The Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program is a post-baccalaureate pathway that culminates in the award of a Master of Science in Nursing degree or a post-Master’s PMHNP certificate. In keeping with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s definition of CRNP practice, the PMHNP program prepares registered nurses to function as a nurse practitioner in the expanded role of meeting the acute health care needs of individuals and groups across the lifespan. As such, the PMHNP program prepares its graduates to perform acts of medical diagnosis and prescription of medical, therapeutic or corrective measures in collaboration with a physician licensed to practice medicine in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The PMHNP Program prepares graduates as collaborative care providers who practice within the expanded scope of advanced nursing practice. Students acquire the clinical and experiential knowledge and competencies that serve as the foundation for evidence-based provision of care to high-acuity, complex adult and older adult patients, from admission through discharge. For the purpose of this proposal, the PMHNP Program defines “adult-gerontology” patients in accordance with the joint NONPF/AACN (AACN, 2012) population definition as inclusive of young adults (including late adolescents and emancipated minors), adults, older adults (including young-old, old, and old-old adults), and frail elderly. The curriculum provides entry-level preparation across the entire spectrum of this adult-older adult definition and includes the continuum of care from wellness-illness.
The PMHNP diagnoses and manages acute episodic and chronic illnesses, with an emphasis on health promotion/disease prevention, teaching, and coaching. Christian moral and ethical principles serve as the guide for care-giving, communication, collaboration, and decision making as an PMHNP. The integration of nursing science with the best practices evidenced by other disciplines (including medicine, ethics, economics, and public health) will produce an PMHNP who can not only provide individual direct care services but also produce a positive impact on the health of individuals, families, populations, and the health care system.
Upon graduation, PMHNP graduates are eligible to take the Psychiatric-Mental Health (Across the Lifespan) Nurse Practitioner Certification Examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The required 60-hour advanced pharmacology course coupled with the 30-hour Psychopharmacology course exceed the minimum required for prescriptive authority in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
