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Nursing students participating in disaster drill.

Emergency Trauma Care

Learn to care for patients in fast-paced emergency departments through Texas’ only Emergency Nurse Practitioner specialty track at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston.

Two Pathways to Emergency/Trauma Care Education


Concurrent Enrollment – Students in the last semester of Cizik School of Nursing’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) specialty track may request admission to the Emergency/Trauma Care (ETC) concentration. The ETC didactic courses are taken concurrently with the other FNP courses. The ETC clinical component will be taken the semester after graduation from the FNP track. 

Post-graduate Completion – FNPs may apply to the ETC track on a post-graduate basis. Upon completion, students will receive a recognition of achievement issued from Cizik School of Nursing. A transcript noting the courses taken will also be available.


Emergency/Trauma Care Specialty Track at a Glance

UTHealth Houston has been leading the way in ENP education since 1994. Students from across Texas learn to assess and care for patients in emergency departments and acute ambulatory care settings, including high-acuity presentations such as resuscitative trauma and chronic disease exacerbation.

When you graduate, you will be eligible to take the Emergency Nurse Practitioner certification examination offered by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB).

Admit Terms

Spring and Fall

Track Length

2-3 semesters

Credit Requirements

10

Educational Mode

Mostly online with some in-person requirements

Academic Program

Post-graduate only

Excellence meets affordability

High-value option

Future Emergency Nurse Practitioners

Family Nurse Practitioner students Laurie Martin and Dalila Garcia discuss how the Emergency/Trauma Care track at Cizik School of Nursing at UTHealth Houston is preparing them to better serve patients in their communities.

Flexible, Online Emergency/Trauma Care Education

emergency trauma card

Students from all over Texas study remotely to become Emergency Nurse Practitioners through Cizik School of Nursing’s ETC specialty track. They also get to know faculty and build relationships through on-campus didactic instruction three or four consecutive days each semester. 

(Note: Students must physically reside in Texas before the first day of class.)

Students in the San Antonio area (pictured here) also have the option of completing some of their coursework locally through a partnership with UT Health San Antonio.

Meet our Track Coordinator

Excellence at Cizik School of Nursing begins with our outstanding faculty, like Professor Elda Ramirez, PhD, RN, FNP-BC, ENP-BC, FAANP, FAEN. Dr. Ramirez has been preparing students to care for patients in emergency departments for more than two decades. She continues to practice at Houston-area hospitals.

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Careers in Emergency/Trauma Care

Completion of the ETC concentration open doors to emergency departments, urgent care centers and fast-paced primary care settings in urban and rural areas. 

Learn by Doing

Each year, Cizik School of Nursing stages a realistic, interprofessional mass casualty drill in collaboration with the Houston Fire Department and other UTHealth Houston schools.


Sample Curriculum

Review the program requirements for the Emergency Nurse Practitioner track.


Apply Today

Concurrent Enrollment – If you are a currently enrolled FNP student who is interested in the Emergency Nurse Practitioner specialty, please speak to your advisor and contact Professor Elda Ramirez for application details.

Post-Graduate Completion – Family Nurse Practitioners seeking admission to the nondegree post-graduate program must meet the minimum admission requirements and submit the online application.