Post Master’s Certificate, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
The Post Master’s Certificate, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certificate program prepares advanced practice nurses to manage the care of individuals and families across the lifespan. The Post Master’s PMHNP Track is designed for nurses holding master’s degrees who are interested in completing the course requirements for a post-master’s certificate. Graduates of this program are eligible to sit for the PMHNP national certification examinations through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to earn the PMHNP-BC credential.
Role and Qualifications
The PMHNP is the advanced practice nurse generalist, and graduates of this track assume responsibility for the provision of healthcare in the areas of mental health promotion, disease prevention, and clinical management of mental health conditions. The PMHNP develops collaborative relationships with other healthcare providers, designs and implements the plan of care, and is accountable for improving clinical outcomes and care processes in a quality, cost-effective manner. The emphasis of this program is on meeting the healthcare needs of underserved populations.
Curriculum
The 47-credit Post Master’s Certificate, which is completed through precepted clinical settings, provides a flexible, executive-education format in which the theoretical content of all courses is taught in one weekend sessions per month each semester (4 days). The remainder of each semester is taught using both a face-to-face and web-enhanced pedagogical approach for student/faculty collaboration, faculty presentations, and
clarification of theoretical content. All clinical courses are offered as immersion practicum experiences, conducted in faculty approved, in-person, precepted clinical settings. Students are admitted to this track as a cohort in the Summer, Spring, or Fall semester. The following course sequence is required for this curriculum of study:
Plan of Study
| Course No. | Course Title | Units | Clinical Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | NUR 610 | Advanced Pharmacology | 3 | |
| NUR 616 | Advanced Pathophysiology | 3 | ||
| NUR 620 | Advanced Physical Assessment | 4 | 45 | |
| Total Semester Units/Hours | 10 | 45 | ||
| Semester 2 | NUR 631 | Health Promotion/Disease Prevention | 3 | |
| NUR 641 | Primary/Mental Health Care I* | 4 | 90 | |
| NUR 637 | Advanced Psychopharmacology* | 2 | ||
| Total Semester Units/Hours | 9 | 90 | ||
| Semester 3 | NUR 644 | Primary/Mental Health Care II* | 4 | 90 |
| NUR 627 | Advanced Biostatistics and Epidemiology | 3 | ||
| Total Semester Units/Hours | 7 | 90 | ||
| Semester 4 | NUR 638 | Individual Psychotherapy* | 6 | 135 |
| NUR 635 | Nursing Research** | 3 | ||
| Total Semester Units/Hours | 9 | 135 | ||
| Semester 5 | NUR 640 | Psychotherapy w/ Group and Families* | 4 | 90 |
| NUR 646 | PMHNP Practicum* | 7 | 180 | |
| NUR 645 | PMHNP Preparation* | 1 | ||
| Total Semester Units/Hours | 12 | 270 | ||
| Total Units/Hours | 47 | 630 |
*CDU-FNP Alumni Courses only
** The course NUR 635 became part of the FNP curriculum since 2015. If the student already took the course in the FNP program, it does not need to be repeated. The students can take NUR 599 – Independent Study (Nursing Research Projects) as an elective course for 2 units in their second semester to be eligible for financial aid.