Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) is prepared as a principal provider of primary health care to children and adolescents in a variety of settings. The program provides students with course work and clinical experiences related to health promotion, child development, developmental and health issues, and the management of well, acutely, and chronically ill children and adolescents in ambulatory and subspecialty settings. The PNP program also prepares students to participate in research and provide leadership in mobilizing health care resources for children in the community. Graduates from the program are eligible for professional PNP certification through the Pediatric Nurse Certification Board (PNCB) and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Pass rate of University of Pittsburgh PNP is consistently above 100% with scores above the national average. Graduates are also eligible for legal certification as a Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner (CRNP) and prescription authority by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The nationally ranked PNP program offers both full-time and part-time study on the Pittsburgh campus. The curriculum focuses on health promotion, child development, physical diagnosis and the management of well, acutely, and chronically ill children and adolescents in ambulatory settings. The program is offered on the Pittsburgh campus. Selected core courses are transmitted to the Bradford and Johnstown campuses. Clinical experiences may be in a variety of community settings working with PNPs and pediatricians. The experiences are designed to provide students with an opportunity to care for children from the newborn period through adolescence.
PNP program graduates are prepared to work in a variety of settings, such as hospital outpatient clinics, community health centers, schools, private pediatric practices, and pediatric subspecialty services. PNPs are increasingly involved in coordinating and managing care for children with chronic conditions, providing continuity for these children from home to hospital or school.
Applicants to the PNP program should have a minimum of one year of nursing experience with neonates, infants, children or adolescents for admission to full-time study.
For more information please contact:
- Donna G. Nativio PhD, CRNP, FAAN
- Associate Professor
- Director of the Family/Adult/Pediatric and Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Programs
- Phone: 412-624-3827
- Email: dgn@pitt.edu