Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate
Certificate Description
The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate track is designed to be a post-MSN non-degree seeking option for those who do not wish to complete the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). This program is designed for those who already possess, at a minimum, a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), are licensed as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN), hold national certification as a Nurse Practitioner (NP), and wish to become certified as a PMHNP. The curriculum for the program is based on the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials for Doctoral Education for Advanced Practice (2006) and the National Organization for Nursing Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs. The program objectives build upon those for the masters in nursing program.
This program requires 30 credits and 750 clinical hours and will admit its first students for Fall 2021 enrollment. The PMHNP Certificate program is designed to include education and preparation that will assist the student to acquire the advanced knowledge and clinical skills to provide best practices and comprehensive care to clients across the lifespan. The clinical component of this program will focus on the mental health care needs of individuals and families whether in outpatient, inpatient, or private practice settings.
The program currently offers online studies in this track with courses following the traditional full-length semesters. Note that financial aid is not available for the certificate track as it is not a degree program.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students who complete certificate will be able to:
- Implement roles of advanced nursing practice responsive to changing social, economic, political, technological, and environmental conditions
- Develop advanced clinical practice expertise to affect positive health care outcomes with individuals, families, populations, and systems, particularly in rural and underserved areas
- Create an evidence-based strategy in the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of persons across the lifespan with psychiatric disorders
- Implement advanced psychiatric mental health nursing health promotion and prevention of psychopathology with patients with mental illness across the lifespan
- Compare and contrast the effectiveness of various psychopharmacologic agents on symptoms of psychiatric illness
- Use information and communication technologies, resources and principles of learning to teach patients across the lifespan with mental health/ behavioral health issues