Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner MSN and Post Master’s Certificate

The Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PC PNP) focuses on delivering primary care to children, from newborns to young adults. The educational experiences are led by doctoral prepared nurse faculty through classroom and clinical courses with an emphasis on growth and development, health promotion, disease prevention, mental health, and the management of common illnesses in children/adolescents. Nurse practitioner skills are combined with evidence-based research and interprofessional collaboration to foster patient and family-centered care. The graduate is prepared to assume leadership positions and advocate for policy that improves health outcomes of children and families as well as support the nursing profession.

Graduates are eligible to take the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) national certification examination for PC PNP and the mental health specialist certification (PMHS). The curriculum includes coursework required by the Texas Board of Nursing (BON) to be qualified as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).

The MSN is for BSN prepared students and the PMSN certificate is for students who have obtained a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) in another specialty. Applicants are expected to have recent experience with children/adolescents. One year of pediatric nursing experience is strongly recommended but not required by the November 1st application deadline.

A gap analysis of previous master’s level courses will be completed for applicants to the PC PNP PMSN certificate program upon admission to determine exact course requirements to complete this program.