7 Best Online Post Master’s Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certificate Programs For 2024
Written By: Editorial Staff @ NursingProcess.org
Medical center emergency departments offer medical care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Nurse practitioners who work in hospital emergency rooms are experts in the speedy evaluation and diagnosis of a wide assortment of signs and symptoms, ranging from sore throats, rashes, allergic reactions and other common complaints to chest pain, syncope, traumatic head injuries and other potentially life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
Since they deal with both the ordinary and the extraordinary, emergency NPs must be as well versed in the provision of basic primary care as they are in the rapid diagnosis and management of potentially life-threatening illnesses and injuries. They’re professionals who know how to make decisions quickly as well as how to stay calm in the midst of chaos. Online post master’s certificate emergency nurse practitioner programs are designed for APRNs who are looking for a way to branch out from their family nurse practitioner specialty into the fast-paced world of emergency medicine. Stay on this page to learn more about the seven best online post master’s emergency nurse practitioner certificate programs for 2024.
What Is the Main Purpose of a Post Master’s Certificate Emergency Nurse Practitioner Program?
Online post master’s certificate emergency nurse practitioner programs are designed to give family nurse practitioners additional expertise in the skills needed for successful ER practice. In some ways, the skills necessary for emergency NP certification most resemble a combination of FNP and adult-gerontology acute care advanced practice skills. In addition to providing primary care and managing acute and chronic diseases, however, ENPs need to be able to keep up with the frenetic pace of the typical hospital emergency room.
On average, ENPs interact with 24 patients each shift, and they can’t afford to make diagnosis or treatment mistakes. Thus, much of their specialized training focuses on teaching them the multitasking and prioritization skills that in ER lingo are known as “triage.”
Before
the first ENP program was launched at Vanderbilt University in 2006, family nurse practitioners who wanted to specialize in emergency care had to hone their specialized skillsets through a combination of on-the-job training and continuing education. Some FNPs still prepare for ENP certification by performing
2,000 hours of professional practice in an ER setting and completing 100 hours of continuing education in emergency medicine protocols before they sit for the certification examination given by
the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Increasingly, however, advanced practice nurses are opting to enter the profession by completing either an academic emergency care graduate NP program or a post-graduate NP certificate program.
5 Benefits of Online Post Master’s Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certificate Programs
With an online post master’s ENP certificate program, you won’t have to rearrange your work schedule or your family responsibilities to accommodate a fixed timetable classes. But flexibility is only one of the advantages associated with online post master’s certificate emergency nurse practitioner programs. Here are some others:
1. Accessibility:
You can complete an ENP certificate program from anywhere so long as you have a computer and an internet connection.
2. Cost savings:
Make no mistake. Online post master’s certificate ENP programs come with a hefty price tag. But they’re an investment in your future that’s still considerably less costly than an equivalent graduate nurse practitioner program.
3. Time savings:
Online ENP certificates take far less time to complete than an equivalent graduate nurse practitioner program.
4. Career Advancement:
Even as an FNP, landing a job in an emergency room can be difficult if you don’t have previous experience in the emergency field. Completing one of the best online post master’s certificate emergency nurse practitioner programs lets employers know you’re up to the challenge.
5. Networking opportunities:
Throughout the course of your certificate training, you’ll meet instructors, fellow students and experts in your field who will turn into valuable contacts as the years progress.
How Long Do Online Post Master’s Certificate Emergency Nurse Practitioner Programs Take to Complete?
Online post master’s emergency nurse practitioner certificate programs can take anywhere from two semesters to two years to complete, depending upon whether you’re a fulltime or part-time student. The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston offers a 10-credit ENP certificate training that fulltime students can complete in three semesters. Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, offers a two-semester, 24-credit emergency nurse practitioner training option while the course requirements for the ENP certificate training program offered by Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania range between 15 and 30 credits, and must be completed within two years. The ENP certificate program offered by Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, is 24 months long.
How Much Do Online Post Master’s Certificate Emergency Nurse Practitioner Programs Cost?
Like most nursing post-graduate certificate programs, the best online post master’s emergency nurse practitioner certificate programs are priced on a per-credit basis rather than as a flat rate. When you add it all up, you’ll come out with a set of costs that range from nearly $10,000 to just under $50,000.
Public universities tend to be more affordable than private universities. Tuition and fees for the University of Texas Health Science Center ENP certificate will set you back nearly $9,000 while the equivalent certificate training will set you back $22,489 if you enroll at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona, California; $34,995 at Drexel University; and $47,686 if you enroll at Vanderbilt University. Of course, Vanderbilt University has a 100% pass rate on the national emergency nurse practitioner certification exam, which makes its high tuition a worthwhile investment.
Coursework
In order to qualify for admission into one of the best post master’s emergency nurse practitioner online certificate programs, you must be certified as family nurse practitioner. Many programs also require certifications in
Basic Life Support (BLS),
Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS),
Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) and
Neonatal Advanced Life Support (NALS).
As mentioned previously, in some ways, advanced practice nursing in an emergency room setting synthesizes both FNP and AG-ACNP skills, so the ENP certificate curriculum contains a lot of coursework you might take if you were pursuing an AG-ACNP certificate. These are classes that examine chronic and acute diseases by population and stage of life. Drexel University’s entire curriculum consists of a three-part class entitled “Emergency/Trauma Care Across the Lifespan.”
In addition, you will focus upon aspects of trauma management that are specific to the fast-paced world of the ER as well as upon advanced pharmacotherapeutics. Vanderbilt University offers an “Advanced Health Applications” class that focuses on medical history-taking in the ER and other procedural skills.
