25 Best Online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs For 2024
Written By: Darby Faubion BSN, RN
Have you wondered what it would be like to be a healthcare provider specializing in the care of infants, children, or teens? Does teaching people how to promote health and wellness in their families make you happy? Are you a registered nurse with a bachelor's degree in nursing, but you want more? If so, you may find what you have been searching for in one of the BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs online I will share with you in this article. As you continue reading, you will learn where to find the best online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs for 2024, what it takes to get into these programs, and other information to help you get started.
What Exactly Is A BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program?
BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs are graduate nursing programs designed for baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses who wish to achieve a terminal nursing degree and specialize in pediatric care. Students in these programs are equipped to assess and manage healthcare issues involving infants and children up to age eighteen in various settings. Some programs offer specialization in Primary Pediatric Care or Acute Pediatric Care. Others may provide students with the chance to pursue a Dual Primary/Pediatric Care NP.
Which Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Program Should You Choose: BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Program OR BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program?
If you have decided to enroll in one of the best BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs online, like the ones featured in this article, you may now be wondering which program is best for you. You can choose from Primary Care, Acute Care, or Dual Primary and Acute Care specializations. If you are unsure which specialty to choose, consider the setting you may prefer to work in and the type of clinical responsibilities that interest you most.
For example, Primary Care PNPs may work in hospitals or physicians' offices and perform duties such as diagnosing common illnesses, routine check-ups, ordering laboratory tests, and counseling children and their caregivers about medical conditions and wellness. Acute Care PNPs often work in urgent care clinics, pediatric intensive care units, or emergency departments. They care for children with acute or critical, often complex, illnesses and injuries. AC-PNPs conduct advanced physical assessments, order and interpret lab and diagnostic test results, and coordinate aftercare options for patients and their families. If you choose a Dual Primary/Acute Care PNP program, you will learn to care for pediatric patients from birth to young adulthood in both acute and primary care settings.
How Long Are Online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs?
BSN-to-DNP Online Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs vary in length. Most programs take three or four years to complete. However, some students may take longer to graduate. Here is a list of some of our featured programs and how long it takes to graduate from them.
• Emory University
is dedicated to developing clinical nurse leaders capable of transforming healthcare delivery systems, transforming nursing leadership, and improving patient outcomes. The Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner BSN-to-DNP program at the university involves one-on-one engagement with faculty and includes seventy-three credit hours and 1,080 clinical hours. Students can complete the program in as few as
two and a half years.
• Two of the best BSN-to-DNP Pediatric NP online programs can be found at the
University of Iowa
. Both the Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner offer
three- and four-year plan options.
• The
University of Maryland
offers both Primary and Acute Care BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs online. The programs are designed with working nurses in mind and provide
flexible timeframes with options of three-, four-, and five-year study plans.
• At
Florida International University
, students enrolled in the Pediatric Primary Care BSN-to-DNP online Nurse Practitioner Program are prepared to take on leadership roles as primary care pediatric specialists. The program involves seventy-seven credits, and students can graduate in as few as
ten semesters.
How Much Do Online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Programs Cost?
If you are considering becoming a DNP-Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, one factor that may be of particular interest to you is the cost of the programs. There are many options for financial assistance, including grants, loans, and scholarships. Before financial aid is factored in, BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner online programs cost $20,000 to over $170,000.
The list below provides examples of the cost of some of the programs featured in this article.
• At
Rush University
, the cost of tuition is calculated at a rate of $1,224 per term hour. Both the Acute and Primary Care online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs require students to complete a minimum of sixty-eight term hours. After an offer of admission is made, an academic advisor will review each student's academic portfolio and determine if additional coursework or clinical hours are needed. If no other credits are required, students can expect their tuition to cost
$83,232.
• While students who attend classes on-campus pay different tuition rates, depending on whether they live in the state of Alabama or not, all students in the accredited online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs at the
University of Alabama-Birmingham
are assessed a flat per-credit-hour rate of $656. The university offers Acute and Primary Care PNP options, and students complete at least seventy-nine credit hours in each. The estimated cost of tuition for the programs is approximately
$51,824.
• Baylor University
offers Acute and Primary Care BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs online. The Primary Care BSN-to-DNP pathway requires seventy-five credits to complete, and the Acute Care BSN-to-DNP requires eighty-nine. At a per-credit-hour rate of $1,100, students pay between
$82,500 and $97,900, depending on which program they choose.
• At the
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
, tuition for online BSN-to-DNP programs is determined on a per credit hour rate of $650 for in-state students and $700 for out-of-state students. The Acute Care and Primary Care PNP programs include at least fifty-nine post-BSN credit hours of coursework and 1,000 clinical hours. Tuition costs from $38,350 to $41,300, depending on the student's residence status.
Coursework
When researching online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs, one of the most important things you should review is the curriculum schools offer. Although schools may have some differences in the required classes for the programs, content for Pediatric NP programs covers the same core information. Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs promote the use of evidence-based initiatives and clinical practices to help improve patient outcomes.
