Common Questions

Are there any prerequisite courses needed for admission to the program?
Applicants must have completed three separate comprehensive graduate-level APRN Core courses in:

• Advanced physiology/pathophysiology, including general principles that apply across the life span
• Advanced health assessment, which includes assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts, and approaches
• Advanced pharmacology, which includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics of all broad categories of agents

Applicants who are missing any of these three courses may take them at RFU or another accredited university.

Do I need to have Letters of Recommendation submitted with my application?
No, the application does not require letters of recommendation.

Is the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) required for admission?
No, the GRE is not required for application to the program.

What are the in-person learning requirements for this degree program?
There are no in-person learning requirement for the three didactic courses that are included in the required curriculum for the Post-Graduate Certificate AGACNP. All clinical residency courses within the program involve in-person learning in a preceptor-supervised clinical setting. Optional in-person workshops at the RFU North Chicago and Colorado Springs locations, for learning and practice of the advanced clinical skills needed for the specialty, are made available to students during their program. Students will also have the opportunity to practice advanced airway skills, ultrasound-guided techniques, and chest tube insertion on a cadaver model.

Are the distance education courses conducted “live” or asynchronously?
The three didactic courses within the curriculum are delivered by distance education. Course faculty may conduct optional synchronous “live” weekly virtual class sessions. These sessions are designed to provide students with the opportunity to engage with the course faculty and other students, learn this important material in the depth needed for the specialty, and obtain answers to their questions about the topics of interest in the course. These “live” sessions are recorded, and the recording of the session is posted on the learning management system (Brightspace) for those students who are not in attendance. However, proctored virtual examination sessions in exam-based courses most commonly require that all students enrolled in the course take the exam at the same time.

Intensive and intentional preparation activities for the national certification examination will occur during the final quarter of study within NAAC 872 Clinical Residency III & Role Preparation. Synchronous virtual learning sessions will be conducted to support this important process.

How long does it take to complete the DNP AGACNP degree program?
The program of study can be completed in 9-12 months. Optional in-person workshops at the RFU North Chicago and Colorado Springs locations, for learning and practice of the advanced clinical skills needed for the specialty, are made available to students during their program. Students will also have the opportunity to practice advanced airway skills, ultrasound-guided techniques, and chest tube insertion on a cadaver model.

When do interviews begin and what are they like?
Applications to the program are accepted year-round. Applicants will meet with the Program Director who will conduct an interview (virtually on Zoom) and gap analysis of transcripts and prior clinical experiences. This analysis will identify any prior faculty-supervised clinical hours, completed as part of an APRN educational program, that may count toward the minimum 500 direct patient care hours required to earn the Post-Graduate Certificate for AGACNP.

What is the maximum period allowed to complete the PGC-Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner degree?
Students must complete all elements of the curriculum and all programmatic requirements within 2 consecutive calendar years from the date of matriculation. Students must also be in full compliance with all program policies to be recommended for graduation.

What type(s) of prior acute care practice settings will qualify me to apply to the program?
Applicants are required to have a minimum of 1 year of full-time experience, or its part-time equivalent, as an APRN in an acute care setting. Acute care settings include hospitals, specialty-practice office settings (cardiology, pulmonology, orthopedics, sleep medicine, etc.), urgent care clinics, surgical centers, and long-term acute care hospitals. During this experience, the APRN has developed critical decision-making and psychomotor skills, competence in advanced patient assessment, the ability to use and interpret diagnostic data and results, formulate and implement treatment plans, and evaluate the effectiveness of such plans.

Can I obtain a course waiver for transfer credit for graduate level courses I have already taken?
Applicants with prior transcript credit for a Health Promotions course for APRNs (with a grade earned of no less than “B”) may apply for a course waiver for NAAC 759 Health Promotion for Advanced Practice.

Do you host virtual information sessions about the program?
Yes, we display a link on our program homepage to register for any upcoming virtual information sessions.

What certification exam is needed after completion of the Post-Graduate Certificate to become licensed and practice as an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner?
Graduates may obtain eligibility and sit for the AGACNP certification examination offered by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN). Once the RFU Post-Graduate Certificate for AGACNP receives its official accreditation notification from CCNE, graduates may also sit for the AGACNP certification examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).

What is the program accreditation status?
The RFU College of Nursing offers post-graduate certificates in its nurse practitioner specialty tracks. The post-graduate APRN certificate program at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is pursuing initial accreditation by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org). Applying for accreditation does not guarantee that accreditation will be granted. Please visit the RFU College of Nursing Accreditation Webpage for the current accreditation status of the degree and certificate programs within the Collage.