2017-34

Arizona State University
University Senate

Senate Motion #2017-34

Motion Introduced by:  Curriculum and Academic Programs Committee, Caroline Harrison, Chair

Date of First Reading:  January 30, 2017

Date of Second Reading: February 27, 2017

Title of Motion: Request from the College of Nursing and Health Innovation – for the establishment of a graduate certificate – Pediatric Nurse Practitioner

Action Requested: This curricular proposal has received all college, school, unit and university administrative approvals, and is being presented to the Senate for review and voting decision.   

Rationale:  The demand for hiring pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) is strong. The target audience for the Graduate Certificate in Pediatric Nurse Practitioner are RNs who have completed a minimum of a Master’s Degree in Nursing or Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree in another specialty and desire advanced preparation and education to become primary care pediatric nurse practitioners. Nurses who complete this certificate will meet the eligibility requirements to take a national pediatric nurse practitioner certification examination. We anticipate nurses throughout the state and region will be interested in this graduate certificate as it can be completed in hybrid format while allowing nurses to continue to work full-time if desired. In addition to nurses with Master’s degrees in nursing who are not nurse practitioners, this certificate will be attractive to certified family nurse practitioners and certified adult-gerontology nurse practitioners since the additional pediatric preparation will allow them to expand their scope of practice to enhance or begin to provide primary care of children. This certificate provides another option to become a PNP for those nurses who already have a Master’s Degree in nursing or DNP degree in another population specialty and do not want to obtain a DNP or an additional DNP degree.