Post-Master's Certificate - Nurse Practitioner

Advance your healthcare career with our comprehensive Post-Master's Nurse Practitioner certificate program that prepares you for patient-centered care. Develop skills in technology, communication, leadership, cultural competence, and ethical practices. Graduates are equipped to make a positive impact in the lives of patients, evaluate trends and policy issues, and collaborate with inter/intra-professional teams for optimal patient outcomes. 

The post-graduate certificate program builds upon and expands the knowledge, values, and skills of the Master's prepared nurse. Johnson Beth-El offers the option of advanced study for Primary Care Nurse Practitioner leading to a Post Masters Certificate. In addition to specialty courses which prepare for expanded clinical roles in adult and gerontological health, family health, or psychiatric/mental health, the student is prepared for prescriptive authority in advanced pathophysiology, assessment, and pharmacology. The program is 100% online and primary care based practicum hours are set up where you reside.

Admissions Information

The Graduate Nursing Department’s MSN and DNP options have a rolling admission cycle. 
Completed applications are reviewed each month by the Graduate Option Coordinators. 
A prospective student may apply for a Spring, Summer, or Fall start for any of our MSN, DNP, or Post Masters Certificate options.

Deadlines

Completed applications will be considered up to January 5th for the Spring term, up to May 5th for the Summer term, and up to August 5th for the Fall term.

Notification

The Admission Committee will review all completed applications 30 business days after the deadline. You will be notified by email as to your admission status.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, the graduate will be able to:

• Apply theories and scientific evidence to provide holistic care to the individual
• Provide leadership within clinical and organizational settings to provide high quality, safe patient care
• Apply clinical reasoning to promote health and prevent disease for the individual, family, and community
• Critically appraise and apply current evidence in a clinical setting to ensure quality patient outcomes
• Use technology in the clinical setting to enhance safe and effective patient care
• Evaluate emerging trends, policy issues, and programmatic problems to improve health care delivery
• Use therapeutic, patient-centered communication in the delivery of health care
• Collaborate in inter/intra-professional care teams
• Provide patient-centered, culturally competent healthcare to diverse patient populations
• Use an ethical framework for clinical practice and clinical expertise to care for patients

The focus of study for this program is patient-centered healthcare, with an emphasis on the application of theories, scientific evidence, and clinical reasoning to promote health and prevent disease.

The program covers various aspects of healthcare delivery, including leadership, technology, communication, cultural competence, ethical practices, and collaboration with inter/intra-professional teams, all aimed at ensuring safe and effective patient outcomes.

We offer a 100% online NP program where you can do clinical hours in the state that you reside or one of the approved states below. We do not require any on campus visits.

Our programs are focused on Primary Care Nurse Practitioner roles and are not the right fit for students who are interested in working in in-patient settings.

• Completion of 25-34 credits at the graduate level (depending on previous degree and Rx authority)
• Completion of an accredited Master's degree in nursing program
• Completion of certificate requirements within six years
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 for all previous course work; including a grade of "B" or more in all nursing courses
• Curriculum Vitae or Resumé
• Current unrestricted Registered Nurse License from the state where you practice during practicum rotations
• Passing score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if your native language is not English.
• Submission of all application materials by posted deadlines

Note: Applicants with course-work from any foreign college to submit a course-by-course foreign transcript evaluation by a NACES or AICE member. (Please note: Official evaluations received directly from SpanTran, WES and ECE credential agencies may enable more efficient review and processing of transfer credit by UCCS.)

* Upon the successful completion of your online application, you will receive a private link to upload each foreign post-secondary transcript from institutions you have attended. These transcripts must include all courses and grades, must be issued in the original language, and be accompanied by certified English translations when applicable.
This service is provided at no cost for UCCS applicants.

More details will be communicated to you via email. Please make sure to check your email for the uploading instructions.

Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Specialty Focus

Adult/Gero NP = 47 Total Credits (includes 630 contact hours) | Family NP = 47 Total Credits (includes 630 contact hours)

Psychiatric-Mental Health Specialty Focus

PMHNP Option= 48 Total Credit Hours (includes 630 contact hours)

For program coursework, please visit the Academic Catalog.

Preceptors can be a NP, PA, MD or DO.

In addition, for the PMHNP option, preceptors also include Psychologists, Licensed Counselors and Psychiatric Social Workers.

