Advanced Practice Specialty

Emergency Nurse Practitioner

Fall 2025 Applications are now open. Apply now for priority review.

The Emergency Nurse Practitioner specialty prepares nurses to meet the growing need for skilled providers to treat urgent primary care needs, critical illness, injury or trauma in fast-paced emergency care environments. In conjunction with VUSN’s respected Family Nurse Practitioner specialty, the ENP program prepares graduates for dual FNP & ENP certifications and management of varied complexity presentation in patients across the lifespan.

Female emergency nurse practitioner student adjusts a monitor on a
Section Contents

Specialty Highlights 

Flexible Program Length

  • Full or part-time plans available
  • 2-semester plan available for FNP-certified applicants

Online/Hybrid Format

  • Online didactic content 
  • On-campus sessions during clinical courses

 

Robust Clinical Experience

  • Clinical sites across the country
  • Local experiences with heavy focus on procedures and ultrasound

For Experienced RNs only

Non-FNP certified applicants must have at least two years of current RN experience, one of which must be as an RN in an emergency department. All applicants must hold current TNCC, ACLS and PALS certifications.

Vanderbilt's ENP program is a unique program that made me confident in my abilities and knowledge. Vanderbilt was, and still is, a large part of my life!

Jorden Reese, MSN’18, APRN, CNP
Assistant Trauma Director
Sanford Bagley Medical Center

Prestigious Program with Exceptional Outcomes

  • We offer a unique, rigorous curriculum that prepares students for dual FNP & ENP certifications
  • Our students benefit from low faculty-to-student ratios and personalized attention. 
  • Students are taught by doctorally prepared, practice-active faculty who share their own diverse, real-world experience.  

Curriculum & Objectives

This innovative specialty offers a unique curriculum to prepare nurses at the advanced practice level to provide emergency care for people of all ages (across the lifespan) for all acuities. Dual students learn from our highly respected Family Nurse Practitioner specialty, which teaches preventive health, patient education, disease management and illness prevention strategies for everyone from infants to seniors. All students learn advanced health assessment and clinical reasoning, concepts of advanced emergency care, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in primary, urgent and emergency care, and core competencies in practice.

The Emergency Nurse Practitioner 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 providing a solid foundation for future practice.

Explore the MSN full-time, MSN part-time, 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. Where possible, clinical placements are made in the student’s preferred geographic area. The ENP specialty utilizes rotations in various types of emergency departments, urgent care clinics and selected outpatient clinics.

Time Commitment

This intensive specialty is best suited for motivated, self-directed learners who can master large amounts of complex material in a short time. Balancing full-time work with the program’s rigorous, full-time, accelerated curriculum is not recommended, although the specialty can be completed on a part-time basis. Most full-time ENP students continue to work in either part time, weekend or PRN positions. Program length is dependent on an entering student's credentials and  desired degree or program goal. 

Outcomes

Emergency Nurse Practitioner graduates are sought-after for diverse emergency care settings, urgent care clinics, mobile care models and even pre-hospital care.

Graduates of the dual FNP/ENP program are prepared to take the FNP national certification exams offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board. All graduates are eligible to take the Emergency Nurse Practitioner national certification exam offered by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board.

Graduates value our hybrid ENP program, multiple entry and exit options, and innovative learning methods to equip them for diverse ENP practice opportunities.

Jennifer Wilbeck, DNP, ACNP-BC, ENP-C, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN
Director, Emergency Nurse Practitioner Specialty
Professor

Take the Next Step

The ENP Specialty is available as part of the Master of Science in Nursing, Post-Master's Certificate and BSN to DNP programs. Request information about the program or contact your admissions counselor.