The Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) Post-Graduate Certificate Program (PGCP) prepares graduate nurses holding a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing to assess and manage the full continuum of primary care services to individuals from young adults to older adulthood.  The core knowledge provided in the specialty coursework is based on the full spectrum of wellness and health, as well as episodic and chronic health care needs.  Adult-Gerontology: Primary Care Nurse Practitioner graduates are well-prepared to provide care in a wide variety of outpatient settings, including private practices, public clinics, home-based primary and specialty care practices, hospital-based outpatient clinics, and specialty practices. NPs returning for a PGCP in an NP population-focused area in which they are not currently practicing or certified may be granted academic credit for prior didactic and clinical experiences based on a gap analysis of an applicant’s academic/practice portfolio. 

Two certification options exist for graduates of this program:

Students completing the PGCP in AGPC meet the academic eligibility requirements to take the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Candidates who meet all eligibility requirements established by the ANCC and successfully pass the examination are awarded the credential: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner-Board Certified (AGPCNP-BC). 

Students completing the PGCP in AGPC also meet the academic eligibility requirements to take the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination offered by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB). Candidates who meet all eligibility requirements established by the AANPCB and successfully pass the examination are awarded the credential: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (NP-C or AGNP-C depending on state licensing and regulatory agency requirements).

• Integrate relevant knowledge, principles and theories from nursing and related sciences into the advanced nursing care of individuals, families and populations. (Essential I)
• Demonstrate acumen in organizational leadership through effective collaboration, consultation, and decision-making. (Essential II)
• Integrate research translation and evidence appraisal  into advanced nursing practice to initiate change and improve quality outcomes.(Essential IV)
• Evaluate information science approaches and patient-centric technologies to improve health outcomes and enhance quality of care. (Essentials III, V)
• Analyze the impact policies, economic factors, and ethical and socio-cultural dimensions have on advanced nursing practice and health care outcomes. (Essential VI)
• Integrate the concepts of interprofessional communication, collaboration and consultation to effectively manage and coordinate care across systems.  (Essential VII)
• Incorporate culturally-appropriate concepts in the planning and delivery of evidence-based preventive and  clinical care to communities, and populations. (Essential VIII)
• Demonstrate expertise in a defined area of advanced practice nursing  that influences health care outcomes for individuals, populations and systems. (Essential IX)