Many of the best post master’s emergency nurse practitioner online certificate programs have an onsite learning component. Students at the University of Texas Health Science Center, for example, meet for three to four consecutive days each semester for skills labs. The Western University of Health Sciences sponsors two campus-based intensive seminars during its online ENP program.
Clinical Training
Supervised clinical rotations are an essential part of the best online post master’s certificate ENP programs. Most online post master’s emergency nurse practitioner certificate programs will not admit you without professional emergency department experience, and course practicums are designed to highlight and enhance those experiences.
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston entails 360 clinical hours; these must be performed at a medical center in The Lone Star State since this program does not accept out-of-state residents. Vanderbilt University’s ENP certificate program requires the completion of 420 clinical hours; you can complete your clinical rotation at a hospital close to you, and if you’re currently working in an ED setting, you can complete your rotation at that site, pending university approval. The University of Southern Alabama in Mobile also requires the completion of 420 clinical hours, and before you begin your clinical rotation, you will need to travel to the campus to participate in a two-day clinical skills intensive. Arizona State University’s ENP certificate program calls for 270 supervised hours of direct patient care; if you can’t arrange a clinical rotation in a medical center close to where you live, you’ll have to work in Phoenix.
Admission Requirements
Admission requirements for online post master’s emergency nurse practitioner certificate programs are fairly standard. They include:
• A Bachelor’s in Nursing Science (BSN) degree and either a Master’s in Nursing Science degree (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree.
• Official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate colleges and universities you attended
• A grade point average of 3.0 or higher in all academic work
• Letters of recommendation
• A resume or curriculum vitae
• A goal statement
Most online post master’s certificate ENP programs require a year or more of professional ER experience. Drexel University, though, will allow you to substitute critical care, urgent care or trauma experience for emergency room experience. Drexel University also requires its ENP certificate students to hold Pennsylvania nursing licensure before they begin their clinical rotations.
Most of the best online post master’s certificate emergency nurse practitioner programs also require applicants to be family nurse practitioners before they’re admitted into an ENP training program. Vanderbilt University, however, offers a 36-credit emergency nurse practitioner certificate—in addition to its 24-credit emergency nurse practitioner post-master's certificate for family nurse practitioners—for which you won’t need FNP certification.
In addition to the goal statement, some schools like the University of Arizona’s program also require a more personal admissions essay. After reviewing all applications, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston invites qualified candidates to sit for interviews.
FOLLOWING ARE THE 7 BEST ONLINE POST MASTER’S EMERGENCY NURSE PRACTITIONER CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS FOR 2024
VIEW OUR RANKING METHODOLOGY
Career Opportunities After Completing This Post Master’s Certificate Program
Since emergency nurse practitioners are generalists trained in the provision of primary, urgent and emergency care for patients across those patients’ entire lifespans, you’ll find ENPs in a variety of ambulatory, urgent, and emergent care settings. ENPs see a higher number of patients per shift than other advanced practice nurse practitioners, and they also prescribe a greater number of prescriptions—although depending upon the laws of the state in which they practice, they may have to do so under a physician’s supervision. You’ll find ENPs working most often in hospitals, trauma centers, urgent care facilities and ambulatory transport teams as flight nurses.
Average Salary
On average, emergency nurse practitioners earn $98,000 a year, which means they make a little over $47 an hour or approximately $8,200 a month. ENPs working in Alaska, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the suburbs around Boston and Seattle
earn the highest salaries.
Pay Hour | $47.13 |
Per Month | $8,170 |
Per Year | $98,020 |
(Source: payscale.com) |
Job Outlook
Nearly half of all medical care in the nation is delivered in emergency rooms or urgent care settings, yet
emergency room doctors comprise only five percent of physicians practicing in the U.S. Emergency nurse practitioners have the ideal skill set to help take up the slack. ENPs receive specialized training in primary care, urgent care and emergency care, and this makes them cost-effective physician substitutes. Currently, there are
nearly 14,000 emergency nurse practitioners working in various capacities across the nation, and the demand for these professionals will almost certainly continue to grow.
Conclusion
It takes a special kind of person to be an emergency nurse practitioner. You have to be someone who’s a whiz at multi-tasking, who thrives in a fast-paced environment and who can focus even in the midst of chaotic-seeming surroundings. If this describes you, and you’ve always wanted to work in an emergency setting, then the best online post master’s emergency nurse practitioner certificate programs for 2024 can be a gateway to exciting new professional opportunities.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY OUR EXPERT
1. Is a post-master’s ENP certificate the only avenue to certification as an emergency nurse practitioner?
No. The AANPCB will allow you to sit for the emergency nurse practitioner certification exam if you have a current, unencumbered RN license, and you’ve satisfied any one of the following three options:
o At least 2,000 hours of direct patient care within the past five years as a family nurse practitioner in an emergency care setting plus 100 hours of continuing education units (and at least 30 of those units must focus on procedural skills)
o Completion of an emergency nursing fellowship program
o Completion of a graduate or post-graduate emergency nursing program.
Of course, you must pass the certification exam and comply with pertinent ENP regulations within the state in which you hope to practice before you can get certified.
2. What’s the emergency nurse practitioner exam like?
The ENP exam contains 150 multiple choice questions on specific pathological conditions, patient management and professional, legal and ethical considerations.
3. Is an MSN degree program that offers an emergency specialization the same as a post-master’s ENP certificate?
There aren’t very many master’s degree programs that focus primarily on emergency care. The few that exist tend to be dual family nurse practitioner/adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner programs that offer a few additional classes in triage, assessment and pharmacology. On the whole, certificate training may be more streamlined to the learning needs of the prospective ENP.