Psychiatric Mental Health in Nursing Nurse Practitioner

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.

*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 or group psychotherapy
Consulting with other health care professionals
Educating patients, legislators and communities on optimal practices to promote mental health and well-being

Explore Your Courses

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).

Master’s Degree Program Outcomes

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.

P.M.H.N.P. Track Objectives

Building upon the Master’s Degree Program Outcomes, upon completion you will be able to:

Integrate theories, research, and experiential knowledge into advanced psychiatric mental health (PMHNP) nursing practice.
Demonstrate advanced practice skills in the provision of mental health care for persons across the lifespan.
Assume the roles and behaviors of an PMHNP primary care provider using research, leadership/management, and teaching strategies.
Demonstrate unique roles of an PMHNP while collaborating within an interdisciplinary team.
Apply ethical reasoning skills and legal standards to PMHNP practice.
Contribute to the development of psychiatric mental health policy, nursing practice, and the profession.

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

Learn About Careers

UND is recognized for quality and chosen for excellence:

University of North Dakota is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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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.

Get to Know Us

Admission 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.

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (M.S.)