Empower Patients – and Yourself – with an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Degree
Become an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) to assess, diagnose, and treat patients, as well as help educate them about self-care and expand access to primary health services. GMercyU’s Master of Science in Nursing Program – Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner track teaches you the advanced clinical skills you need to make a career in primary care a reality.
What Is an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner?
AGNPs are advanced practice care providers offering primary care or specialized care to adult patients, from the teen years to the older adult. Subject to the scope of practice in the state where they work, AGNPs can provide many of the primary care services and treatments general physicians offer. They can also help promote healthy living habits, due to the emphasis on patient education that comes with the nurse practitioner role.
As a certified AGNP, you can:
- Assess patients
- Diagnose patients
- Treat acute and chronic illnesses
- Prescribe medications (subject to collaborative agreement by the state in which you practice)
- Make referrals to specialists
- Advise and educate patients and family members on health issues and healthy living habits
Why AGNPs Are in Demand
As the baby boomer generation ages and the population grows, demand for primary care among adults is rising — especially for the elderly. However, research shows that the U.S. stands to face a shortage of up to 100,000 primary care physicians by 2030.
In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts job growth of up to 28% over the 2018-2028 period, an additional 53,300 jobs above current levels.
Where AGNPs Work
AGNPs have versatile skill sets that make them important members of healthcare teams at:
- Health care facilities (as hospitalists or ER fast-track care providers)
- Ambulatory care facilities
- Long-term care facilities
- Physicians' offices (internal care or specialty practice, such as cardiology, pulmonary, women's health, etc.)
- Community centers
- Nurse-managed clinics
- Self-owned practices (depending on the state in which you work)
- Hospices
- Home care services
The GMercyU Difference
What sets us apart from other AGNP programs? Gwynedd Mercy University’s Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program offers the flexibility and convenience you need. Earn your degree full-time in two years or pursue a three- to five-year plan while continuing to work.
Our advanced nursing programs also have deep and broad partnerships with health care affiliates and clinical sites throughout Pennsylvania. You’ll be able to take advantage of many different opportunities for first-hand clinical experience while you study in our AGNP program.
After graduation, you should be prepared to pass the American Nurses Credentialing Center Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Primary Care exam.
A Leading Regional Nursing School for More Than 60 Years
For more than two generations, Gwynedd Mercy University’s Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions has led the region in health practitioner education. We've earned our reputation as one of the best nurse practitioner schools in PA, thanks to our small classes and rigorous curriculum that produce confident and capable nursing professionals. The nursing faculty members we select bring clinical expertise, academic rigor, and a passion for the nursing profession to the classroom.
The community of nursing experts, scholars, and regional health care leaders we have developed—not to mention our thousands of nursing alumni—is an invaluable resource for your professional development and personal enrichment. Inside and outside the classroom, the GMercyU community offers you the opportunity to earn your AGNP degree from a renowned nurse practitioner program online.
What You Will Learn
GMercyU Nurse Practitioner programs prepare you for the responsibilities of primary care. Over the course of the program, you’ll expand your clinical knowledge and clinical practice skills, engage in professional research and writing, and explore contemporary issues in policy and society that impact health care. You’ll emerge from program equipped to be the health practitioner and advocate your patients need.
As a GMercyU Master of Science in Nursing – Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner graduate, you will be able to:
- Collaborate with colleagues and consumers to provide and improve advanced nursing care
- Demonstrate expertise as an advanced practice nurse through the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic health problems
- Demonstrate professionalism as a nurse practitioner grounded in the Mercy tradition
- Demonstrate social responsibility for individuals, families, and communities within the context of a multicultural society
- Utilize knowledge to provide holistic care in a defined area of advanced practice nursing or nursing education in accordance with standards of practice and codes of ethics
- Strategize to improve health for all by influencing policy
- Synthesize knowledge from nursing and related disciplines as a foundation for evidence-based practice as a nurse practitioner
- Assume a leadership role in interpreting and promoting advanced nursing to members of the profession, to other disciplines, and to consumers
- Contribute to advanced nursing knowledge through scientific inquiry
Curriculum
In our AGNP program, you will complete 43 credits with 585 clinical hours – either as a full-time student for two years or a part-time student for three to five years.
Core Course Requirements for Our Master of Science in Nursing Programs
- Advanced Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Roles
- Advanced Pathophysiology for Advanced Nursing Roles
- Advanced Assessment & Lab for Advanced Nursing Roles
- Theoretical Foundations for Advanced Nursing Roles
- Nursing Research Methodology & EBP
- Leadership & Health Policy
Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program Courses
- Role Transition I
- Role Transition II
- Primary Care Introduction
- Primary Care – Adolescent
- Primary Care – Young Adult
- Primary Care – Middle Adult
- Primary Care – Older Adult
- Primary Care – Women’s Health
- Primary Care Practicum
AGNP Post-Master’s Certificate Option
If you already hold a Master of Science in Nursing without a specialization, you can complete the courses you need to become an Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner with our AGNP Post-Master’s Certificate Program. We will work with you to evaluate your prior learning and determine a personalized certificate program curriculum for you.
Become an AGNP with GMercyU
Make even more of a difference in the lives of patients as an adult gerontology nurse practitioner: enroll in Gwynedd Mercy University’s AGNP program today.
Call 877-531-7941 or email accelerate@gmercyu.edu to contact an admissions counselor or begin your application online now!
Accreditation
The Master of Science in Nursing program at Gwynedd Mercy University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, at 202-887-6791 (www.ccneaccreditation.org).
