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Career Opportunities in Health Science
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Master of Science in Nursing
Print Version (2 page PDF file)
This program prepares advanced practice nurses to provide primary health care to children and young adults. All students take core courses covering theoretical foundations for nursing practice, health systems and models, advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, nursing research and advanced health assessment. Clinical courses emphasize the care of infants, children, adolescents and their families.
Career Opportunities
Nurse practitioners have practiced health
promotion, disease prevention, early
detection and health management in the United
States for over 40 years.Today, they can practice in
every state in the U.S.A. with varying degrees of
independence and physician collaboration.
Most pediatric nurse practitioners are generalists in primary-care settings such as clinics, medical offices and managed care organizations. However, more and more are combining their experience as registered nurses with their education as advanced practice nurses, to move into other health care settings, including pediatric hematology/oncology, adolescent gynecology and development pediatrics. Others become involved in clinical research, education and public health. MCG students discuss their professional goals with faculty mentors and may pursue elective studies toward that end.
MCG’s Program
The program’s core and clinical courses are
offered on MCG’s main campus in
Augusta and via distance education in the
Georgia cities of Athens and Columbus
by on-site faculty, distance-learning and
interactive Web instruction. Clinical
assignments are made within the geographic
location of the student’s home, including the
neighboring state of South Carolina.
This program can be completed full time in less than two years or part time in approximately two-and-a-half to three years.
Students with a master’s degree in nursing who want to become a certified pediatric nurse practitioner generally are required to take three core courses: advanced health assessment, advanced pathophysiology and advanced pharmacology.They must complete all required clinical pediatric nurse practitioner classes.
The MCG School of Nursing is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Graduates are eligible for national certification by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center and the National Certification Board of PNPs. MCG graduates can practice in any of the 50 United States.
MCG’s Faculty
The Medical College of Georgia is fortunate to
have excellent nurse practitioner
faculty, graduates of varied NP programs
throughout the United States, who have
years of clinical practice experience as nurse
practitioners. Their experience
spans a variety of practice areas including
family practice, general pediatrics,
college health, psychiatric advanced practice,
allergy and asthma, acute care,
pediatric HIV, and pediatric oncology in
hospitals, clinics, private practices,
homecare, emergency rooms, rural practice, and
VA systems sites.
Admission Requirements
Students admitted to the FNP program must meet the following requirements:
- BSN from an accredited nursing program
- 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
- Minimum of 1 year employment as a registered nurse prior to beginning clinical courses
- Georgia license as a registered professional nurse upon acceptance
- Undergraduate Health statistics course
- Undergraduate Health Assessment course
- Official Transcripts from all postsecondary schools
- Personal interview and resume
- Three professional letters of recommendation
- GRE score of 900 (sum of verbal and qualitative) or higher OR MAT score of 400 or higher
- If applicable, a TOEFL score of 550 paper-based, 213 computer-based, or 79 internet based is required. Test must have been taken with the last 2 years.
Common Graduate Core Courses
(14 credits)
- NURS 7030: Health Delivery Models (20)
- NURS 7390: Pathophysiology for Advanced Practice Nurses (3)
- NURS 7430: Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses (3)
- NURS 7441:Advanced Nursing Research (2)
- NURS 7442:Theory for Advanced Practice Nurses (2)
- NURS 7470:Advanced Assessment for Advanced Practice Nurses (2)
Specialty Program Courses
(27 credit)
- NURS 7450:Advanced Practice Nursing Roles (2)
- NURS 7460: Diagnostic and Clinical Reasoning for Advanced Practice Nurses (2
- NURS 6970: Growth and Development across the Lifespan
- NURS 6920: Management of Children with Acute and Common Health Problems (6)
- NURS 6930: Management of Children with Chronic Health Problems (5)
- NURS 6960: Health Promotion and Supervision
from Birth to Adolescence
(4) - NURS 6980: Nurse Practitioner Practicum (6)
Estimated Full-Time Academic Expenses
| Tuition | Fees | Books/Supplies/Other | |
| Per semester | $2,293* | 327.50 | 1000** |
* Non-residents of Georgia pay an additional $6,548 tuition per semester. Residents of Aiken and Edgefield counties in South Carolina receive a waiver of non-resident tuition.
** Costs vary by major. Please check with your department for details.
(Costs are for 2006-2007. All tuition charges, board, room rent or other charges are subject to change at the end of any academic term.)
Estimated Living Expenses
| On- or off-campus apartment | Commuter | |
| 9 months | $13,869 | $9,864 |
| 12 months | 18,492 | 13,152 |
Application Process
The application and file completion deadline is
May 1 (fall semester), October 1 (spring semester),
and February 1 (summer semester).
Once you submit your application, you will be contacted to arrange a personal interview, which will provide an opportunity to discuss your goals and concerns. You will be considered for admission only after your application file is complete. Admission decision notifications are made by mail and accepted students are required to sign and return a contract to hold their place in the program.
Apply for Graduate
Admission Now
For more information about our Nurse Practitioner programs, visit www.mcg.edu/son/master.htm or e-mail the program director at NP@mcg.edu.
Frequently Asked Question
What kind of nursing experience do I need to become a pediatric nurse practitioner?
Applicants are required to complete a minimum of one year’s practice as an R.N. before they can be admitted to the clinical coursework in the P.N.P. program. Most students have at least two to three years of R.N. experience. The most successful nurse practitioner students have clinical experience with children of all ages and their families. Experience in communicating with children and their caregivers and in making independent nursing decisions has proven to be extremely helpful to students. While students often have experience in hospital and/or intensive care settings, it is not required, nor is it necessarily an advantage. Experience in any setting that promotes the development of professional confidence, clinical expertise, communication skills and self-awareness is essential for success in the nurse practitioner program.