The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate program is a nondegree course credit option for nurses with a master’s degree in nursing.¹ This program prepares students as psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners for clients with psychiatric and mental health problems across the lifespan. Nurses are eligible to apply to the California Board of Registered Nursing for certification as a nurse practitioner, and may apply for national PMHNP certification through examination. Note: Students must be admitted to the university before registering for this program (see Admission section below).

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Students may be given transfer credits for previous content completed in a master’s degree program. Students who hold current California certification as a nurse practitioner or nurse midwife, and students who hold a master’s degree in nursing and/or national certification as a clinical nurse specialist (CNS), may challenge or request waiver of the coursework required for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, as appropriate to the student’s current specialty. Petitions for challenge or waiver of courses must be initiated upon admission and approved by the MSN chair. Students must show proof of current nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist certification.

Requirements 

Course List

Code	Title	Units
Advanced Practice Core Courses		14
GNRS 510	Family Theory in Health Care	2
GNRS 513	Advanced Nursing Practice Role	2
GNRS 610	Advanced Pathophysiology	3
GNRS 611	Advanced Pharmacology	3
GNRS 612	Advanced Health Assessment and Diagnostic Reasoning 1	4 (3/1)
Advanced Practice Specialty Courses		29
GNRS 533	Psychiatric Theories across the Life Span	2
GNRS 534	Integrated Psychiatric and Health Assessment across the Life Span	2
GNRS 535	Psychiatric Interventions and Health Promotion across the Life Span	6 (3/3)
GNRS 536	Psychiatric Mental Health Care with Adults and Older Adults	6 (3/3)
GNRS 537	Psychiatric Mental Health Care with Children and Adolescents	6 (3/3)
GNRS 538	Psychiatric Mental Health Care with Selected Populations	5 (2/3)
GNRS 539	Psychopharmacology	2
Total Units		43

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Units in parentheses are classroom/clinical units.

Admission

University graduate admission and program-specific requirements must be met before an application is complete (see Admission to the University). Program-specific application requirements are available online.

International students should contact Graduate and Professional Admissions for application procedures.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this program shall be able to:

1. Articulate a Christian worldview, demonstrating respect for the dignity and uniqueness of others, valuing diversity, and applying spiritual concepts.
2. Engage in scholarly inquiry and critical thinking, including evaluation and application of evidence-based research.
3. Appraise and apply knowledge to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions that promote health and prevent disease.
4. Demonstrate thoughtful analysis of the legal, political, ethical, and/or financial factors impacting healthcare.
5. Use information systems and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, promote quality, mitigate error and support decision-making.
6. Demonstrate the ability to coordinate and collaborate with other health care team professionals.
7. Engage in clinical reasoning, effective communication, and act as change agents to develop professional identity and practice skill.