The following is a list of a few of the programs featured in this article and examples of some classes included in their curriculum.
• Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
offers some of the best BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner online programs available. Students can choose from a Pediatric Primary Care NP path of study or a Pediatric Dual Primary/Acute Care Nurse Practitioner path.
Pediatric Primary Care Sample Coursework:
◦ Health Promotion and Risk Reduction Across the Lifespan
◦ Diagnostics Skills and Procedures for Advanced Practice Nursing
◦ Analysis and Evaluation of Individual and Population Health
◦ Clinical Data Management
Pediatric Dual Primary/Acute Care Sample Coursework:
◦ Human Growth and Development: Birth Through Adolescence
◦ Clinical Reasoning: Acute Complex Problems with Gender and Behavior Health
◦ Advanced Pediatric Acute Care Topics and Roles
• Graduates of one of the accredited BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner online programs at
Duke University
are awarded both an MSN and a DNP upon completion of their chosen program.
Acute Care-PNP Sample Coursework:
◦ Advanced Practice Nursing: Pediatric Primary Care Essentials
◦ Advanced Practice Nursing in Acute Care Pediatrics
◦ Collaboration, Care Management, and Identity Formation
◦ Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning in Advanced Practice Nursing
Primary Care-PNP Sample Coursework:
◦ Infant, Child, and Adolescent Advanced Development and Behavioral Health
◦ Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan: A conceptual Approach
◦ Advanced Practice Nursing in Primary Care Pediatric Patients
◦ Clinical Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nursing
• The
University of Florida
has options for anyone wishing to pursue a BSN-to-NP Pediatric degree with Primary, Acute, and Dual Primary/Acute Care. The Primary Care and Acute Care PNP paths consist of seventy-seven credit hours, including 1,008 clinical practicum hours. The Dual Primary/Acute PNP path requires students to complete ninety-three credit hours with 1,392 clinical hours.
Primary/Acute Care-PNP Sample Coursework:
◦ Advanced Topics in Pharmacotherapeutics and Genomics
◦ Advanced Acute and Chronic Child Health Nursing
◦ Advanced Pediatric Procedures and Diagnostics
◦ Nursing Informatics and Information Management
Clinical Training
Clinical experiences are excellent opportunities for nurse practitioner students to gain hands-on training while working alongside experienced providers in the field. To achieve doctorate-level nursing competencies, it is recommended that all DNP students have at least 1,000 post-baccalaureate clinical hours.
Here are a few examples of the clinical requirements at some of our featured programs.
• The University of North Carolina School of Nursing
offers a BSN-to-DNP online Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program with a Primary Care focus. Students complete sixty-six to seventy-five credit hours, including advanced practice coursework, leadership, and practice-based inquire coursework, a DNP Project, and a minimum of
1,000 clinical practice hours.
• Students at the
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
can choose from two accredited BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner online programs, the
Primary Care-PNP or
Dual Acute and Primary-PNP. Both program options require students to participate in at least 1,000 clinical hours, six hundred of which involve direct patient care.
• At
Augusta University
, students in the online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program can choose from a
three-year full-time plan or
four-year part-time study plan to accomplish their degree. The curriculum includes seventy-seven credit hours of coursework and 1,167 clinical hours. The clinical hours include one hundred twenty-three lab hours, seven hundred seventy-six direct patient care, and two hundred sixty-eight hours dedicated to the DNP residency.
Admission Requirements
After you have decided to become a pediatric nurse practitioner, the next step is to apply to programs and get accepted. Each college or university determines the admission criteria for their programs, and you will likely find some variation in requirements. General admission criteria remain constant, regardless of the school offering a program. Common standards you may find include the list below.
◦ Must possess a Bachelor of Science in Nursing awarded by a regionally/nationally accredited School of Nursing
◦ Provide letters of professional reference
◦ Submit all college transcripts
◦ Pass a drug test
◦ Submit to a criminal background check
The following are examples of admission criteria at some of the featured programs shared in this article.
• At the
University of Illinois at Chicago
, prospective students can choose between Primary Care or Acute Care accredited BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner online programs.
Admission Requirements:
◦ Have a baccalaureate degree with an upper-division major in nursing from an NLN or CCNE accredited program
◦ Show evidence of a cumulative 3.25-grade point average from their BSN program (Applicants with a GPA less than 3.25 must submit GRE scores for consideration)
• The
University of Kentucky
also offers Pediatric Primary and Acute Care BSN-to-DNP program options.
Admission Requirements:
◦ Undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.3 on a 4.0 grading scale
◦ Clinical nursing experience before beginning the first DNP clinical course
◦ Provide an example of scholarly written work
◦ Submit curriculum vitae or resume
• The
University of Arizona
offers one of our article’s featured online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs for nurses who wish to engage in primary pediatric care. Admission to the program is competitive, and applications are carefully screened.
Admission Requirements:
◦ Provide two letters of professional reference: These should be from professional colleagues such as college faculty or work supervisors.
