College launches new Emergency Nurse Practitioner Program

Auburn University’s College of Nursing is launching its post-graduate Emergency Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program to help meet the needs of preparing highly skilled and specially equipped nurse practitioners to serve specifically in emergency department settings. Classes in the new program are set to begin this fall.

Because traditional nurse practitioner education does not fully prepare graduates for the demands of emergency care, the Emergency Nurse Practitioner, or ENP, certificate is designed to bridge the gap. It will equip nurse practitioners with advanced clinical judgment, procedural skills, and confidence needed to deliver safe, high-quality care in fast-paced, high-acuity settings.

Auburn’s ENP certificate builds on its family nurse practitioner curriculum. The program requires 15 hours of coursework and 390 clinical hours. Students who complete the requirements will be equipped with advanced clinical decision-making skills, procedural competencies, and leadership capabilities essential for practice in urgent, emergent, and critical care settings.

Rachel Cody, assistant clinical professor in Auburn’s College of Nursing, drew upon her many years of experience working as an emergency nurse practitioner when creating the program.

“I am truly thrilled to bring the ENP certificate program to Auburn,” said Cody, who will serve as the program’s coordinator. “Throughout my own career in emergency and trauma care, I’ve seen firsthand how challenging and unpredictable this environment can be. That experience is what drove the development of this program.

“At Auburn, we are deeply committed to relationship-rich, intentional education that not only prepares clinicians for practice, but also develops leaders in emergency care who are ready to make a meaningful impact in their communities,” Cody said.

The program’s flexible, hybrid format is designed to meet the needs of working professionals by combining online education with essential hands-on training through on-campus intensives. These intensives are designed to ensure students are prepared for working in emergency clinical settings by providing procedural skills training and validation; simulation-based learning for high-acuity scenarios; faculty-guided application of clinical decision-making; and opportunities for collaboration and professional connection.

“Auburn is excited to offer the Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification for family nurse practitioners who wish to expand their practice in emergency care through dedicated faculty and hands-on learning in our accredited EAGLES Simulation Center,” said Caralise Hunt, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and St. Francis-Emory Healthcare Professor in Auburn’s College of Nursing.

“Many of our nursing graduates begin their careers in emergency departments, and we are proud to invite them home while also welcoming graduates from other programs to experience what it means to become an Auburn nurse. Delivered online with meaningful on-campus intensives, the program offers rigorous preparation while fostering the strong sense of connection and community that defines the Auburn family.”

Applications for the ENP certificate program will be accepted through June 1 and may be accessed online at nursing.auburn.edu. For more information, email ENP program coordinator Rachel Cody at Rachel.cody@auburn.edu.