Post-Masters Diploma: Nurse Practitioner

If you were admitted to the program in 2011 or earlier, use the Cohort 1 regulations.

For PMD:NP student applications admitted between 2012 and 2015, Cohort 2 regulations apply.

Note: For new PMD:NP student applications (January 1, 2016, or later), the new regulations below will apply.

The Post-Masters Diploma: Nurse Practitioner (PMD:NP) is offered by the Centre for Nursing and Health Studies. The program prepares nurses to assume a broader role in the provision of health services to clients of all ages as family nurse practitioners.

PMD: NP Admission Requirements

By the application deadline, applicants for admission to the PMD: NP program must be graduates of a Canadian (or equivalent) masters degree in Nursing from an accredited/recognized university, with a minimum GPA of 3.2 (B) in their masters program.

Applicants must have obtained recently, a minimum of 4,500 verified hours of work experience as a registered nurse prior to application.

Athabasca University MN:ANP and MN:NP graduates are precluded from admission to the PMD:NP.

To calculate your Graduate Admission GPA (the GPA AU will use for your entry into the program), please visit the Graduate Admission GPA page on the Faculty of Health Disciplines website.

PMD: NP Program Requirements

The PMD:NP program is composed of the following 12 courses for a total of 30 credits. Students will write a comprehensive examination upon completion of PMD:NP courses. Students are required to attend a one week on-site component in NURS 518 at their own expense.

Students are required to complete the non-credit Orientation and Introduction to Scholarly Writing Module prior to the completion of NURS 614.

All courses in the PMD:NP stream except NURS 518 are offered in each semester (Fall, Winter, and Spring). NURS 518 is offered in Winter and Spring Session.

NURS 000	Orientation and Introduction to Scholarly Writing	(0)
NURS 614	Foundations of Advanced Practice Nursing	(3)
NURS 516	Pharmacotherapeutics and Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners I	(3)
NURS 517	Pharmacotherapeutics and Pathophysiology for Nurse Practitioners II	(3)
NURS 518	Advanced Health Assessment for Nurse Practitioners	(3)
NURS 522	NP: Women and Men's Health*	(3)
NURS 524	NP: Children's Health*	(3)
NURS 526	NP: Adult Health*	(3)
NURS 528	NP: Older Adult Health*	(3)
NURS 527	NP: Mental Health	(2)
NURS 530	NP: Practice Consolidation*	(3)
NURS 531	Controlled Drugs and Substances for NP Prescribers	(1)

*Clinical Practicum

Each of AU's life-stage courses (NURS 522, 524, 526, 528) requires the completion of 140 hours of on-site clinical practice. NURS 530 requires 180 hours of practice. A clinical practicum must be completed in each life-stage course. Students are expected to identify a Nurse Practitioner or Physician to act as a preceptor for each clinical course. Preceptor requests must be submitted to the Faculty of Health Disciplines six month prior to starting each course.

Note that in some jurisdictions, clinical placement opportunities may be limited. AU cannot guarantee that a placement will be available for the term, and in the place, in which a student wishes to take a clinical course. Students should begin the process of identifying potential clinical sites as early as possible. In some jurisdictions such as Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia, and parts of Nova Scotia, a centralized preceptor request system is used. In those jurisdictions, students should not contact preceptors employed by the Health Authority. To determine whether or not a preceptor should be contacted, please discuss this with the appropriate AU clinical practicum coordinator.