Mental health impacts everyone. Now do your part to improve it.
More than 46 million American adults have a mental health condition. Of those, one in five needs mental health care — that’s 9 million.* Even more concerning is that the rate of youth experiencing a mental health condition continues to rise, and they aren’t receiving proper treatment.
Mental health affects everyone — regardless of race, ethnicity, gender or sexual orientation. Even people who aren’t experiencing a mental health condition are impacted by a friend or family member’s mental illness. Here are a few reasons why 60% of adults and 50% of youth (ages 8 to 15) do not receive mental health services:**
- High cost and insufficient insurance coverage
- Limited options and long waits
- Lack of awareness
- Social stigma
More can be done to provide access to much-needed mental health services. You can start by earning your online Master of Science – Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner degree with UND — one of the few schools in the South Dakota/Minnesota/North Dakota region to offer this program. We’ll prepare you to assess and diagnose mental health issues in diverse patient populations, and provide interventions to assist individuals and families with the treatment of mental health conditions. Through clinical practicum experiences with individual, family and group therapies, you’ll gain the experience you need to achieve certification and help meet the growing need for providers.
*State of Mental Health in America | **Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Complete coursework 100% online
Graduate in as
few as 8 semesters
3 start dates per year — spring, summer or fall
No GMAT/GRE required
Qualify to sit
for the P.M.H.N.P. Certification Exam
Clinical placement assistance provided
What can you learn from UND’s online Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner M.S. program?
Every patient is different, which means every diagnosis is, too. It also means every treatment plan needs to be different. As a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner, it will be up to you to identify risk factors for certain disorders and determine the best way to offer your patients the best treatment for their mental illness symptoms.
By choosing this specialty, you’ll learn how to develop a differential diagnosis, determine the best treatment interventions and evaluate patient progress — all while promoting mental health awareness.
Focus your studies on:
- Making psychiatric diagnoses
- Conducting physical and mental health assessments
- Designing holistic treatment plans
- Prescribing psychotropic medications
- Offering individual, family and group psychotherapy
- Consulting with other health care professionals
- Educating patients, legislators and communities on optimal practices to promote mental health and well-being
Get Certified
By earning your Master of Science degree, you’re eligible to sit for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) certification exam administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
Outcomes, Objectives & Certification
Graduates earn a Master of Science degree and are eligible to sit for the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Across the Lifespan) certification exam administered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
This program meets the educational requirements for licensure in many U.S. States.
Upon completion, you will be able to:
- Integrate knowledge from science, humanities, theory and research into evidence-based advanced nursing practice.
- Utilize knowledge of organizational and systems leadership, quality improvement, health care technologies, and policy to ensure high quality patient care.
- Participate as members and leaders of interprofessional health care teams.
- Apply advanced nursing skills in order to plan, manage and coordinate culturally appropriate health care for patient populations.
What can you do with your Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner M.S. degree?
According to the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 5.4% of the more than 220,000 licensed nurse practitioners across the country specialize in psychiatric-mental health.
Many of them provide specialized intensive mental health services in areas such as substance abuse treatment, forensics, family counseling or specific psychiatric disorders. They also contribute to policy development, quality improvement, practice evaluation and health care reform.
Practice in one of the following settings:
- Private practice
- Mental health facilities
- Domestic violence shelters
- Schools
- Correctional facilities
- Residential substance abuse facilities
UND is recognized for quality and chosen for excellence:
The master’s degree program in nursing and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at the University of North Dakota are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (http://www.ccneaccreditation.org).
Meet Our Faculty
We’re leaders in nursing and would like to help you become one, too. There’s nothing we enjoy more than sharing our holistic approach to nursing and health care advocacy techniques with eager nurses like you. Take advantage of our experience — it can help improve your performance as a nurse.
Timothy Legg, Ph.D., Psy.D., M.S.N., M.P.A., M.Sc. P.M.H.N.P.-B.C., G.N.P.-B.C.
P.M.H.N.P. Track Director, Interim A.G.P.C.N.P. Track Director, and Clinical Assistant Professor
Tim has worked extensively in both inpatient and outpatient psychiatry. His experience encompasses the areas of addictions/dual diagnosis, neurodevelopmental disorders, and geropsychiatric care. He worked for several years in a Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program in upstate New York. He has taught nurse practitioner students for the past 20 years and served on the faculty of the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, where he taught third year medical students in their psychiatry rotation at the Binghamton Clinical Campus, Binghamton, New York.
Tim’s current work includes private practice in the upstate New York area where he works with those who struggle with addictive disorders, dual diagnosis, and a wide variety of psychiatric and mental health issues. He also maintains employed practice with Dr. Matthew Berger, MD, in Moosic, Pennsylvania where he provides psychiatric care and services to individuals with substance use disorders/dual diagnosis as well as those with neurodevelopmental disorders. Tim also offers services to individuals in remote areas of North Dakota via telepsychiatry.
In addition to his clinical work, Tim serves as a member of the editorial board for The Carlat Addiction Treatment Report, a peer-reviewed publication for addictions professionals, and is also a member of the editorial review board for the behavioral health section of the American Journal of Recreation Therapy as well as the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research.
Get to Know UsAdmission Requirements
You’ve decided to earn your advanced degree in nursing, and you’re just a few steps away from completing the application process. Since each online nursing program has its own requirements, take some time to review the ones that apply to our Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner M.S. program.
Review Details“The psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner master’s degree that I earned with UND has given me the flexibility to maintain a more consistent schedule while taking on new responsibilities and earning a higher salary.”
— Amanda Mikhaeil, M.S., R.N.