2026-2027 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog [In Progress]
Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Post Graduate Certificate
The Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Post-Graduate Certificate program prepares experienced pediatric and family nurse practitioners to deliver specialized, high-quality care to children and adolescents in hospital and acute care settings. Designed to meet growing workforce demands and community needs, this certificate allows practicing NPs to complete the necessary coursework to qualify for acute care board certification, expanding their scope of practice and career opportunities in pediatric healthcare settings.
Students enrolled in this certificate program must complete the following didactic and clinical courses in the Child/Adolescent population, qualifying them to sit for the Pediatric Nursing Certification Board (PNCB) specialty certification: Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care.
ADMISSION
Applicants for the graduate certificate program Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner must:
- Be a graduate of an accredited Advanced Practice Registered Nurse program and licensed as a registered nurse (RN) in Michigan.
- Have a minimum of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale in previous coursework.
- Submit a curriculum vitae or resume.
- Submit an educational and professional goal statement.
- Complete a qualifying interview with the KCON faculty.
- English language proficiency as outlined by university graduate program requirements.
- Submit and successfully pass a criminal background check and drug screening prior to beginning the certificate program.
- Maintain compliance with health records, immunizations, and other KCON graduate program requirements and certifications.
The certificate requires completing 16-21* credit hours of graduate students,10 of which are knee-to-knee clinical hours.
*up to 150 clinical hours (2 credits) may be waived after review of transcripts, clinical, and practice experience.
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS
The following prerequisite courses or their equivalent must be completed before beginning the program:
- NUR 610 - Advanced Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning (4 credits)
- NUR 620 - Clinical Pharmacology (4 credits)
- NUR 621 - Clinical Pathophysiology (4 credits)
- NUR 631 - Human Development Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
The certificate content will be delivered in a series of FIVE-SIX courses (16-21 credit hours) that can be completed in TWO-THREE semesters:
- NUR 770 - Health Promotion and Risk Management (3 credits)*
- NUR 772 - Common Health Problems (3 to 4 credits)
- NUR 773 - NP Practicum I: Beginning (1 to 5 credits)*
- NUR 774 - Complex Health Problems (3 to 4 credits)
- NUR 775 - NP Practicum II: Intermediate (3 to 5 credits)*
- NUR 748 - Procedures and Simulations for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses III (1 credit)
*Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: Course(s) may be waived following transcript review with documentation of comparable graduate-level coursework. Up to 150 clinical hours (2 credits) may be waived with documentation of supervised clinical experience in pediatric primary care.
*Family Nurse Practitioners: Course(s) may be waived following transcript review with documentation of comparable graduate-level coursework and a minimum of 1,000 hours of practice experience in a pediatric primary care setting. Up to 150 clinical hours (2 credits) may be waived with documentation of supervised clinical experience in pediatric primary care.
MINIMUM NUMBER OF HOURS FOR GRADUATION
Completion of 750 clinical hours is required for completion of this program. Students with pediatric primary care clinical experiences during their first program of study may receive approval to waive up to 150 primary care clinical hours after a faculty review of previous coursework and clinical hour documentation.