while simultaneously meeting their individual practice goals.
Take the Next Step
The AGACNP specialty is available as part of the Master of Science in Nursing, MN Prespecialty, Post-Master's Certificate and DNP programs. Request information about the program or contact your admissions counselor.
For more information from the specialty director, view this webinar.