Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Track
[em]Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)[/em]Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Track
Fulfill the Growing Need for Children’s Primary and Acute Care
As children’s health needs become more complex, and more communities experience limited to no pediatric care, nurse practitioners have a unique opportunity to fulfill important, high-demand roles.
Baylor University’s online Doctor of Nursing Practice – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program offers both a Primary Care track and a dual Primary/Acute track in order to prepare versatile, specialized nursing professionals for a variety of care environments.
Two Entry Options Are Available:
BSN to DNP
75 Credits Just over 3 years to completion
Post-Master's DNP
31-37 Credits 2 years to completion
Must be MSN-PNP
Expand Your Scope through a Dual-Track PNP Program
Prepare for a role as a pediatric nurse practitioner in both primary and acute environments, which gives you advanced knowledge and a wide range of opportunities.
Pediatric Primary Care Track
Address primary healthcare needs of children and adolescents by utilizing patient-and-family centered care within the context of the family unit
Build knowledge on the normal growth and development, health promotion, health maintenance, and management of children from birth to adolescence
Understand the health promotion, health maintenance, and management of common pediatric health issues
Learn how to identify and address potential and actual chronic health needs of pediatric patients
Examine the relationship between genes, environment, and health in a pediatric context
Pediatric Primary/Acute Care Track
Provide care for pediatric patients that have complex acute, critical, or chronic illness in settings including hospitals, intensive care units, and emergency departments
Develop clinical judgment, decision-making skills, and procedural skills for delivering complex acute, critical, and chronic healthcare to ill or injured children
Learn how to identify and address potential and actual healthcare needs of the acutely ill or injured child
Master essential competencies to meet the specialized needs of infants and children with complex acute, critical, and chronic health conditions
Program Features At-A-Glance
Earn your Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the Louise Herrington School of Nursing (LHSON), ranked 41st in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Graduate Schools
Main coursework is online with on-campus immersions throughout the program
Practicum requirement total: 500 hours for Primary Care, with an additional 600 hours for Acute Care track
Courses are 15 weeks long, with three terms per year
Students learn from a nationally recognized faculty
Stress-Free Clinical placements
Total credits: 75 for Primary Care track; 14 for the additional Acute Care track
Admissions Requirements At-A-Glance
BSN from a regionally accredited school of nursing
3.0 GPA
One (1) year of full time experience as a practicing professional nurse by the first day of class (additional work experience may be required by faculty)
Unencumbered RN license
No GRE or MAT required
Clinical Placement Services
At Baylor University’s Louis Herrington School of Nursing, we strongly believe in setting our students up for success. That's why we provide clinical sites and preceptors for all graduate-level clinical rotations. We also know clinical placement sites may be potential locations for future employment opportunities upon graduation. If you already have a placement site or preceptor in mind, we encourage you to refer them to our placement team to secure. Download the DNP-PNP brochure for more information.
Curriculum At-A-Glance
The online DNP-PNP program offers primary and acute tracks to prepare versatile, specialized nursing professionals for a variety of care environments. The advanced curriculum focuses on primary healthcare needs of children and adolescents, utilizing patient-and-family centered care within the context of the family unit, and complex acute, critical, or chronic illness for pediatric patients.
Featured Curriculum
NUR 5305 Advanced Pediatric Health Care Management I: Primary Care
NUR 5307 Advanced Pediatric Health Care Management II: Acute and Common Health Needs
NUR 6309 Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner I
Advanced Competencies—synthesize scientific evidence and methods to design, direct, and evaluate strategies to promote effective patient-centered care.
Nurse Leadership—incorporate leadership skills and interprofessional team-building strategies to improve quality metrics within healthcare.
Evidence-Based Innovation—employ information systems and technology in the delivery of transformative healthcare.
Policy and Advocacy—advocate for evidence-based health policy to improve local, national, and/or global patient and health population outcomes.
The Future for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
Become an innovative nurse leader and a holistic caregiver who can shape the future of healthcare. Baylor nurses stand out and exceed expectations by connecting academic excellence with spiritual growth.
Need for Pediatric Care
Approximately one million children have no access to a pediatrician:
Specifically, in lower-income and rural areas
A majority of FNPs report their total pediatric population to be less than 25%
Only 8% of PNPs are certified to provide acute care, yet 22% report practicing in inpatient settings
Chronic illness among children has increased by 400% since 1960
Whether you have a simple question or need advice to determine which program is best for you, our friendly advisors are here to help. They can chat with you on your schedule and guide you through the entire admissions process so you can feel confident in moving forward with Baylor University.
