Program Overview

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Program, PMHNP

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program is a 49-credit master of science program for registered nurses with a bachelor of science degree in Nursing and one year of psychiatric mental health nursing experience.

Overview

The Lienhard School of Nursing uses a primary health care and lifespan focus to prepare students for advanced practice in psychiatric mental health nursing. Students are prepared to practice in various settings, including communities, private practice, institutional settings, substance abuse settings, and shelters. The program provides health promotion, disease prevention, assessment, and treatment of psychiatric diseases and disorders across the lifespan, with particular attention to health disparities and the care of vulnerable populations.

Curriculum

The program includes a unique blend of online synchronous classes and asynchronous coursework, and individually precepted clinical practicum hours in diverse psychiatric mental health care settings. The curriculum covers:

• Health promotion, disease prevention, assessment, and treatment of psychiatric diseases and disorders
• Strategies such as treatment, medication management, case management, individual, family, and group therapy
• Preparation for delivering evidence-based, equitable person-centered, primary healthcare to individuals within the context of family and community

Program Requirements

The program meets requirements for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification for both the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) certifying organizations. Pace offers a certificate of advanced graduate study for master's-prepared nurses who wish to pursue psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner studies, as well as nurse practitioners who wish to expand their practice through psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner education and certification.

Course List

The following courses are required for the program:

• Nursing Common Core:
  • NURS 811: Foundations for Advanced Practice Nursing (3 credits)
  • NURS 812: Systems-Based Practice for Advanced Nursing (3 credits)
  • NURS 813: Advanced Nursing in Primary Health Care (3 credits)
  • NURS 814: Scholarly Inquiry in Evidence-Based Advanced Nursing Practice (3 credits)
  • NURS 640: Advanced Physical Assessment Across the Lifespan (3 credits)
  • NURS 681: Pathophysiology For Advanced Practice Nursing (3 credits)
  • NURS 682: Clinical Pharmacology for Prescribing Advanced Practice Nursing (3 credits)
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Specialization:
  • NURS 629: Psychopharmacology in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing (3 credits)
  • NURS 648: Diagnostic Reasoning for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (3 credits)
  • NURS 781: Advanced Theory and Practice I for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (4 credits)
  • NURS 782: Advanced Theory and Practice II for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (6 credits)
  • NURS 783: Advanced Theory and Practice III for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (6 credits)
  • NURS 784: Advanced Theory and Practice IV for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (6 credits) Total credits for master's degree conferral: 49 credits (including 760 supervised clinical hours)