Overview
The Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AG ACNP) specialty remains the only one of its kind in Northern California. The specialty enables training within a diversity of hospitalized patient practice settings, such as but not limited to, internal medicine, transplant, cardiology, neurosurgical, oncology, trauma, intensive care, and emergency department.
The AG ACNP can legally diagnose and treat adult patients with complex medical conditions. In addition, AG ACNPs provide direct patient management from admission to discharge in collaboration with the physician and other members of the health care team. AG ACNPs may also continue to monitor the patient as the patient moves into the outpatient setting to ensure successful transition after discharge and complete resolution of transition needs.
The application for fall 2026 is now closed. The application for fall 2027 will open in September 2026.
Certifications
Upon completion of the specialty, students will be eligible to apply for national certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN).
Curriculum
Current students can visit the SON Learner Resources Wiki to access the curriculum (MyAccess credentials required).
For individuals applying for admission for fall 2027, the sample curriculum for the BSN Entry to DNP — Advanced Nursing Focus pathway can be viewed on our Curriculum webpage.
Practice Experience Requirement
Applicants to the UCSF AG ACNP specialty are required to have a minimum of two years of RN inpatient clinical practice experience. Review our Application Requirements webpage for a full list of admissions requirements.
Faculty
Dawn Troeger, PhD, MSN-Ed, ACNP-BC, associate professor — Special Coordinator
Rosalie D. Bravo, MS, RN, ACNP-BC, professor emerita
Alonya Elgrably, DNP, ACNP-BC, associate clinical professor
Roxanne Garbez, PhD, RN, ACNP, professor emerita
Sean Lewandowski, DNP, ACNP-BC, assistant clinical professor
Denise Li, PhD, RN, AGACNP-BC, clinical professor
Andrea Saito, DNP, MS, ACNP-BC, associate professor
Scott Weyland, DNP, ACNP-BC, assistant clinical professor
Carla Wittenberg, DNP, ACNP-BC, assistant clinical professor
Contact Us
Specialty Coordinator: Dawn Troeger, PhD, MSN-Ed, ACNP-BC
[email protected]
Students Advance Critical Care Skills Through Invasive Procedures Workshop
Students in the AG ACNP specialty participated in an advanced invasive skills workshop designed to strengthen procedural competency and clinical decision-making in high-acuity patient care settings.
“Through deliberate practice and expert feedback, students gain valuable experience that bridges classroom learning and clinical practice," says Alondra Elgrably, DNP, MSN, ACNP-BC.