Post-MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Certification

Certificate Overview

In keeping with the mission of Thomas Edison State University (TESU) and aligning with its strategic priority to create workforce-focused programs, the W. Cary Edwards School of Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP) is offering a post-master's PMHNP certification program to students with an MS(N) degree.

The post-M.S.N., PMHNP program prepares M.S.N.-level, active, unencumbered licensed registered or advanced practice nurses to provide mental healthcare services across the lifespan. A master’s degree in nursing must be obtained from an accredited institution or recognized foreign institution. The curriculum plan holds a requirement of 31 didactic credit hours as well as 750 supervised clinical practicum hours of direct patient care. The post-MSN PMHNP Program is robust and prepares graduates to function as independent providers of a wide range of mental healthcare services, in a variety of settings, across the lifespan. Upon successful completion of the post-MSN PMHNP program, graduates will have met the academic requirements necessary to be eligible to sit for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner certification examinations offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB).

Students will have to meet the same admission requirements for the MSN PMHNP and have a gap analysis completed to ensure they have successfully completed the core and direct care courses listed below.

Credit Distribution

I. Core Courses (6 credits)

NUR-5290	US Health Policy and Global Health	3
-
NUR-5300	Evidence-Based Nursing Practice	3
-	OR
NUR-8050	Scholarly Inquiry: The Basis for Evidence-Based Practice	3

II. Direct Care Core Courses (9 Credits)

NUR-5160	Advanced Health Assessment	3
NUR-6400	Advanced Pathophysiology	3
NUR-6410	Advanced Pharmacology for Prescribers*	3

*Prerequisite NUR-5160 and NUR-6400 

III. Concentration (10 Credits)

Besides completion of the core and direct care courses, the following concentration and practicum courses will need to be successfully completed at TESU in order to graduate. All MSN academic policies apply to the post-MSN PMHNP program,

NUR-7600	Psychopharmacology and Neuroscience Foundations across the Lifespan**	4
NUR-7610	Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Roles and Contemporary Issues	3
NUR-7620	Family System Psychopathology and Psychotherapeutics Across the Lifespan*	3

IV. Practicum Courses (21 Credits)

NUR-7631	Advanced Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Psychiatric Disorders: Child and Adolescent Populations*	3.5
NUR-7641	Advanced Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Psychiatric Disorders: Child and Adolescent Populations Part II	3.5
NUR-7632	Advanced Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Psychiatric Disorders: Adults Populations*	3.5
NUR-7642	Advanced Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Psychiatric Disorders: Adults Populations Part II	3.5
NUR-7633	Advanced Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Psychiatric Disorders: Geriatric Populations*	3.5
NUR-7643	Advanced Assessment, Differential Diagnosis, and Management of Psychiatric Disorders: Geriatric Populations Part II	3.5

The PMHNP courses will be on an eight (8)-week schedule as is all of TESU graduate programs. TESU’s Academic Year (AY) begins with the fiscal year in July. PMHNP courses will be offered in succession every eight (8) weeks (July, September, November, January, March, and May).

Total Credit Hours: 46

Program Competencies

In addition to the M.S.N. outcomes, the graduate of the post-MSN Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certification program will be able to:

AACN The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021)	NONPF NP Role Core Competencies (2022)	M.S.N. Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP)
Domain 1: Knowledge for Nursing Practice Descriptor: Integration, translation, and application of established and evolving disciplinary nursing knowledge and ways of knowing, as well as knowledge from other disciplines, including a foundation in liberal arts and natural and social sciences. This distinguishes the practice of professional nursing and forms the basis for clinical judgment and innovation in nursing practice.	NP Domain: Knowledge of Practice	Utilize inter-professional knowledge in the advanced nursing care of diverse patients, families, and communities to enact clinical judgment and innovation in nursing practice.
Domain 2: Person-Centered Care Descriptor: Person-centered care focuses on the individual within multiple complicated contexts, including family and/or important others. Person-centered care is holistic, individualized, just, respectful, compassionate, coordinated, evidence-based, and developmentally appropriate. Person-centered care builds on a scientific body of knowledge that guides nursing practice regardless of specialty or functional area.	NP Domain: Person-Centered Care	Demonstrate person-centered, advanced nursing care for diverse patients, families, and communities to promote positive health outcomes
Domain 3: Population Health Descriptor: Population health spans the healthcare delivery continuum from public health prevention to disease management of populations and describes collaborative activities with both traditional and non-traditional partnerships from affected communities, public health, industry, academia, healthcare, local government entities, and others for the improvement of equitable population health outcomes.	NP Domain: Population Health	Construct advanced nursing care to diverse communities to improve population outcomes.
Domain 4: Scholarship for the Nursing Discipline Descriptor: The generation, synthesis, translation, application, and dissemination of nursing knowledge to improve health and transform health care.	NP Domain: Practice Scholarship and Translational Science	Appraise evidence-based advanced nursing care to diverse patients, families, and communities to improve and transform health care.
Domain 5: Quality and Safety Descriptor: Employment of established and emerging principles of safety and improvement science. Quality and safety, as core values of nursing practice, enhance quality and minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance.	NP Domain: Quality and Safety	Employ nursing administrative practices for diverse nurses, individuals, families, and communities that promotes quality and safety.
Domain 6: Interprofessional Partnerships Descriptor: Intentional collaboration across professions and with care team members, patients, families, communities, and other stakeholders to optimize care, enhance the healthcare experience, and strengthen outcomes.	NP Domain: Interprofessional Collaboration in Practice	Collaborate in the provision of advanced nursing care to diverse patients, families, and communities to optimize outcomes.
Domain 7: Systems-Based Practice Descriptor: Responding to and leading within complex systems of health care. Nurses effectively and proactively coordinate resources to provide safe, quality, and equitable care for diverse populations	NP Domain: Health Systems	Lead in the provision of advanced nursing care to diverse patients, families, and communities to provide equitable outcomes.
Domain 8: Informatics and Healthcare Technologies Descriptor: Information and communication technologies and informatics processes are used to provide care, gather data, form information to drive decision making, and support professionals as they expand knowledge and wisdom for practice. Informatics processes and technologies are used to manage and improve the delivery of safe, high-quality, and efficient healthcare services in accordance with best practice and professional and regulatory standards.	NP Domain: Technology and Information Literacy	Use technology in advanced nursing care to improve the delivery of care.
Domain 9: Professionalism Descriptor: Formation and cultivation of a sustainable professional identity, including accountability, perspective, collaborative disposition, and comportment, that reflects nursing’s characteristics and values.	NP Domain: Professional Acumen	Integrate professionalism in advanced nursing care of diverse patients, families, and communities to reflect nursing’s characteristics and values.
Domain 10: Personal, Professional, and Leadership Development Descriptor: Participation in activities and self-reflection that foster personal health, resilience, and well-being; contribute to lifelong learning; and support the acquisition of nursing expertise and the assertion of leadership.	NP Domain: Personal and Professional Leadership	Participate in professional and personal activities while providing advanced nursing care for diverse patients, families, and communities to support life-long learning.