◦ Submit official transcripts from any post-graduate school previously attended
◦ Demonstrate computer literacy
◦ Have a BSN with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher from the baccalaureate program
FOLLOWING ARE THE 25 BEST ONLINE BSN-TO-DNP PEDIATRIC NURSE PRACTITIONER PROGRAMS IN THE NATION FOR 2024
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner.
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Acute Care and
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner – Primary Care
3. Johns Hopkins University - Baltimore, MD
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and
Pediatric Dual Primary/Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
5. Baylor University - Dallas, TX
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
7. University of Missouri-Columbia - Columbia, MO
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care
8. University of Illinois at Chicago - Chicago, IL
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care and
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner-Primary Care
10. University of Florida - Gainesville, FL
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner ,
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner , and
Dual Pediatric Acute and Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
11. University of Iowa - Iowa City, IA
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care and
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care
12. Rush University Medical Center - Chicago, IL
Concentrations Offered:
Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and
Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care
14. Wayne State University - Detroit, MI
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Acute Care (PNP-AC) and
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner - Primary Care (PNP-PC)
15. University of Tennessee Health Science Center - Memphis, TN
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and
Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
16. Augusta University - Augusta, GA
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
Concentrations Offered:
Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and
Acute and Primary Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
19. University of Nebraska Medical Center - Omaha, NE
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Primary & Acute Care NP
20. University of Maryland - Baltimore, MD
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner and
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
21. University of Arizona - Tucson, AZ
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
22. University of Colorado Denver - Aurora, CO
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Acute Care and
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Primary Care
23. University of Cincinnati - Cincinnati, OH
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner- Primary Care and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner- Acute Care
25. Florida International University - Miami, FL
Concentrations Offered:
Pediatric Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY
Career Opportunities After Graduating with This Degree
After graduating from one of the accredited BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs online, Pediatric NPs have several career opportunities in diverse settings. Pediatric nurse practitioners may work in outpatient clinics, urgent care centers, emergency rooms, surgery centers, Pediatric ICU units, or academia. A few examples of possible jobs and some of the responsibilities that entail include the following.
• Pediatric Nursing Faculty:
Provides classroom instruction and/or clinical supervision for nursing/nurse practitioner students; uses various instructional technologies and materials; selects clinical assignments for students and conducts pre- and post-conferences for clinical days.
• Pediatric Critical Care NP Cardiac:
Provides clinical care to pediatric patients requiring cardiac intensive care; develops, implements, and evaluates care plans for patients in P-CICU to determine progress and response to treatment.
• Nephrology Pediatric Nurse Practitioner:
Manages the care of pediatric patients with kidney disease, including monitoring labs, writing orders, and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment, coordinates care with the multidisciplinary team.
Earning Potential for Graduates of This Degree
As reflected in the chart below, graduates of BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs online earn an average annual salary between $103,297 and $113,417. While these are average incomes,
ZipRecruiter reports some Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (Acute and Primary) earn as much as $159,000 or more. Pediatric NPs who have prior related work experience can often negotiate higher wages. Factors such as the cost of living where the NP is employed, employment setting, and work schedule may also influence one's earning potential.
Type | PNP-PC | PNP-AC |
Per Hour | $54.53 | $49.66 |
Per Month | $9,450 | $8,610 |
Per Year | $113,417 | $103,297 |
(Source: Ziprecruiter.com) |
Job Outlook for Graduates of This Degree
Of all the licensed nurse practitioners in the United States, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners reports that only 4.8 percent are certified in pediatric care. Further, the American Association of Medical Colleges projects a shortage of physicians between 40,000 and 105,000 by 2030. With the anticipated need for healthcare providers and only a small percentage of nurse practitioners specializing in pediatrics, it is easy to assume the job outlook for graduates of Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs, like the accredited BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs online featured in this article, is promising.
The Bottom Line
If you love nursing, enjoy working with children, and aren't afraid of a challenge, becoming a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner may be a great career to consider. The best BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner programs for 2024 offer registered nurses an excellent opportunity to earn a terminal degree and specialize in a field where they can make a difference.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY OUR EXPERT
How much work experience do I need as a nurse before enrolling in a BSN-to-DNP online Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program?
Many colleges or universities that offer BSN-to-DNP online Pediatric NP programs require students to have at least one year of clinical nursing experience before enrolling. As you research different programs, you will find schools may not have the same admission criteria. Therefore, it is always a good idea to confirm with any school that interests you to make sure you are eligible for their program.
If I enroll in an online BSN-to-DNP Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program, will I have to devote more time to study than a traditional on-campus student?
The amount of time you will need to spend studying depends on your learning style and the amount of content you need to learn. Although there is no "exact formula," many nursing instructors advise that students should spend three to four hours studying for each one hour of classroom/online instruction. It is always better to plan a study strategy and stick with it through the duration of the program, rather than waiting until the last minute and trying to cram information, which can be counterproductive.
Darby Faubion BSN, RN
Darby Faubion is a nurse and Allied Health educator with over twenty years' experience. She has assisted in developing curriculum for nursing programs and has instructed students at both community college and university levels.