Program: Nursing - Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) - DNP - Winona State University

Description of Program (DNP)

Grounded in an environment of scholarship, the mission of the WSU Department of Nursing is to educate knowledgeable caring, ethical, creative, and accountable nurse leaders who provide person- and relationship-centered care for individuals, families, groups, communities and populations in a diverse society. This mission is based on the beliefs that:

a caring, diverse, and respectful community provides the best environment for students to learn how to care for themselves and others
optimal learning to care for self and others occurs in a caring, diverse and respectful community
faculty and students are accountable for maintaining and modeling professional standards of moral, ethical, and legal conduct
recognizing and valuing human diversity is essential to person- and relationship-centered care
individuals have different ways of knowing and learning about the world
creativity and innovation contribute to continuous quality improvement and sustainability
an enriched learning environment is the responsibility of faculty, staff, and students
effective nurse leaders engage in continuous professional development and lifelong learning

Graduates of the DNP programs are prepared for a variety of advanced nursing roles (e.g. nurse leaders, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists). These graduates also have the foundation for continued graduate studies (i.e. PhD). Graduates of the DNP program are prepared for the highest level of clinical nursing practice.

Nursing science core courses, taken by all graduate students, build on students’ baccalaureate nursing knowledge to integrate scientific underpinnings for practice, understand nursing information management and decision making, and advocate for health promotion. Students develop evidence-based knowledge and skills to enhance the quality and safety of health care while demonstrating leadership and professionalism. Courses within the selected programs of Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner ; Adult-Gerontology Clinical Nurse Specialist ; Family Nurse Practitioner ; Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner ; Nursing Leadership: Nursing and Organizational Leadership ; or Nursing Leadership: Practice and Leadership Innovations provide specialized knowledge and practice opportunities in each advanced nursing role. A unique feature of this program is the targeted emphasis on the nurse’s use of advanced knowledge and skills of health promotion with individuals, families, and systems in diverse populations to address health care needs within complex environments.

Overview

Students choosing the Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program are prepared with specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide care across the lifespan to individuals, families, groups, and communities with behavioral and mental health problems/disorders or the potential for such problems. In addition to nursing science core courses and direct care core courses, content includes psychopharmacology, psychopathology, neurobiology, psychiatric assessment and diagnostic interpretation, and therapeutic modalities. Clinical practicums under the supervision of qualified preceptors will focus on psychiatric-mental health care in a variety of specialty areas with a rural emphasis. All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students complete a clinical project within the clinical setting. The Graduate Certificate (GC) is for nurses who have completed a previous graduate degree in nursing from a nationally accredited graduate nursing program and desire to prepare for certification as a PMHNP. The PMHNP program prepares grads to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner examination.

Nursing Science Core Courses (DNP) (39 S.H.)

STAT 601 - Statistical Methods for Health Care Research (3 S.H.)
NURS 600 - Scientific and Ethical Foundations (4 S.H.)
NURS 604 - Health Policy and Quality Health Care Delivery (3 S.H.)
NURS 606 - Nursing Information Management & Decision Making (3 S.H.)
NURS 608 - Organizational and Systems Leadership (3 S.H.)
NURS 612 - Advanced Health Promotion for Families (3 S.H.)
NURS 613 - Advanced Health Promotion for Families Clinical (1 S.H.)
NURS 614 - Evidence-Based Practice (3 S.H.)
NURS 701 - Applied Biostatistics (4 S.H.)
NURS 703 - Epidemiological Approaches to Population Health (3 S.H.)
NURS 775 - Clinical Scholarship (1-6 S.H.) (minimum 9 S.H.)

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (35 S.H.)

Clinical hours (1 clinical credit = 60 hours of contact time)

Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner: 1260 Clinical Hours