Adult Nurse Practitioner Area of Concentration
The Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP) is prepared as a generalist, principal provider of primary health care to adults. In this clinician role, the ANP assumes responsibility for promoting, maintaining, and restoring health to adult individuals. This includes the identification of health risks, the promotion of wellness, and the diagnosis and management of acute and chronic illness. ANPs also conduct research and provide leadership in mobilizing community and managed care services. They are prepared to work both independently and in collaboration with other health care professionals. Graduates are eligible for legal certification and prescriptive authority through the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and professional certification offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP).
The ANP concentration offers both full-time and part-time study on the main campus in Pittsburgh; selected core courses may be transmitted to satellite campuses. Elective credits may be taken to design a sub-specialty such as women’s health, geriatrics or other areas. The sequence of courses provides for a logical building of the clinical decision-making skill necessary to function as an ANP. Specifically, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and health promotion are foundational and are required early in the program of study. Adult management courses follow the course in physical diagnosis. The geriatric course builds upon what is learned about adults and focus on the developmental, diagnostic, and physiologic differences encountered in caring for this special population. Culminating role and clinical practice are in the final term of study and are synthesizing experiences that prepare graduates for immediate employment as ANPs.
Employment opportunities for ANP's are plentiful across the nation. Most graduates work in ambulatory care settings such as:
- community health centers
- hospital outpatient department
- employee health and college health
- physician private practices
- health maintenance organizations
- specialty clinics
- Increasingly there are employment opportunities in nursing homes, hospital inpatient and emergency departments, and nurse practitioner managed practices.
- Applicants to the ANP concentration who wish to study full time should have one year of nursing experience.
For further information or to receive an application packet, please contact Student Services:
- Phone: (412) 624-4586 or 1-888-747-0794
- E-Mail: sao50@pitt.edu