Psychiatric / Mental Health Nursing

PLEASE NOTE: We are not currently accepting applications for this specialty while we update our curriculum to comply with the changing certifications from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Our curriculum does meet the current requirements for the Adult Psychiatric & Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification exam from the ANCC.

A Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner is an advanced practice nurse who specializes in caring for and treating people with various forms of mental illness. Nurses who specialize in the psychiatric and mental health field provide patients with preventative care, treatment, and help them manage acute and chronic illnesses. Often times psychiatric/mental health nurses will treat patients of all age ranges, but further specialization is possible.

Nurses drawn to the Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner specialty are interested in the human mind and improving the quality of life for their patients. They work in a variety of hospital, clinical, and community settings. Psychiatric NP’s use advanced clinical skills and diagnostic reasoning to perform their duties. They often combine research, patient education, and leadership into their work. There is an option to move into an educational or consulting role as well.

Graduates of the MSN program’s Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner specialty are eligible to sit for the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification exam.