Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing

Prepare for a career as a clinical nurse specialist in inpatient and emergency psychiatric services, outpatient mental health clinics, psychiatric home care and substance abuse treatment. Learn to assess and diagnose health and psychiatric disorders and provide psychotherapy.

With this degree, you may choose to lead others in the mental health workforce, including functions such as staff education and training, and program development and quality improvement. A clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health may also focus on individual, group or family psychotherapy.

Admission requirements:

• graduation from an approved baccalaureate program in nursing
  with a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale
• licensure as a registered nurse
• one year of clinical experience prior to clinical courses 
• undergraduate statistics course
• undergraduate research course
• evidence of health assessment skills
• statement of professional goals
• two letters of recommendation
• personal interview  

Course of Study

Each student’s program will be tailored to meet individual professional goals and program requirements.

Core courses:

NSG 501   Theoretical Foundations of Nursing

NSG 502   Application of Nursing Research

NSG 504   Advanced Role Development in Nursing

NSG 505   Current Perspectives in Nursing

NSG 533   Pharmacotherapeutics for Nursing

NSG 590   Scholarly Project

Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing core:

NSG 525   Psychopathology of Acute & Chronic Mental Illness

NSG 526   Clinical Modalities in Advanced Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Practice

NSG 527   Family Systems Theory I

NSG 528   Family Systems Theory II

NSG 535   Advanced Practice in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing I

NSG 536   Advanced Practice in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing II