Adult Nurse Practitioners provide direct patient care in a primary care setting. They can diagnose and treat adolescents and adults with common illnesses or injuries. They also are involved in education, research, and legislation activities to promote quality health care. Graduates are eligible for certification as Adult Nurse Practitioners.
Students can select to pursue ANP or Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS). The CNS is an expert practitioner in a specialized area of nursing with expanded authority and autonomy. The CNS focuses on improving patient care and nursing practice and serves in a multitude of roles. CNSs can provide highly specialized, expert nursing care, serve as the clinical specialty expert for a particular unit or service line, or serve in other roles such as clinical coordination, case management, staff and patient education, or hold staff roles in nursing research.
Advanced practice nursing
The primary goal of the Adult Nurse Practitioner specialty track is to prepare graduates for advanced practice nursing in a variety of clinical settings ranging from private practices, clinics, hospitals, and businesses to managed care organizations and governmental agencies. Coursework, clinical experience, and research allow our students to acquire the knowledge, values, and skills necessary for advanced practice nursing roles. Graduates of the specialty are eligible for certification as adult nurse practitioners in primary care.
Our specialty track meets the nurse practitioner curriculum guidelines of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties. To date, the pass rate of our graduates is significantly higher than the national pass rate on the certification examination for adult nurse practitioner.
The goal of the Adult Medical-Surgical Clinical Nurse Specialist track is to prepare graduates as clinical nursing experts in diagnosis and treatment to prevent, remediate, or alleviate illness and promote health within a specialty population. CNSs provide highly specialized, expert nursing care, serving as the clinical specialty expert for a particular unit or service line, or server in other roles such as clinical coordination, case management, staff and patient education, or hold staff roles in nursing research. CNSs practices are employed in hospitals and other acute care settings, outpatient and community based settings, long-term and rehabilitation settings, and alternative settings such as insurance companies, policy-making/accrediting agencies, and research and academic institutions.
Core Adult Health and Illness faculty
Gerene Bauldoff, PhD, RN, FCCP, Director
Linda Bernhard, PhD, RN
Linda Daley, PhD
Susan Bowman-Burpee, MS
Jodi McDaniel, PhD, RN
Essential skills
Our NP and CNS graduates enter the workforce with the skills and competencies to:
• assume an advanced practice role
• put theory and research into practice with individuals and families
• develop, implement, and assess nursing strategies to assure quality of care
• utilize leadership skills for positive change in policies at the local, regional, and national level
• adapt professionally to the constantly changing health care environment
• contribute to the advancement of the profession
Core curriculum
N 601 Scientific Thought in Nursing
N 602 Theoretical Foundations for Advanced Practice Roles in Nursing
N 603 Nursing within the American Health Care System
N 702 Research for Evidence Based Clinical Practice
N 707 Reimbursement & Cost Methods for Advanced Practice Nurses
Intermediate Statistics (Ag Ed 887 or Ed P&L 786)
Adult Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist courses
N 703 Pathophysiology of Altered Health States I
N 704 Pathophysiology of Altered Health States II
N 705 Advanced Health Assessment
N 706 Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice
N 711 Theoretical Foundations of Clinical Decision-Making
CNS only: N 862.07 Administration and Case Management for Clinical Nurse Specialists
NP Clinical experience
Our NP specialty track provides preceptors in a wide variety of geographic locations and clinical sites throughout central Ohio. Students work with nurse practitioners, family practice, and internal medicine physicians in ambulatory primary care and inpatient settings. Clinical experience provides the precepted hours necessary for certification as an adult nurse practitioner. Students must complete 16 hours of clinical work per week in three consecutive quarters during their final year of study. Clinical work in the final quarter may be individualized to assist students to meet career goals.
CNS Clinical experience
Our CNS specialty track provides preceptors in a wide variety of acute and outpatient settings and geographic locations throughout central Ohio. Students must complete 24 hours per week in their first clinical course and 16 hours per week in their final two consecutive clinical courses. These occur in the final year of study. Students work with clinical nurse specialists in acute care and outpatient settings in the first quarter of clinical courses. For the final two clinical courses, students work with nurse practitioners, family practice and internal medicine physicians in ambulatory primary care and inpatient settings (the final quarter in their area of clinical specialty). Clinical experience provides the precepted hours necessary for certification as an adult clinical nurse specialist.
Clinical course work includes:
N 859 Advanced Practice Nursing
Download PDF> Sample curriculum
Admissions & program information
Traditional Master of Science option
Graduate Entry option
Post-Master’s study option
The Post-Master’s study option prepares practicing nurses who have master’s degrees in nursing for certification as adult nurse practitioners.
Applicants must apply directly to the College of Nursing for admission to the Post-Master’s option.
To be eligible for the ANA Adult Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam a student must have a master’s degree in nursing and have completed the following courses:
N 703 Pathophysiology of Altered Health States I
N 704 Pathophysiology of Altered Health States II
N 705 Advanced Health Assessment
N 706 Pharmacology for Advanced Nursing Practice
N 707 Reimbursement and Cost Methods for Advanced Practice Nurses
N 859 Advanced Practice Nursing
To apply for the post-master’s option, applicants must submit:
• Post-Master's Study Application
• Current resume/curriculum vita
• Purpose & Goals Statement
• Cover letter stating intent to apply
• Graduate school transcripts
• Two letters of recommendation
• GRE scores if available
For further information, contact:
The Ohio State University
College of Nursing
Graduate Outreach and Admissions
1585 Neil Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1289
Call (614) 688-8145
E-mail nursing@osu.edu
See Graduate Specialties Introduction
See Graduate Specialties Clinical Nurse Leader
See Graduate Specialties Family Nurse Practitioner
See Graduate Specialties Neonatal Nurse Practitioner
See Graduate Specialties Nurse Midwifery
See Graduate Specialties Nursing and Health Systems Management
See Graduate Specialties Nursing Science
See Graduate Specialties Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
See Graduate Specialties Adult Psychiatric Mental Health
See Graduate Specialties Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner