Advanced care for aging adults
Our Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (AGPCNP) track within the DNP degree program prepares you to provide comprehensive, holistic care focused on health promotion and diagnosis and management of adults and seniors with stable acute and chronic conditions. AGPCNP practice focuses on optimizing physical and psychosocial health, caring for patients who are medically stable, and recognizing, diagnosing, and referring patients experiencing sudden or progressive deterioration. You will learn to work with adults from adolescence through older adults.
#2 ranking
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Of public schools offering a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.
$3.8M in funding
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147 DNP scholarships funded in 2023-24, totaling $3.8 million.
Pre-arranged clinicals
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We manage your clinicals, setting us apart from most other DNP programs.
Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioners are prepared to:
- Perform comprehensive health assessments, including ordering and interpreting diagnostic procedures
- Partner with patients and families for health promotion and disease prevention
- Generate differential diagnoses and diagnose and manage acute and chronic health conditions
- Prescribe and evaluate therapies (medication and non-medication-based)
- Use developmental, patient- and family-centered approaches
- Advocate for nursing and the role of the AGPCNP
Graduates from our AGPCNP track practice independently and within larger healthcare teams. They work in a variety of settings and with diverse populations, including:
- Primary care
- Internal medicine
- Skilled/long-term care
- Urgent care
- Subspecialty services (e.g., oncology, cardiology, neurology)
- Medically underserved and rural practice settings
- Veteran health
The DNP curriculum starts with a shared first-year core, offering a strong foundation in advanced practice and leadership, before transitioning into specialized coursework tailored to each track, allowing students to develop targeted expertise and drive advancements in healthcare.
View the current DNP Adult-Gero Primary Care NP curriculum grid
Students interested in focusing their practice on restorative care for adults with acute, critical and chronic illnesses and/or injuries should consider applying to the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner track. Students interested in focusing their practice on health promotion and disease prevention in adults should consider applying to the Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner track.
After successfully completing the AGPCNP track, AGPCNP students are eligible to sit for the AGNP Primary Care examination through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP).
“This program has given me opportunities to learn about the different sectors of nursing, something I wouldn’t be able to do alone because no one in my family has a health care background. I’m a first-generation college grad, so navigating academia has been a little challenging in various ways. The faculty has helped me to spread my wings in a safe space while giving me guidance when I need it.”
What makes our program unique?
Pre-arranged clinical placements.
Post DNP Study
Graduates from the AGNP-PC track who are interested in Veteran’s health are eligible to apply for the post-DNP residency program at the VA Puget Sound Center of Education for Interprofessional Collaboration.
Interested in learning more? Join us for an upcoming online information session, or contact us at asknursing@uw.edu to find out if this program would be a great fit and how to create a quality application.
Alumni spotlight
Melissa Mitchell DNP ’22 shares her experiences in rural health as a fellow with the UW Premera Rural Nursing Health Initiative (RNHI) Fellowship.