Nov 06, 2024  
CURRENT 2024-2025 Graduate Catalog 
    
CURRENT 2024-2025 Graduate Catalog

Primary Care Certificate


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Total number of hours for the program: 12.

The WCU Primary Care Certificate program is designed to support and develop baccalaureate-prepared registered nurses for practice in primary care settings. The competency-based program includes online didactic training modules, high-fidelity virtual simulation experiences, and practicum-focused projects to support development of competencies for nursing practice.

Program Competencies:

1. Engage in effective collaboration with healthcare team members and clients to support team-based, integrated delivery of primary care services.

2. Conduct holistic assessment to include impact of social determinants of health, psychosocial and mental well-being, along with acute and chronic disease processes and the human response.

3. Utilize critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills to provide safe, compassionate, and high quality nursing care to clients and their families in the primary care setting.

4. Manage primary care service delivery to clients across spheres of care (health promotion, disease prevention, and management, restorative and palliative supportive care) and stages of the lifespan.

5. Integrate research and best practice with clinical expertise and a client’s own unique values and circumstances to support evidence-based care.

6. Support population health, care transitions, and client care management and to promote safe provision of care and positive patient and practice outcomes.

7. Examine healthcare financing and its impact on client care provision, practice outcomes, and nursing practice in the primary care setting.

8. Advocates for the nursing roles in primary care that support practices to the full licensed scope of BSN-RN.

9. Supports valuable teaching and learning experiences for learners to role model safe client care using evidence-based practice.

Primary Care Certificate Purpose and Goals


This certificate will prepare baccalaureate nurses to function at the highest level of their license in all aspects of inter-professional primary care. Nurses will be prepared to function as leaders and educators providing excellent care in patient-centered health maintenance, prevention of illness, chronic disease management, triage, case management, quality metrics and population health.

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