The Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PC PNP) Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program is available to both bachelor’s and master’s-prepared nurses wishing to attain a DNP degree. It is designed for either part-time or full-time study.
Most classes are offered online. A few are in a hybrid format with minimal face to face requirements. Typically, programs may be completed as follows:
All students are required to be on campus for a minimum of 2 visits for the following activities:
Your experiences will be individualized, based on your learning needs and desired practice sites. Since education is built on a strong foundation of pediatric experience, you must have at least two years of full-time pediatric experience before starting the clinical portion of the program. The part-time plan of study allows you to work full time while you obtain more of the required experience, if needed.
Clinical practicum hours are a total of 756 hours. These hours will be divided over three terms. Some of these hours will be spent in simulation to add to the learning experience. There are also DNP practicum project hours for a total of 252 hours. As a result, your total combined clinical and DNP project hours in the program will be 1008 hours.
Students, Program Faculty, and the Clinical Site Project Coordinator will work together collaboratively to identify and secure clinical placements for local and distance students. Clinical experiences are offered in a wide variety of settings from pediatric primary care clinics to outpatient subspecialty hospital practices. Sites may be available at Rush University Medical Center and throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
Distance students will work collaboratively with the Clinical Site Project Coordinator to network, identify, and confirm clinical practicum sites and preceptors that meet program requirements and state requirements. We recommend that clinical practicum planning occurs early in the program. Rush has been successful in negotiating most distance clinical practicum contracts, but success is not guaranteed. Rush may need to be recognized as a provider by the board of nursing in your state. Due to the variety of different state regulations and limitations, we cannot guarantee clinical practicum placement if you move to another state after matriculating. If you are thinking of moving during the program reach out to the program director prior to moving.
Completion of the program makes you eligible for certification as a PC PNP by the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board.
Learn more about the Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (NP) program at an online information session.