Nurse Practitioner Track: Adult Psychiatric/Mental Health

The program of study is based on a bio-psychosocial model of care. It includes the study and application of diagnostic and treatment modalities, and theories and approaches to practice. Students also learn collaborative skills to work with other healthcare professionals to provide mental healthcare services. Graduates practice in a wide variety of settings, as this program enables them to provide direct (assessment, intervention) and indirect (consultation, case management, and supervision) advanced practice services to individuals who are at risk and those who need mental health services.

The online Adult Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program is a high-quality program that demands a major commitment of time by the advanced practice nursing student. Because students are being educated to diagnose and treat patients, the master’s program was designed to combine the convenience of online learning with the necessary rigor to become a competent and confident advanced practice nurse upon graduation.

you will be well prepared to provide a wide range of mental health services to the adult population ages 13 and up.

While the majority of the track is online, students are required to be on campus every quarter starting with NURS 550 the Advanced Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning course and throughout all clinical practicum courses including NURS 592, 593, 594 and 595. When students come to campus they participate in simulated clinical learning experiences conducted in our new state of the art multidisciplinary patient simulation lab. Because students are being educated to diagnose and treat patients, the master’s program was designed to combine the convenience of online learning with the necessary rigor to become a competent and confident advanced practice nurse on graduation.

Upon completion of the program, students are eligible for Adult Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification through ANCC.

Key Program Features

• Synchronous online lectures are offered in a highly interactive, e-learning method that challenges and engages students.
• Clinically active faculty with national board certification.
• Mandatory on-campus visits:
  • Year 2 fall quarter mandatory track orientation - 1/2 day.
  • NURS 550 – Advanced Physical Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning. Students are required to come to campus for up to 6 days — 3 days for midpoint review and skills evaluation and for a 3 day final re-demonstration of the physical examination. Please note, students are required to attend the clinical orientation day.  
  • NURS 592 PMHNP I – Summer Residency 5 days.
  • NURS 593 PMHNP II – Fall Simulation Experience 2 days.
  • NURS 594 PMHNP III – Winter Simulation Experience 2 days.
  • NURS 595 PMHNP IV – Spring Residency – 5 days.

This is a 55-credit graduate track with a 640 clinical hour requirement. Clinical practicum courses consist of two parts; didactic lectures and clinical practicum rotations that run concurrently. The didactic lectures are held once a week online for three hours. Each clinical practicum course has a required 160 total clinical hours. Students typically complete two eight hour clinical days each week (no weekends or evening hours).