Gerontological Nurse Practitioner

Program Description

This program is not currently accepting new enrollees.

The Adult Nurse Practitioner (ANP) Program is designed to prepare nurses to deliver primary care to adults. The Gerontological Nurse Practitioner (GNP) Program prepares nurses to provide primary care to a rapidly growing segment of the population older adults. The core curriculum provides students with an in-depth understanding of advanced nursing practice and enables them to apply this understanding to a clinical setting.  Students elect to combine the ANP and GNP specialties in order to develop expertise in caring for adults and older adults. These combined concentrations provide the educational preparation necessary to pursue leadership positions in clinical practice, research, education, and management. Cross-site adult and geriatric practicums are available.

Graduates are eligible for certification as a nurse practitioner in all states in which certification is required. Graduates are also eligible to take the Gerontological and Adult Nurse Practitioner certification examinations offered by the American Nurses Association and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

The Program Director for the Adult/Gerontological Care Nurse Practitioner specialty is Melissa Kramps, MS, ANP, GNP.

Clinical Sites

Clinical sites are available in the tri-state area and beyond. Clinical sites vary, and you can be assigned to locations at hospitals, out-patient clinics, home care, student health, or nursing home.

Admission

Please contact the Office of Admissions for details regarding admission and financial aid packages. Faculty review applications on a rolling admission basis so that students may apply throughout the year.

Admission criteria include:

*RN's with an associate degree and a non-nursing baccalaureate degree are required to complete 5 credits in community health in addition to the course requirement listed

Curriculum

For Applicants Who Hold an Undergraduate Degree in Nursing
A sample program plan is provided below to make you aware of the academic requirements of the program. Please be advised that this program plan is a sample, and individual plans of study are reviewed and approved upon acceptance to the program. Progression in the program is contingent upon meeting academic policies. The School of Nursing reserves the right to change the course offering schedule as stated in the student bulletin.

Sample Program Plan

Course Number Course Name Credits Type
Summer I: 7 Credits
N6920 Health and Social Policy: The Context for Practice and Research 4 Core
N8102 Advanced Pharmacology 3 Core
Fall I: 10 Credits
N6100 Advanced Physiology 3 Core
N6720 Introduction to Primary Care 3 Specialty
N8786 Advanced Clinical Assessment in Adults 3 Specialty
N8787 Practicum in Advanced Clinical Assessment for Adults 1 Specialty
Spring I: 15 Credits
N6121 Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan 3 Core
N6726 Clinical Seminar in Geriatric Primary Care 1 Specialty
N6835 Assessing Clinical Evidence 4 Core
N8770 Diagnosis and Management of Illness in Adults I 3 Specialty
N8864 Practicum in Geriatric Primary Care I 2 Specialty
N8867 Interdisciplinary Approach to Geriatric Assessment and Long Term Care 2 Specialty
Summer II: 9 Credits
N6727 Clinical Seminar in Geriatric Primary Care 1 Specialty
N6930 Interpersonal Violence and Abuse: Prevention, Assessment and Intervention for Health Care Professionals 1 Core
N6940 Management and Advanced Practice Nursing 1 Core
N8290 Incorporating Genetics into Advanced Nursing Practice 3 Core
N8865 Practicum in Geriatric Primary Care II 2 Specialty
N8869 Residency in Adult/Geriatric Health 1 Specialty
Fall II: 11 Credits
N6729 Clinical Seminar in Geriatric Primary Care 1 Specialty
N6759 Illness and Aging 3 Specialty
N8771 Diagnosis and Management of Illness in Adults II 3 Specialty
N8779 Advanced Practicum in Adult/Geriatric Health 4 Specialty
Total Credits 52  

School of Nursing

The School of Nursing has paved the way for professional nursing since 1892 and continues to lead the field as the foremost institution for advanced practice nursing.

The School of Nursing is a designated World Health Organization Collaborating Center for International Nursing Development in Advanced Practice. With urban clinical sites, expert faculty practitioners, cutting edge research, and the strength of the Columbia name and reputation, the School of Nursing produces graduates who possess the skills necessary to bring advanced practice nursing into the new millennium. As medical advances offer a cascade of new and useful therapies, the need for more health care providers will increase exponentially. Our country will face many health care challenges in the next 20 years, and nurse practitioners are essential to providing access to quality primary care.

Founded in 1892 as Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing, the School became part of Columbia University in 1937 and began offering the baccalaureate degree. It is one of the oldest schools of nursing in the US. In 1956, it became the first nursing program in the country to award a master’s degree in a clinical nursing specialty. In 1999, the School granted its first doctoral degree. More than 10,000 nurses have graduated since the School opened.

The School shares the Columbia University Health Sciences Campus with the Mailman School of Public Health, the School of Dental and Oral Surgery, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. Each of these schools adds to the richness and diversity of the educational experience of students and faculty.

School of Nursing faculty have substantial experience in curriculum, instructional design, and research. They maintain expertise in their areas of teaching responsibility through participation at local, regional, and national conferences, involvement in scholarly presentations and publications, and faculty practice.

Columbia University School of Nursing is distinguished by the clinical excellence of its programs and graduates. Columbia nurses are making crucial contributions and improving the health of individuals wherever they practice.

This page was last updated on 02/03/2009 and is subject to change at any time.