Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, MS and Certificate

Make A Difference as a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

• Part-time online format with 1–2 on-campus visits per semester allows students to continue employment while completing the program.
• Programs may be completed as a master of science or a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS).
• On-site clinicals arranged close to students’ homes or workplaces whenever possible.
• Meets ANCC requirements for Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification.

Take Courses Like…

• NURS 629 Psychopharmacology in Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing, where you will develop competency in prescribing and monitoring medications commonly used with patients who have psychiatric mental health problems.
• NURS 630 Diagnoses and Therapeutic Management in Advanced Practice Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing I, where you will focus on psychotherapeutic screening, assessment, and diagnosis of psychiatric disorders and behavioral/mental health problems.
• NURS 695 Diagnoses and Therapeutic Management in Advanced Practice Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing III, where you will focus is on the culmination of skill sets allowing for the comprehensive management of psychiatric disorders and behavior/mental health problems in patient populations across the lifespan.

Add Opportunities and Experiences

You'll gain experience through synchronous and asynchronous online classes and on-campus intensives. Our students participate in simulated patient experiences and advanced skills labs to enhance critical thinking and diagnostic reasoning facilitated by our state of the art Center for Excellence in Healthcare Simulation. Additionally, you will complete 550 precepted direct care clinical hours in psychiatric-mental health settings under the supervision of experienced clinical faculty. As an evidence-based practice capstone project, you will implement and evaluate the use of best practices in psychiatric-mental health care to improve patient care across the lifespan.

Advance Your Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Career

Our graduates work as specialized healthcare professionals in a variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, outpatient treatment centers, and long-term care facilities to care for the psychiatric-mental health care needs of patients, families, and communities. Nurse practitioners holding the PMHNP degree can continue on to the Doctor of Nursing Practice program in the College of Health Professions.

Career Options

Graduates enter the field in a variety of settings, including private practice, institutional and substance abuse settings, shelters, community agencies, trauma centers, and correctional facilities affiliated with many prestigious institutions such as New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the Mount Sinai Health System, Montefiore Medical Center, NYU Langone Medical Center, and more.

What You Need to Know

Applicant information:

• Must be a graduate of an accredited baccalaureate program in nursing
• Be licensed as a registered nurse in New York State
• Demonstrate scholastic aptitude as evidenced by previous academic work, motivation, leadership potential and maturity
• Have an undergraduate cumulative QPA of 3.0
• Evidence of successful completion (grade B or higher) of an undergraduate statistics course is required
• Submit an essay, professional resume, and recommendations as described in the application
• Have one year of clinical experience in psychiatric nursing
• Submit official transcripts from each academic institution previously attended
• A personal interview may be required
• No standardized admissions test (GRE or Miller Analogy) is required

From the New York State Board of Nursing: For students not living in New York State, it is recommended that you contact your state board of nursing where you plan to conduct clinical practica prior to matriculation to confirm graduate student clinical practica is permitted by students from out of state graduate programs.

Learn more information about admissions requirements for the PMHNP program.

SARA Statement (State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements)

As an approved SARA institution, Pace University only needs home state authorization to offer distance education to students residing in any other SARA member state. Each state has its own licensing board with its own Advanced Practice Registered Nurse licensure requirements. Consequently, although the PMHNP master’s degree program in the Lienhard School of Nursing is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), making MS graduates eligible to sit for national certification (ANCC) and meeting requirements for APRN professional licensure in the state of New York, we cannot guarantee that the program, including Certificate of Graduate Studies (Post MS), meets all the requirements for professional licensure in another state (e.g., some states requirements specific to their state). If a current student is considering relocating to another state after being admitted into the program, the student must contact the program director to discuss how the move may affect their ability to participate in clinical experiences in a different state.US Department of Education Regulation:

State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement

The regulation requires the institutions to disclose to prospective and current students a list of all States for which institution’s curriculum meets out of State educational requirements for professional licensure or certification and a list of States for which the institution’s curriculum does not meet, or for which the institution has not made a determination of, whether the curriculum meets educational requirements. In compliance with the above stated regulation, Pace University has determined the PMHNP curriculum meets the professional licensure or certification requirement for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Pace University has made no determination of other states eligibility at this time. As such, we only accept applications from students who are residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.