PNP Acute Care Programs

Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP-AC) programs prepare advanced practice nurses to care for infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with acute, complex, critical, and chronic illnesses.

Unlike Primary Care PNP programs, Acute Care pathways emphasize hospital-based and specialty practice settings, where students develop advanced skills in managing unstable or medically complex pediatric patients.

Is Acute Care PNP Right for You?

  • Interested in hospital-based pediatric care
  • Want to work in PICUs, emergency departments, or specialty inpatient services
  • Enjoy caring for critically ill or medically complex children

Below is a comparison of Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner programs, including tuition, educational pathways, delivery format, and school details.

School Location Est. Cost Per Credit Pathway Delivery
University of South Alabama Mobile, AL 594 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Mostly Online
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Little Rock, AR $525 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP Mostly Online
Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA $1,000 CPC BSN-DNP Mostly Online
University of California, San Francisco San Francisco, CA $2,395 CPC BSN-DNP Mostly Online
CU Anschutz Aurora, CO $801 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP Mostly Online
Yale University New Haven, CT $2,071 CPC CERTIFICATE, RN-MSN, BSN-MSN Campus
University of Florida Gainesville, FL $531 CPC BSN-DNP Mostly Online
University of Iowa Iowa City, IA $1,191 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Hybrid
University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL $1,129 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-DNP Hybrid
University of Louisville Louisville, KY $750 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Online
University of Kentucky Lexington, KY $1,103 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-DNP Mostly Online
LSU Health New Orleans New Orleans, LA $913 CPC BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Campus
Northeastern University Boston, MA $1,946 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN Campus
University of Maryland Baltimore, MD $926 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Hybrid
Johns Hopkins Baltimore, MD $2,098 CPC BSN-DNP Mostly Online
Wayne State University Detroit, MI 1,136.03 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Hybrid
University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO $803 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Mostly Online
University of Missouri-St. Louis St. Louis, MO $548 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-DNP, MSN-DNP Mostly Online
Duke University Durham, NC $2,345 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN Mostly Online
Rutgers University Newark, NJ $902 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-DNP Online
NYU New York, NY $1,800 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP Campus
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY $471 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP Online
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH $2,384 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN Mostly Online
Wright State University Dayton, OH $680 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN Mostly Online
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA $2,387 CPC BSN-MSN Campus
Drexel University Philadelphia, PA CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN Mostly Online
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Lubbock, TX $280 CPC BSN-MSN Mostly Online
University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX $581 CPC BSN-DNP Campus
University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX $654 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN Online
University of Washington Seattle, WA $1,062 CPC CERTIFICATE, BSN-MSN, BSN-DNP Campus