Main ContentAcute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Providing high-quality, compassionate, family-centered, culturally competent, evidenced-based health care to children up to 21 years of age in the primary and acute-care setting is the role of the acute/primary care pediatric nurse practitioner. This dual-advanced nursing degree will prepare you to take boards for each specialization and practice in both the primary and acute-care setting. If pediatrics is your first love and you have at least one year of experience in pediatrics, the Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track may be for you!
Mississippi's only Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track
The Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track is the only one of its kind in the state of Mississippi. With this degree, you will receive state-of-the-art education, clinical experiences and personalized training in a variety of settings at the only Children's Hospital and Pediatric ED in the state. There are 990 clinical hours required for successful completion of this dual track, and these clinical hours are under the mentorship of well-trained and well-qualified nurse practitioners and physicians. All clinical hours must be completed within the state of Mississippi. Upon completion of this track, you will be equipped to manage patients ranging from common pediatric illnesses to the complex, ongoing, in-patient, critical-care pediatric patient. You will also be eligible to sit for the certified pediatric nurse practitioner - primary care and/or certified pediatric nurse practitioner - acute care certification exam(s) offered by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB).
Plans of study and course scheduling
The Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track offers a curriculum taught by well-prepared faculty using a combination of online, on-campus and hybrid methods. State-of-the-art simulation labs are utilized to teach complex pediatric procedures. Not only do our students benefit from the low faculty-to-student ratio and personalized attention we provide, but also from the enhanced learning experiences that occur when collaborating with other classmates who have diverse backgrounds and skill sets.
Flexible plans of study are available and are designed by faculty with individual consideration given to students' goals and geographic locations. Students will be given an individualized plan of study appropriate for their role by their academic adviser upon enrollment, and applicants who already have a nurse practitioner certification in another area will have a shorter plan of study.
Certification and Licensure
The University of Mississippi School of Nursing's Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track, a track leading to certification, satisfies the requirements set forth by the governing body in the State of Mississippi. Completion of the Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track also qualifies graduates to take the PNCB national certification exam in order to obtain a state advanced practice license as a nurse practitioner. Please be advised that requirements for nursing licensure vary from state to state. UMMC has not made a determination on whether the degree meets the licensing requirements of states, territories or entities outside of Mississippi. If you are located (presently living) outside of the state of Mississippi and are interested in this track, please contact admissioncounselor@umc.edu immediately and UMMC will make every effort to make a determination of whether it meets licensure requirements for the state in which you are located.
Additionally, Mississippi is a Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) state. The Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) is an agreement between states that allows nurses to have one license but the ability to practice in other states that are part of the agreement. However, be advised that ultimately reciprocity of a Mississippi nursing or advanced practice nursing license is determined by individual states and entities. For more information related to how nursing reciprocity works, please visit www.ncsbn.org.
For more information
For additional general information regarding the Acute/Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track, you may email admissioncounselor@umc.edu or call (601) 815-0124.
For more specific information, please contact the individual track director listed on the graduate contacts webpage.