Advanced Nursing Practice (Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner), DNP

Arizona State University - Kaplan International

The adult-gerontology nurse practitioner concentration of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program is an advanced nursing practice degree. This program prepares graduates to provide holistic, client-centered primary care to adolescents, adults and geriatric patients in a variety of settings. All programs are offered in a hybrid format requiring students to travel to an ASU campus for up to one week for orientation at the beginning of the program and two to three times per semester thereafter. Core courses include pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology and advanced health assessment across the lifespan. Specialty courses focus on the assessment, screening, diagnosis and evidence-based management of common, chronic and complex health conditions in adolescents, adults and geriatric patients. Content including epidemiology, differential diagnosis, sociocultural variations in evidence-based treatments, health promotion and case management is emphasized. Adult gerontology-focused theory and clinical courses include theories, principles and clinical skills in the care of adolescents and adults across the lifespan in a variety of settings, including private practice, ambulatory clinics, long-term care facilities and the patient's home. Practicing faculty with clinical experience teach the specialty coursework and clinical experiences. In addition to advanced nursing specialty-focused outcomes, the program engages students to meet doctoral-level competencies in systems-level thinking, complexity science, quality and safety, evidence-based practice and the development of a doctoral project within a partner organization to improve outcomes at the patient, provider or health care system level. Students are educated as leaders at the highest level of nursing practice to translate research into practice, lead in multidisciplinary teams, and engage in health care policy and advocacy to improve patient outcomes.

Arizona State University, Main campus