Greenville, N.C. – Five ECU Health team members are among the first graduates from East Carolina University School of Nursing’s Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (AGACNP) program, a post-graduate certificate program that prepares specialized nurse practitioners to care for senior patients in acute care settings across North Carolina. The five ECU Health providers are Charlsie Woodard, Hunter Venters, Rachel Ferrell, Richa Dhungana and Angela Jones.
“As we continue to see the aging population grow nationwide, ensuring nurses at ECU Health and across the state have access to specialized training will continue to be a priority for ECU Health,” said Dr. Trish Baise, chief nursing executive, ECU Health. “Programs like this ensure our teams are prepared to deliver high-quality, specialized care close to home. We are grateful for our strong partnership with ECU, which continues to strengthen our workforce and elevate care across the region.”
The AGACNP certificate further prepares APRNs to deliver specialized acute and critical care services across a variety of settings including emergency departments, inpatient acute care units and intensive care units.
“Expanding the number of AGACNP-prepared providers helps address critical workforce shortages in these high-demand areas while strengthening access to specialty and acute care services for the rural and underserved populations of eastern North Carolina,” said Elaine Cudnik, executive director, Women’s and Children’s Advanced Clinical Practice, ECU Health. “By developing a highly qualified acute care workforce locally, ECU is helping to improve healthcare access, reduce disparities, and ensure that patients can receive timely, high-quality care closer to home.”
This program was established through ECU Health and ECU’s College of Nursing. ECU Health previously developed pathways for the development of the future of nursing care in eastern North Carolina with the establishment of an academic practice partnership, seeded by a $1.5 million investment from ECU Health over five years. This investment has provided the ECU College of Nursing with the opportunity to expand faculty and resources to support students in the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner post-master’s certificate program and the development of the Doctor of Nursing Practice in AGACNP. Four graduates were granted financial support through the ECU Health Foundation. Dr. Kristie Hertel, serves in a dual role as an ECU Health trauma nurse practitioner and the AGACNP program director.
Jones, FNP, an Emergency Department Nurse Practitioner at ECU Health Bertie Hospital, also completed the program. Jones’ participation was not funded through the ECU Health Foundation’s tuition assistance program.
The program welcomed its first cohort in Spring 2025 and is designed to address the growing demand for acute care and gerontology services. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, nearly 18% of North Carolina’s population is 65 or older. The program ensures alignment with the Licensure, Accreditation, Certification and Education model as well as the Advanced Practiced Registered Nurse (APRN) Consensus Model by providing formal education preparation that matches the APRN’s population focus and practice setting. The additional certification supports regulatory compliance and ensures APRNs have the tools to practice to the full extent of their education, training and licensure in acute and complex care environments.
“We truly value the strong partnership between ECU Health and the College of Nursing to address the shortage of advanced practice nurses health care workers nationwide,” said Dr. Julie Linder, chair of the ECU College of Nursing’s Department of Advanced Nursing Practice and Education. “Collaborating within an academic health system lets nurses receive high-quality training they can carry forward into their work in specialized communities.”
