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This program equips graduates to deliver collaborative, comprehensive care to children and teens facing diverse complex critical, acute, and chronic conditions. They develop into clinical and professional leaders skilled in physical assessment, clinical decision-making, managing intricate disorders, providing culturally sensitive family-centered care, engaging communities, overseeing transitional care, and implementing healthcare policies. Our methodology, applicable across all healthcare environments, emphasizes detailed assessment and incorporation of social health determinants. Distinctively, we provide three specialized study tracks within the Pediatric Acute Care Program, enabling students to focus their graduate studies while maintaining a comprehensive foundation in Pediatric Acute Care. Graduates from any concentration can explore career opportunities across all Pediatric Acute Care fields. The Acute and Chronic Care concentration specifically addresses the needs of children with both acute and chronic conditions, standing out through its dedication to supporting children and families throughout prolonged childhood illnesses. The program's structure and clinical placements are designed to cultivate expertise in managing families through the full spectrum of illness. Clinical training occurs in varied settings including pediatric inpatient units, step-down facilities, emergency rooms, community locations, and outpatient, rehabilitative, and specialty clinics.
All applicants must have completed a BSN at an accredited college or university and a statistics course. Generally speaking, competitive applicants have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their BSN program.
A strong command of the English language is necessary for successful study at Penn. Applicants whose families do not speak English at home, or applicants who have not attended a high school or secondary school where the primary language of instruction is English, are asked to take the TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language, administered by the Educational Testing Service. In the event the TOEFL is not readily accessible, Penn will accept results from the IELTS, the International English Language Testing System.