Empower Patients, and Yourself, with an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Degree
Become an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGNP) to assess, diagnose, and treat patients, as well as help educate them about self-care and expand access to primary health services.
GMercyU’s Master of Science in Nursing Program – Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track teaches you the advanced clinical skills you need to make a career in primary care a reality.
Did you know? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics currently rates nurse practitioners as the #1 fastest growing occupation in the country with an expected job growth rate of 46% through 2031, nearly 10x the national average.
See Program Details
What sets us apart from other AGNP programs? Gwynedd Mercy University’s Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program offers the flexibility and convenience you need. Earn your degree full-time in two years or pursue a three- to five-year plan while continuing to work.
Our advanced nursing programs also have deep and broad partnerships with health care affiliates and clinical sites throughout Pennsylvania. You’ll be able to take advantage of many different opportunities for first-hand clinical experience while you study in our AGNP program.
After graduation, you should be prepared to pass the American Nurses Credentialing Center Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Primary Care exam.
A Leading Regional Nursing School for More Than 60 Years
For more than two generations, Gwynedd Mercy University’s Frances M. Maguire School of Nursing and Health Professions has led the region in health practitioner education. We've earned our reputation as one of the best nurse practitioner schools in PA, thanks to our small classes and rigorous curriculum that produce confident and capable nursing professionals. The nursing faculty members we select bring clinical expertise, academic rigor, and a passion for the nursing profession to the classroom.
The community of nursing experts, scholars, and regional health care leaders we have developed—not to mention our thousands of nursing alumni—is an invaluable resource for your professional development and personal enrichment. Inside and outside the classroom, the GMercyU community offers you the opportunity to earn your AGNP degree from a renowned nurse practitioner program online.
GMercyU Nurse Practitioner programs prepare you for the responsibilities of primary care. Over the course of the program, you’ll expand your clinical knowledge and clinical practice skills, engage in professional research and writing, and explore contemporary issues in policy and society that impact health care. You’ll emerge from program equipped to be the health practitioner and advocate your patients need.
As a GMercyU Master of Science in Nursing – Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner graduate, you will be able to:
- Collaborate with colleagues and consumers to provide and improve advanced nursing care
- Demonstrate expertise as an advanced practice nurse through the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic health problems
- Demonstrate professionalism as a nurse practitioner grounded in the Mercy tradition
- Demonstrate social responsibility for individuals, families, and communities within the context of a multicultural society
- Utilize knowledge to provide holistic care in a defined area of advanced practice nursing or nursing education in accordance with standards of practice and codes of ethics
- Strategize to improve health for all by influencing policy
- Synthesize knowledge from nursing and related disciplines as a foundation for evidence-based practice as a nurse practitioner
- Assume a leadership role in interpreting and promoting advanced nursing to members of the profession, to other disciplines, and to consumers
- Contribute to advanced nursing knowledge through scientific inquiry
In our AGNP program, you will complete 43 credits with 585 clinical hours – either as a full-time student for two years or a part-time student for three to five years.
Core Course Requirements for Master of Science in Nursing Programs
| NUR 500 | Advanced Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Roles |
| NUR 510 | Advanced Pathophysiology for Advanced Nursing Roles |
| NUR 570 | Advanced Assessment & Lab for Advanced Nursing Roles |
| NUR 530 | Theoretical Foundations for Advanced Nursing Roles |
| NUR 610 | Nursing Research Methodology & EBP |
| NUR 535 | Leadership & Health Policy |
Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner Program Courses
| NUR 572 | Role Transition I |
| NUR 573 | Role Transition II |
| NUR 630 | Primary Care I - Introduction |
| NUR 633 | Primary Care IV – Adolescent (12-18) |
| NUR 634 | Primary Care V – Young Adult (18-29) |
| NUR 635 | Primary Care VI – Middle Adult (30-55) |
| NUR 636 | Primary Care VII – Older Adult (56+) |
| NUR 637 | Primary Care VIII – Women’s Health & Pregnancy |
| NUR 638 | Practicum I |
Licensure: This program was designed to meet national licensure requirements. Carefully review the process of your home state’s licensure requirements. For more information, please visit our Program Licensure Requirement page.
If you already hold a Master of Science in Nursing without a specialization, you can complete the courses you need to become an Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner with our AGNP Post-Graduate Advanced Practice Nurse (APRN) Certificate Program. We will work with you to evaluate your prior learning and determine a personalized certificate program curriculum for you.
Make a difference in the lives of patients as an adult gerontology primary care nurse practitioner: enroll in Gwynedd Mercy University’s AGNP program today.
Call 844-707-9064 or email accelerate@gmercyu.edu to contact an admissions counselor or begin your application online now!
About AGNPs
AGNPs are advanced practice care providers offering primary care or specialized care to adult patients, from the teen years to the older adult. Subject to the scope of practice in the state where they work, AGNPs can provide many of the primary care services and treatments general physicians offer. They can also help promote healthy living habits, due to the emphasis on patient education that comes with the nurse practitioner role.
As a certified AGNP, you can:
- Assess patients
- Diagnose patients
- Treat acute and chronic illnesses
- Prescribe medications (subject to collaborative agreement by the state in which you practice)
- Make referrals to specialists
- Advise and educate patients and family members on health issues and healthy living habits
As the baby boomer generation ages and the population grows, demand for primary care among adults is rising, especially for the elderly.
In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics currently rates nurse practitioners as the #1 fastest growing occupation in the country with an expected job growth rate of 46% through 2031, nearly 10x the national average. The median annual pay in 2021 for nurse practitioners was $120,680 nationwide, the BLS reports.
AGNPs have versatile skill sets that make them important members of healthcare teams at:
- Health care facilities (as hospitalists or ER fast-track care providers)
- Ambulatory care facilities
- Long-term care facilities
- Physicians' offices (internal care or specialty practice, such as cardiology, pulmonary, women's health, etc.)
- Community centers
- Nurse-managed clinics
- Self-owned practices (depending on the state in which you work)
- Hospices
- Home care services
Accreditation
The Master of Science in Nursing program at Gwynedd Mercy University is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://ww.ccneaccreditation.org).
