The Byers School of Nursing Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Track allows students to expand their scope of practice by developing expertise in psychiatric and mental health care of individuals across the lifespan. The program includes didactic and clinical experiences which focus on providing care in acute, crisis and chronic conditions including substance abuse disorders. Upon completion of the program students are eligible to sit for the national Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification Exam.

  • Crisis Care: interventions in crisis situations and promoting a respectful environment.
  • Substance Use Disorders: education in a multidisciplinary environment that will enhance the NP’s ability in mental health practice with a holistic, team approach.
  • Pharmaceutical management of clients with psychiatric or mental health disorders.

Students interested in Addiction Certification as an Advanced Practice Nurse may be able to utilize clinical time towards certification through the International Nurses Society on Addictions (IntNSA).

Program Objectives

  • Assess, diagnose and manage psychiatric care of individuals, families and populations across the lifespan at risk for developing or having a diagnosis of mental health disorders.
  • Provide primary mental health care to patients seeking mental health services in a variety of settings.
  • Interact with a variety of clients across the lifespan to provide relationship-based, continuous services for optimal mental health, including prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders and health maintenance.
  • Collaborate with interprofessional colleagues to provide optimal clinical outcomes for clients across the lifespan with mental health  disorders.
  • Develop in the role as advocate regarding policy issues at the local, state, and national levels to reduce health disparities and improve clinical outcomes for populations with mental health  disorders.

Who should consider the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate?

  • Post-master’s nurses with clinical expertise who are seeking a specialization in psychiatric mental health
  • Nurses who are DNP or PhD graduates or students who wish to obtain a specialization in psychiatric mental health

What makes Walsh's Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Program unique?

true

Certificate Academic Guidelines

Admission Policy

Participants enrolled in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate program must comply with The Byers School of Nursing Graduate admission requirements:

  • Minimum 3.0 GPA from an accredited undergraduate institution
  • Official transcript(s) of undergraduate, and all other graduate study, sent directly from the applicant's college(s) or university(ies) to the Walsh University Office of Admissions
  • Current resume
  • A 1000 word essay that will serve as the basis for the admission interview with faculty and be reviewed for writing style and content. It should address the following areas:
    - Academic and career goals and how the Post-Master's Nurse Educator Certificate will help you realize those goals.
    - Personal and professional attributes that will contribute to your success in the program.
    - The essay should be typed in APA format. The essay will be evaluated on both the quality of writing and the congruence between stated goals and those of the program.
  • A current unencumbered Registered Nurse license

Program Delivery

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate program is offered using a distance learning methodology*. Face to face classroom experiences are held at the main campus in North Canton, Ohio in conjunction with online methods.

(Please note that federal financial aid is not offered for this program.)

*Online refers to the definition from the Higher Learning Commission: Distance-delivered courses are those in which all or the vast majority (typically 75% or more) of the instruction and interaction occurs via electronic communication, correspondence, or equivalent mechanisms, with the faculty and students physically separated from each other