LSU Health New Orleans prepares pediatric nurse practitioners at the doctoral level only, in both acute care and primary care, with options to combine them or enter post-master’s:
- BSN-DNP – Acute Care
- BSN-DNP – Primary Care
- BSN-DNP – Dual
- Post-Master’s DNP – Acute or Primary Care
LSU Health is the only academic health sciences center in Louisiana offering the primary care pediatric NP concentration, and its acute care concentration was the first in the state; both are supported by Children’s Hospital of New Orleans.
Program Tracks Overview
| Program Name | Est. Tuition | Est. Duration |
|---|---|---|
| BSN-DNP PNP (Acute Care) | ~$78K (resident) | 3 years |
| BSN-DNP PNP (Primary Care) | ~$78K (resident) | 3 years |
| BSN-DNP PNP (Dual Primary + Acute Care) | ~$99K (resident) | 4 years |
| Post-Master’s DNP PNP (Acute or Primary Care) | ~$55K (resident) | ~2 years |
Coursework is campus-based in New Orleans, with DNP core classes meeting on set days (at least six per semester) and practicums scheduled across weekdays, evenings, weekends, and nights.
BSN-DNP PNP
The estimated cost for the BSN-DNP Pediatric Acute Care and Pediatric Primary Care concentrations at LSU Health New Orleans is about $78,000 in tuition for Louisiana residents (91 credits each, three-year full-time plans).
A dual Primary Care + Acute Care plan runs 115 credits over four years (~$99,000 resident) and prepares graduates for both certifications.
DNP Curriculum
Both pediatric concentrations build on a shared DNP and advanced-practice core — organizational and systems leadership, epidemiology, biostatistics, advanced pharmacology and pathophysiology, advanced health assessment, research design, evidence-based practice, health policy, and a three-part scholarly project — then split into population-specific specialty courses.
- Acute Care specialty sequence: Pediatric ACNP I–III (System Management; Critical Illness & Trauma), plus acute care pharmacotherapeutics and acute care diagnostic/therapeutic procedures
- Primary Care specialty sequence: Pediatric Primary Care I–III (Episodic Conditions; Chronic Conditions; Adolescent, Behavioral & Social Health), plus primary care pharmacotherapeutics and primary care procedures
- Shared: Pediatric Primary Care Essentials, Role Transition into NP Practice, and Scholarly Project I–III
- Dual concentration: 115 credits combining both specialty sequences across a four-year plan
More curriculum details are available here.
DNP Clinicals
Each single-concentration BSN-DNP plan includes 1,200 practicum hours; the dual plan includes 1,920. Practicum experiences may be scheduled on weekdays, weekends, evenings, and nights, and the program is anchored by the partnership with Children’s Hospital of New Orleans.
- Acute Care: 1,200 practicum hours
- Primary Care: 1,200 practicum hours
- Dual Primary + Acute Care: 1,920 clinical hours
- Practicum integrated across the pediatric specialty sequence plus Advanced Nursing Practicums I–III
DNP Admissions
Admission uses a holistic review through NursingCAS; the summer application deadline is January 31. Requirements below cover the BSN-DNP concentrations, with the Acute Care experience requirement called out.
- BSN from a regionally accredited institution; nursing credits from a nationally accredited nursing program; minimum 3.0 GPA (undergraduate and graduate)
- Three references (Acute Care: at least one each from a peer, a nurse practitioner, and a nursing supervisor)
- Unencumbered RN license with eligibility for Louisiana licensure; successful interview; $100 application fee
- Acute Care: minimum two years of RN experience in an acute care pediatric setting within the past five years, plus current BLS, ACLS, and PALS
- Primary Care: clinical nursing experience as specified by the concentration
Post-Master’s DNP – Pediatric
For nurses who already hold a graduate nursing degree, LSU Health offers a Post-Master’s DNP (PM-DNP) that adds a new pediatric NP population focus — Acute Care or Primary Care.
The pediatric add-population plan is 65 credits (full-time, ~2 years) at an estimated ~$55,000 in resident tuition. A separate PM-DNP in the student’s existing role and population (minimum 35 credits) is also available.
PM-DNP Curriculum
The 65-credit plan layers the DNP core (leadership, epidemiology, biostatistics, evidence-based practice, health outcomes, health policy, theoretical foundations) over the chosen pediatric specialty sequence — Pediatric ACNP I–III for acute care, or Pediatric Primary Care I–III for primary care — plus the three-part scholarly project and Advanced Nursing Practicums I–III.
- 65 credits full-time (66 for students who started before Summer 2025)
- Adult-certified NPs add Pediatric Primary Care Essentials (5 credits, 120 clinical hours) to the plan
- Clinical hours and the “3 P’s” (advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, health assessment) verified at admission; gaps added to the plan of study
PM-DNP Clinicals
The pediatric add-population plan includes 960 practicum hours. Adult-certified NPs adding the primary care essentials course accrue an additional 120 clinical hours.
PM-DNP Admissions
The application deadline to add a new role or population is March 1. In addition to the chosen concentration’s BSN-DNP criteria, applicants must hold:
- An unencumbered Louisiana RN and APRN license, plus national APRN board certification
- A minimum of one year of full-time NP experience within the year before applying
- A verification of graduate practicum hours and “3 P’s” form, a scholarly writing sample, current resume, three references (including a peer and a current supervisor), BLS, and $100 application fee
Tuition
LSU Health New Orleans bills Doctor of Nursing Practice students by the credit hour — the full-time flat rate that applies to other graduate programs explicitly excludes the DNP.
For 2025–26, resident DNP tuition is $913 per credit hour in the fall and spring and $684 in the summer; with mandatory fees the all-in resident rate is about $973 per credit (fall/spring) and $733 (summer).
Non-residents pay an added fee of roughly $727 per credit (fall/spring) and $545 (summer), pushing the all-in non-resident rate to about $1,700 per credit.
Applied across the term mix of each plan, resident tuition works out to roughly $78,000 for a 91-credit single concentration, ~$99,000 for the 115-credit dual plan, and ~$55,000 for the 65-credit post-master’s plan; non-resident totals run close to double.
See the official tuition page for current rates here.
Research More PNP Programs In Louisiana
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