Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Apply

This program prepares students to provide comprehensive psychiatric mental healthcare to those who are symptomatic in need of psychiatric services. Care continuum sites for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner practice includes ambulatory care settings, acute care, long-term care, and community health facilities.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners provide psychiatric services to children, adolescents, adults as well as mature adults experiencing a continuum of psychiatric illnesses.

▼   Advanced Practice Clinical Skills Intensive

All students in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty are required to attend one* mandatory virtual Clinical Skills Intensive (CSI) during the fall term in which they are registered for CMN 548 and CMN 551. Instruction is provided by the USA Simulation Program.

The PMHNP CSI includes instruction in advanced practice mental health assessment and clinical reasoning practiced in a telemedicine setting with standardized patients. 

Students have the opportunity to request their preferred session on a first come, first serve basis. Simulation will contact students via Jag Mail with information on how to sign-up three months prior to the scheduled dates. 

Please note the dates are for Clinical Skills Intensives only. The track coordinator may provide orientation dates, which are separate from CSI and Simulation.

Psychiatric Mental Health NP Clinical Skills Intensive Dates 

▼   Credentialing

Upon successful completion, students are prepared to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center's (ANCC) Certification Exam for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan). The credential earned with passing the ANCC Certification Exam is PMHNP-BC. Students who enroll in this program must be prepared to work with children, adolescents, and adults to ensure that they are proficiently trained to administer psychiatric care to all ages, genders, and cultures.

▼   Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Curriculum

BSN-MSN students complete all support, MSN core, and MSN specialty courses for a total of 45 credit hours.  The MSN degree must be completed within five years of matriculation.

Curriculum
Requirements:
Support Courses
NU 518 - Advanced Nursing Assessment 3 credit hours
NU 545 - Physio-pathological Basis of Advanced Nursing 3 credit hours
NU 578 - Pharmacology for Advanced Practice Nurses 3 credit hours
MSN Core Courses
NU 607 - Scientific Underpinnings of Advanced Nursing Practice 3 credit hours
NU 608 - Evidence-Based Practice and Quality Improvement in Healthcare 3 credit hours

NU 610 - Healthcare Policy and Finance 3 credit hours

NU 613 - Organizational & Systems Leadership 3 credit hours
Psychiatric Mental Health NP Specialty Courses
CMN 548 - Intro to Psychiatric Mental Health NP 3 credit hours
CMN 551 - Health Promotion/Disease Prevention & Issues for Psychiatric Mental Health NP 2 credit hours
CMN 552 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP I 3 credit hours
CMN 553 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP Practicum I - 180 Clinical Hours 3 credit hours
CMN 554 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP II 3 credit hours
CMN 555 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP Practicum II - 180 Clinical Hours 3 credit hours
CMN 556 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP Practicum III - 240 Clinical Hours 4 credit hours
CMN 557 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP III 3 credit hours
RN to MSN students who are registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in a non-nursing discipline must also complete the following courses.
RN-MSN Courses
NU 506 - Evidence-Based Practice & Informatics for Professional Nurses 4 credit hours
NU 507 - Leadership & Management Roles for Professional Nurses 4 credit hours
NU 508 - Clinical Prevention and Population Health for Professional Nurses 4 credit hours
▼   Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Certification

The University of South Alabama Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program provides the skills necessary for a rewarding career. Graduates are prepared to complete the appropriate national certification exam and may be eligible to apply for licensure to practice as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN).

Contacts

Please feel free to contact Dr. Kirsten Pancione for more information about this specialty: kpancione@southalabama.edu.