This course allows the graduate pediatric nursing student to collaborate with other health care disciplines and incorporate clinical decision- making into the care and management of the child with complex, acute/critical illnesses seen in the acute care setting. Current evidence and practice guidelines will be integrated into the management of acute illnesses commonly seen in children (birth to 21 years). The role of the AC-PNP will be integrated into health restoration strategies in various acute clinical settings. Focus will be given to the synthesis of knowledge obtained from nursing, medicine, pharmacology and the social/behavioral sciences and its incorporation into the framework of advanced practice nursing. Developmental, pathophysiologic, cognitive, behavioral, and psychosocial concepts will be applied in assessing children using a variety of modalities integrating current research and evidence-based findings into clinical practice.