Nursing Practice, DNP: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
| 2025-03-01 | - |
| 2026-09-01 | - |
| 2026-03-01 | - |
| 2027-09-01 | - |
| 2027-03-01 | - |
Program Overview
Nursing Practice, DNP: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The Doctor of Nursing Practice program at UWM prepares nurses for the highest academic preparation in clinical nursing. The DNP will prepare practitioners who are able to use their education and expertise in evidence-based practice in providing outstanding care and collaborative leadership to improve clinical care delivery, patient outcomes, and system management.
Overview of the Program
There are three entry options for the Doctor of Nursing (DNP) Practice Program:
- Program for individuals with a bachelor's degree in nursing and a current Registered Nurse license.
- Program for individuals with an advanced practice master's degree in nursing and a current Registered Nurse license.
- Program for individuals with a master of nursing (or equivalent) degree and a current Registered Nurse license.
Admission Requirements
The admission requirements of the DNP program in Nursing are consistent with those requirements specified by the Graduate School of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition, students must also meet the following requirements for the School of Nursing:
- A bachelor's degree or a master's in Nursing from a professionally accredited program, with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (4.0 scale).
- One year of RN experience.
- Completion with a grade of B or higher of an upper-level undergraduate course in statistics within the last five years.
- A current unencumbered Registered Nurse license.
- Three (3) letters of recommendation for graduate study in nursing, two (2) of which are from persons most knowledgeable about the applicant's recent academic and work experiences.
- Completion of a personal statement.
- Current CV or resume.
- Submission of one writing sample.
- Personal interview with a faculty member may be requested.
Credits and Courses
Post Baccalaureate Curriculum
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) is a three-year, full-time, 65-credit post-baccalaureate program, which includes:
- 30 credit hours of core theoretical courses
- An advanced nursing practice core (9 credits)
- A research core (9 credits)
- A systems core (12 credits)
- 27 credits hours of specialty theory and practicum courses
- 8 credits in the DNP Project Core
Course List: | Course List Code | Title | Credits | | --- | --- | --- | | NURS 726 | Advanced Perspectives on Cultural Diversity and Disparities in Health Care | 3 | | NURS 728 | Population Health for Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 | | NURS 735 | Foundations of Scholarly Writing | 3 | | NURS 720 | Biostatistics and Applications for Nursing Practice | 3 | | NURS 725 | Advanced Evidence-Based Practice in Health Care | 3 | | NURS 805 | Implementation Science Methods | 3 | | NURS 750 | Quality Outcomes and Safety | 3 | | NURS 773 | Applied Health Informatics | 3 | | NURS 803 | Health Systems Policy and Economics | 3 | | NURS 804 | Health Systems Leadership | 3 | | NURS 993 | DNP Project I: Plan | 2 | | NURS 994 | DNP Project II: Proposal | 2 | | NURS 995 | DNP Project III: Leadership Practice Immersion 1 | 4 |
Post Generalist Master's Curriculum (MN or equivalent)
The Post Generalist Master's Curriculum is a minimum of 41 credits that builds upon the required entry point of a Generalist Master's in Nursing (MN or equivalent).
Course List: | Course List Code | Title | Credits | | --- | --- | --- | | NURS 726 | Advanced Perspectives on Cultural Diversity and Disparities in Health Care | 3 | | NURS 728 | Population Health for Advanced Practice Nursing | 3 | | NURS 735 | Foundations of Scholarly Writing | 3 | | NURS 804 | Health Systems Leadership | 3 | | NURS 805 | Implementation Science Methods (Evidence Based Practice Core) | 3 | | NURS 993 | DNP Project I: Plan (Project Core) | 2 | | NURS 994 | DNP Project II: Proposal | 2 | | NURS 995 | DNP Project III: Leadership Practice Immersion 1 | 4 |
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Requirements
Course List: | Course List Code | Title | Credits | | --- | --- | --- | | NURS 707 | Advanced Pharmacology and Therapeutics | | | NURS 753 | Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology | | | NURS 754 | Advanced Health Assessment | | | NURS 741 | Psychiatric-Mental Nurse Practitioner Theory I | | | NURS 742 | Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Theory II | | | NURS 743 | Psychiatric Mental Health Theory III | | | NURS 781 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Practicum I | | | NURS 782 | Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Practicum II | | | NURS 783 | Psychiatric Mental Health NP Practicum III | |
Additional Requirements
- Faculty Advisor: The student must have a Faculty Advisor to advise and supervise the student's studies as specified in Graduate School regulations.
- Leadership Practice Immersion: Both the post baccalaureate and post master's curriculum include a 4-credit DNP Project III, an experience that will include the required DNP project.
- Time Limit: Students in the post baccalaureate DNP program must complete all degree requirements within seven years of the first enrollment semester as a degree student. Students in the post master's DNP program must complete all degree requirements within five years of the first enrollment semester as a degree student.
- Minimum Grade Requirement: For continuation in the program, in addition to general Graduate School requirements, students must achieve a minimum grade of B- in all required nursing courses. However, an overall GPA of 3.00 is still required for the degree.
- Residence: The student must meet minimum Graduate School residence requirements.
- DNP Project II: Proposal/Doctoral Preliminary Examination: The student must pass a doctoral preliminary examination to qualify for formal admission to candidacy for degree.
- DNP Project III: Leadership Practice Immersion: The candidate will complete a final comprehensive clinical project as part of the Leadership Practice Immersion experience which demonstrates the ability to implement the principles of evidence-based practice and translation under the direction of the faculty advisor.
Nursing Practice DNP Learning Outcomes
Students graduating from the Nursing Practice, DNP program will be able to:
- Lead, translate and integrate knowledge from nursing and other disciplines, including a foundation in liberal arts, natural and social sciences at the advanced nursing practice specialty level.
- Design, lead, coordinate and evaluate person-centered care that is evidence-based, inclusive and respects patients as full partners in providing compassionate, developmentally appropriate, and culturally safe care at the advanced nursing practice specialty level.
- Lead and evaluate initiatives that advocate for equitable population health outcomes across the healthcare delivery continuum, through engagement with partners, communities, public health, industry, academia, health care, local government entities, and others.
- Generate, synthesize, translate, and disseminate nursing knowledge using a spirit of inquiry to improve health and transform complex health care systems.
- Design, lead, implement, and disseminate quality and safety initiatives using improvement science to enhance outcomes and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.
- Lead interprofessional care teams to facilitate intentional collaboration with patients, families, and community partners, fostering a climate of mutual respect and shared values to enhance the healthcare experience and improve outcomes.
- Direct transformation within complex healthcare system to use resources effectively and provide safe, quality, cost-effective, and equitable care within the advanced nursing practice specialty.
- Use and evaluate healthcare, information, and communication technologies to gather data, inform decision making, provide and document safe care, and drive improvement that aligns with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.
- Cultivate and model a professional identity in alignment with the school of nursing's mission, vision, and values, demonstrating wisdom and ethics for the advanced nursing role and leadership practice.
- Cultivate personal health and resilience, to expand professional identity and leadership competencies through reflective practice and lifelong learning within the advanced nursing practice specialty role.