Adult Health Nurse Practitioner Program

For more than 20 years, Penn's Adult Health Nurse Practitioner program has been ranked first in the nation by US News & World Report.

Uniquely, the flexibility of Penn's course of study enables students to complete two programs, the Adult Health Nurse Practitioner and Gerontology Nurse Practitioner programs, in order to practice across the adult lifespan. 

In another time-saving strategy, students can elect to minor in another option, such as palliative care, without lengthening the course of study.

Faculty members handpick clinical sites for each master's student in the adult health NP program from a broad array of community-based clinical settings employing best practice models of care. That selection is only a small part of the individualized mentoring between faculty and students that produces a unique educational experience.

Increasingly, adult nurse practitioners can be found practicing in nurse managed centers in rural and urban areas as autonomy and payment for nurse practitioner services has been established.

Versatility in career choices and clinical practice is the key reason why Adult Nurse Practitioners are the most numerous of all the categories of nurse practitioners.  As primary health care providers, all nurse practitioners are responsible for the promotion of health for individuals and families and for evaluation and management of acute and chronic health problems. Adult nurse practitioners provide primary care services focused on young adults to older adults in community settings such as student health services, homes, office practices, emergency departments, and hospital based outpatient centers. Many adult nurse practitioners establish particular emphases in their careers in focused areas such as primary care for diabetic patients or women’s health care but retain a general area of primary care practice for all adults of any age.