In the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner track, we prepare nurse practitioners with extensive clinical practice and role preparation for advanced practice in pediatric primary care. Students work with physicians and nurse practitioner preceptors, and are given access to a wide variety of clinical agencies and practice settings.

Our core courses prepare you with the foundational knowledge required of all graduate students. Our clinical courses enable you to build on your existing clinical skills, broaden your knowledge base related to adult primary care, and gain the knowledge and skills essential to independent or collaborative practice in primary care settings. We place our students with preceptors who serve as mentors and role models throughout the clinical practice experience. Our graduates are highly respected for their knowledge and expertise and are employed in primary care settings across the country.

"Our professors are expert practicing clinicians as well as excellent teachers…They work hard both to prepare clinicians to function broadly in the nurse practitioner role and to provide experiences which focus on your areas of interests.”

Jessica Wetzel Staschak, MSN, CPNP
BSN ‘00, MSN ’03
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

At the completion of this track, the graduate will be able to:

• Integrate advanced knowledge and experience in delivering safe, effective quality care to pediatric clients in primary care.
• Demonstrate competence in managing the health/illness status of pediatric clients in primary care.
• Manage and negotiate within the health care delivery system on behalf of pediatric clients in primary care.
• Monitor and ensure quality health care for pediatric clients in primary care.
• Incorporate an understanding of growth and development in planning and providing primary health care for pediatric clients.
• Demonstrate leadership and competence in implementing the role of the primary care nurse practitioner
• Engage in counseling, communication, collaboration and teaching in a manner that reflects caring, advocacy, ethics and professional standards.
• Conceptualize one's individual role as a primary care nurse practitioner and one's personal philosophy of primary care practice.