Certification: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP-BC)

8515 Georgia Avenue, Suite 400, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3492

Eligibility Criteria:

Hold a current, active RN license in a state or territory of the United States or hold the professional, legally recognized equivalent in another country.

Hold a master's, postgraduate, or doctoral degree from an adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner program accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) (formerly NLNAC | National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission). A minimum of 500 faculty-supervised clinical hours must be included in the adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner role and population.

Three separate, comprehensive graduate-level courses in:

-Advanced physiology/pathophysiology, including general principles that apply across the life span
-Advanced health assessment, which includes assessment of all human systems, advanced assessment techniques, concepts, and approaches
-Advanced pharmacology, which includes pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacotherapeutics of all broad categories of agents |

Content in:

-Health promotion and/or maintenance
-Differential diagnosis and disease management, including the use and prescription of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions

More than two years of education or training after high school required?
Yes
More than two years of work experience required?
No
Oral or Written Exam Required?
Yes
Renewal Required?
Every 5 Year(s)
Renew through Continuing Educational Units(CEU)?
Yes
Renew through Re-Examination?
Yes
Renew through Continuing Professional Development(CPD)?
Yes
Does applicant have choice of at least two options from above for renewal (CEU, CPD, or exam)?
Yes

Specialty

The certification corresponds to a specialty within a recognized occupation. For example, Oncology Nurse and Pediatric Nurse are specialties within the nursing field, so Certified Oncology Nurse and Certified Pediatric Nurse would be classified as specialty certifications.

  • This certification is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA).
  • This certification is related to military occupational specialties.