Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist Program
An Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist (AGCNS) is an advanced practice nurse who directly influences health outcomes by providing expert patient care and assisting patients in the prevention and resolution of illness when a medical diagnosis or treatment of disease, injury and disability is warranted.
The Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) program in Adult Gerontology broadly prepares the advanced practice nurse for an ever-changing health care environment. Students analyze the theory core to CNS role development and practice within the context of a complex health care system. Students explore key characteristics of the CNS role and examine the dynamic interplay of these characteristics. Barriers and facilitators of professional practice in a variety of health care systems as they affect patient care and influence patient outcomes are investigated. Students focus on developing theoretical and clinical expertise in the following core areas: clinical judgment and consultation; clinical inquiry; facilitation of learning; intra and inter-disciplinary collaboration; systems thinking and care delivery models; advocacy and moral agency; caring practices and response to diversity.
Areas of Concentration
Areas of concentration for those matriculated into the Adult Gerontology CNS program include but are not limited to emergency, trauma, oncology, critical care, medical/surgical areas and specialty practices.
Students enrolled in the Adult Gerontology CNS program may choose to complete a minor in a clinically related area in order to improve their understand of this area as it relates to patient care and improve their marketability. Minors in areas such as Oncology, Health Informatics, Quality Improvement and Safety, Forensic Science, Women's Health, Palliative Care and Global Health are available. If interested, please return to the Academic Programs page and scroll to the bottom. You can click on the link to the minor you are interested in and find out more about it.
Plan of Study
Individualized plans of study are developed based on the goals of the student. The program can be completed on either a full-time or part-time basis depending on the needs of the student.
Successful completion of the program qualifies graduates to apply for national certification from the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) or the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Penn's Adult Gerontology CNS Program will:
- Prepare you to be an expert clinician
- Empower you to influence the health outcomes of adult patients
- Inspire you to implement improvements in the healthcare delivery system
- Encourage you to participate in interdisciplinary care models
- Expose you to excellent clinical sites including top academic health centers
- Equip you to integrate the latest research into your clinical practice
- Provide you with a lifelong network of professional and faculty colleagues who are leaders in Nursing.
Completing this program prepares the graduate to sit for either the ANCC's Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist exam or the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Adult Gerontology Critical Care CNS examination.
Streamlined Post-Master’s AGCNS
The APRN Consensus Model, published in 2008 by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing calls for improved congruence between licensure, accreditation, certification and educational requirements between agencies and State Boards of Nursing for APRNs. This means that if an NP is working as a clinical nurse specialist, then that individual should obtain the education and certification to adequately function in the role of a clinical nurse specialist.
Therefore, in response to the Consensus Model, we know that many NPs working as clinical nurse specialists are looking to become certified as a CNS. In response to this, Penn Nursing has created a Streamlined Post-Master’s Adult Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist program for those NPs who have been working in the clinical nurse specialist role (for a minimum of 1 year) but do not possess the necessary education to meet the eligibility requirements for national certification.
If you are interested in finding out more about our program, please contact us.