While we do provide placement oversight and guidance, the student is responsible for identifying preceptors in their local area that may precept them.

Each option requires 630 clinical hours. It may be to your advantage to reach out to clinics in your local area and see if that will pose a problem for you prior to applying.

Gainful Employment Disclosure

The faculty and staff at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing & Health Sciences are committed to providing high quality degree programs and certificates for advanced practice nurses. We do not suggest or guarantee that students who complete our programs will find employment as a result of completing our educational programs. The following information is designed to help students make informed decisions about their academic choices and is required by the United States Department of Education for each certificate program.

Program Costs:
The total costs of our Graduate Certificate programs are similar to tuition and fees for all of our online graduate students.  This will vary depending on the number of credits and types of courses that the student will need to complete the program. Tuition and fees for all programs are available online.  A bill estimator is also available to the prospective student to determine the approximate cost per semester while attending Beth-El College of Nursing and Health Sciences at UCCS.

A typical student who is planning to obtain a Post Master’s Adult/Gero Nurse Practitioner Certificate will need to complete 37 credits or 36 credits for a Post Master’s Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate.  An estimate of the total costs in tuition and fees for the Post Master’s Adult/Gero Nurse Practitioner Certificate or the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate is between $22,000 and $25,000.  Textbooks and other required technology for the certificate programs cost between $150 -$200 per course or $1200 - $1600 for the program.

Related Occupations:
The primary occupational group that these certificates are training students for is – Health Care Practitioners and Technical Occupations. The related occupation for these certificates is listed below.

• 29.1171 Nurse Practitioners

For more information on other occupations, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
 
On-Time Completion & Median Loan Debt:
As these are, newly approved programs, the on-time completion rates and median student loan debt of program graduates are not yet available. 

See the Bursars Office website for a tuition and fee estimate. 

Additional costs:
There are additional costs besides tuition that are incurred when obtaining licensure as an advanced practice registered nurse.  

The estimated costs below may include but are not limited to an application fee (70.00-350.00), transcripts (15.00) and fingerprinting and background check (30.00-58.00). Certification board examination fees (see links below) along with professional liability insurance (600.00-1500.00). These are estimates based on the states we admit from and can change at any time. You should use the links below to find the specific state Board of Nursing (BON) website where you plan to apply for licensure in order to find the most current information.  

• https://www.aanp.org/
• https://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/ 

Due to individual state regulations, we are accepting students from these states:
 

Graduates of the specialty tracks (PMHNP, FNP, Adult/Gero) in the master’s program, the post-graduate certificate program, and the BSN-DNP program are eligible to apply for national certification by examination in the states in which our curriculum meets the requirements for certification/licensure. APRN (advanced practice registered nurse) certification is required for licensure in each state, including Colorado, and both national certification and state licensure are required for practice. You can learn more about the requirements for APRN licensure by visiting the Colorado Board of Nursing APRN application page, or by visiting the state board of nursing in the state of your primary residence.

Department of Education Required Licensure Disclosure Information

What if I plan to move to another state?
You have been admitted to our program as a resident of the particular state in which you resided at the time of application. If you plan to move to a different state while in our program, or do any practicum hours in a different state, it is your responsibility to check our List of Approved States to make sure that you may continue in our program after moving to that state. For more information click the button below.

DISCLOSURE
Professional licensure requirements vary by profession and by state
The University of Colorado has not determined whether a course, program, certificate, or degree meets requirements for professional licensure outside of Colorado. Prior to enrolling, online and distance students are strongly advised to check with the appropriate licensing board in their current or intended state of residence to ensure the online course, program, certificate, or degree will meet that state's requirements. Contact information for your state's Board of Nursing is available by clicking the hyperlink. 

Application Process

The Graduate Nursing Department’s MSN and DNP options have a rolling admission cycle. 
Completed applications are reviewed each month by the Graduate Option Coordinators. 
A prospective student may apply for a Spring, Summer, or Fall start for any of our MSN, DNP, or Post Masters Certificate options.

Deadlines
Completed applications will be considered up to January 5th for the Spring term, up to May 5th for the Summer term, and up to August 5th for the Fall term.

Notification
The Admission Committee will review all completed applications 30 business days after the deadline. You will be notified by email as to your admission status.

Debbie Schultze

Academic Services Professional
(719)255-4458
dschult3@uccs.edu