Master of Science in Nursing - Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (MSN-PMHNP)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program is a hybrid master’s degree that prepares post-baccalaureate registered nurses to provide high quality psychiatric and mental health care for patients across the lifespan in a variety of settings.  Graduates of this program will be prepared to work in a rapidly changing field of mental healthcare to provide effective care using evidence-based practice to a growing population with mental and behavioral health needs. 

The MSN-Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program is a 40-credit hour lockstep program in which registered nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree advance their skills to the entry level for certification as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and apply for licensure as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.  Instruction will be an online format with required on campus learning intensives typically scheduled two times per semester at the St. David’s School of Nursing in Round Rock. The on-campus learning intensives augment the online course work and allow assessment of students to ensure that advanced level competencies have been met.

Faculty facilitate practicum course work online and during the on-campus intensives through skills labs and simulations; however, required clinical hours will be spent with individual preceptors in a clinical setting. The curriculum requires students to log 605 clinical clock hours as a combination of on-campus clinical experiences and hours with a preceptor over the course of the program.  Graduates are qualified to apply to sit for the following certification examinations:

• American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Certification Exam (PMHNP)

The MSN-PMHNP program is offered as a full-time or part-time track, allowing students to determine how best to manage school, work, and lifestyle. Either option is a 40-hour lockstep program, requiring specific sequencing in courses. Students in the full-time or part-time tracks are required to be advised before each semester by a graduate advisor.

NOTICES

Our Master of Science in Nursing and Post Graduate Certificate Nurse Practitioner Programs meet the educational requirements for national certification in all states. Some states have unique regulatory requirements that are found on the NCSBN website. As a result of the varied requirements by state, we have elected to only accept students into our programs who reside in and hold a license to practice as a Registered Nurse in Texas.