Curriculum Plan - PMHNP

This program is for registered nurses who completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and desire to complete a Doctor of Nursing Practice with the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner specialty. A student completing this specialty track will be prepared to meet requirements to take the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board. 

Full-Time Curriculum Plan

Semester 1 – Fall

  • NUR 603: Advanced Physiology/Pathophysiology, 3 hours
  • NUR 607: Advanced Pharmacology, 3 hours
  • NUR 730: Transition to the Practice Doctorate, 2 hours
  • NUR 731: Clinical Epidemiology, 3 hours

Total semester credit hours: 11

Semester 2 – Spring

  • NUR 732: Population Health, 3 hours
  • NUR 734: Health Care Economics and Finance, 3 hours
  • NUR 739: Health Care Policy, 3 hours

Total semester credit hours: 9

Semester 3 – Summer

  • NUR 675: Statistics for the Behavioral and Clinical Sciences, 3 hours
  • NUR 735: Informatics and Patient Care Technology, 3 hours

Total semester credit hours: 6

Semester 4 – Fall

  • NUR 602: Advanced Health Assessment, 3 hours
  • NUR 649: Role and Scope of the APRN, 1 hour
  • NUR 680: Management of Psych-Mental Health I, 4 hours
  • NUR 728: Theoretical Foundations for Advanced Nursing Practice, 3 hours

Total semester credit hours: 11

Semester 5 – Spring

  • NUR 681: Management of Psych-Mental Health II, 2 hours
  • NUR 687: Psychopharmacology, 3 hours
  • NUR 733: Evidence Appraisal, 3 hours
  • NUR 783: Psych-Mental Health Practicum I for the DNP (180 practicum hours), 3 hours

Total semester credit hours: 11

Semester 6 – Summer

  • NUR 679: Common Medical Conditions for the PMHNP, 1 hour
  • NUR 682: Management of Psych-Mental Health III, 3 hours
  • NUR 729: DNP Project Development, 1 hour
  • NUR 736: Outcomes Measurement and Program Evaluation, 3 hours
  • NUR 784: Psych-Mental Health Practicum II for the DNP (180 practicum hours), 3 hours

Total semester credit hours: 11

Semester 7 – Fall

  • NUR 628: Synthesis of Advanced Nursing Practice, 1 hour
  • NUR 650: Interprofessional Leadership & Practice Excellence for the Advanced Practice Provider, 2 hours
  • NUR 738: Organizational and Systems Leadership (60 immersion hours), 3 hours
  • NUR 740A: DNP Immersion (60 immersion hours), 1 hour
  • NUR 785: Psych-Mental Health Practicum III for the DNP (180 practicum hours), 3 hours

Total semester credit hours: 10

Semester 8 – Spring

  • NUR 740B: DNP Immersion (120 immersion hours), 2 hours
  • NUR 741: Advancing Nursing Practice, 2 hours
  • NUR 786: Psych-Mental Health Practicum IV for the DNP (240 practicum hours), 4 hours

Total semester credit hours: 8

Total course hours: 77
Total practicum hours: 780
Total immersion hours: 240
Total post-baccalaureate practice hours: 1,020

For practicum courses, the ratio of credit hours to clinical practice is 1:4.