Dual Adult Gerontology/Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
The Dual Adult-Gerontology/Women's Health Nurse Practitioner (AG/WHNP) specialty option prepares students to provide comprehensive patient-centered, quality care to the entire spectrum of adults, including adolescents, adults, and older frail adults, and women's reproductive health needs.
This is a dual track. Students complete a course of study for both the Adult-Gero Primary Care NP and the Women’s Health NP. Focusing on a collaborative model for providing holistic care, clinicals include a variety of settings, such as primary care clinics, physician and nurse practitioner private practices, community health centers, hospitals, antepartum triage units, health maintenance organizations, specialty clinics, school and college health clinics, family planning clinics, health departments, long term care facilities, and correctional facilities.
Both the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP and the Women’s Health Care NP are providers of direct health care services. Within this role, the AGPC nurse practitioner (AGPCNP) synthesizes theoretical, scientific, and contemporary clinical knowledge for the assessment and management of both health and illness states. The AGPCNP competencies incorporate the health promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and management of the adult-gerontology primary care NP practice (AACN, 2010).
The women’s health course of study emphasizes diagnosing and managing common gynecological and obstetrical problems through comprehensive physical and psychosocial assessment, decision-making/diagnostic reasoning processes, and health maintenance, including health promotion and disease prevention.
Gynecology study includes normal gynecologic health, gynecologic deviations, and fertility control. Obstetrics study includes physiology of pregnancy, prenatal care, assessment of fetal well being, complications of pregnancy, and postpartum care.
Special emphasis is placed on gender-focused health assessment, education, and interventions, conditions that are unique to women within the context of socio-cultural environments, and external influences that affect women’s lives such as public health policy.
Core Competencies
Core competencies are based on the AACN Adult-Gerontology Primary Care NP Competencies (2010) and the NONPF Specialty Competencies (2002) which include:
- Health Promotion, health protection, disease prevention, and treatment
- Assessment of health status
- Diagnosis of health status
- Plan of care and implementation of treatment
- Nurse Practitioner-Patient Relationship
- Teaching-Coaching function
- Professional Role
- Managing and negotiating health care delivery systems
- Monitoring and ensuring the quality of health care practice
- Cultural and spiritual competence
Dual Adult-Gerontology/ Women's Health NP Coordinator:
Katherine Simmonds, MS, MPH, WHNP-BC ksimmonds1@mghihp.edu
Certification for the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP)
Upon completion of this course of study, graduates are eligible to take the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner certification exam given by the American Nurses' Credentialing Center (ANCC), this exam is expected to launch in 2013. For more information see the specialty credential information at the ANCC.
Additional Information on the AGPCNP
Certification for the Women's Health Nurse Practitioner
Upon completion of the course of study, graduates are eligible to take the Women's Health Nurse Practitioner certification exam given by the National Certification Corporation.
Additional Information on the WHNP