DNP Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

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

Upon successful completion, our program allows the student to be eligible 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.

The program does not require a thesis or dissertation; however, students are required to complete an evidence-based scholarly project that results in a quality improvement change and has a substantial effect on healthcare and patient outcomes. Residency requirements for the scholarly project can be completed in the student’s home region with an approved mentor.

BSN-DNP students complete all support, MSN specialty, DNP Core, DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency courses for a total of 69 credit hours. The following DNP core courses are required for the completion of the MSN degree: NU 607, NU 608, NU 610, and NU 613.  Both MSN and DNP degrees must be completed within seven years. The MSN portion must be completed within the first five years of the program.

MSN-DNP students adding a new specialty must complete the support courses if they have not previously completed the courses in their MSN program.  They must complete the specialty courses and support courses, if needed, to complete the Post-Graduate Certificate. The DNP core, DNP Project Planning & Development, and Residency courses are required for completion of the DNP degree.  This program is a total of 60 credit hours or 69 credit hours if support courses are needed. The Post-Graduate Certificate must be completed within two calendar years. The student has seven years to complete both the Post-Graduate Certificate and DNP degree for this program.

MSN-DNP for Advanced Practice Roles must only complete the DNP core, DNP Project Planning & Development, and Residency courses to complete the DNP degree. This is a total of 36 credit hours. The student has a total of seven years to complete the degree requirements.

Curriculum
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
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
DNP 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
NU 611 - Translating Evidence Into Practice Systems 3 credit hours
NU 612 - Clinical Prevention and Population Health 3 credit hours
NU 615 - Quality Improvement and Outcomes Assessment 3 credit hours
NU 616 - Data Management & Decision Making in Complex Healthcare Systems 3 credit hours
Psychiatric Mental Health NP DNP Project Planning & Development and Residency
CMN 604 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP PP&D 3 credit hours
CMN 617 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP Residency I - 180 specialty clinical hours 3 credit hours
CMN 618 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP Residency II - 180 specialty clinical hours 3 credit hours
CMN 619 - Psychiatric Mental Health NP Residency III - 180 specialty clinical hours 3 credit hours

The University of South Alabama Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program provides the skills necessary for a rewarding career. Graduates are eligible and prepared to complete the appropriate national certification exam and apply for licensure to practice as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN). It is the graduate’s responsibility to ensure the program meets the requirements to practice in their selected state or U.S. territory.

• Graduate Readmission