Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

 

Overview

College of Nursing at the University of Rhode Island offers a Master of Science degree with a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner concentration. Its purpose is to educate psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners capable of providing psychiatric mental health care to individuals and families in a variety of health care settings. Upon completion of either the master’s program or the post-masters certificate option, students will be eligible to take the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BC) certification exam.

Curriculum

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner curriculum consists of courses totaling 48-49 semester credit hours. The program culminates with a written comprehensive examination and the submission of a major paper. This requirement is an extension of work completed from prior coursework in the master’s program.

Course Descriptions | Course Sequence

Clinical Practice

Clinical practice is available in a variety of settings – hospital clinics, community health centers, health maintenance organizations, and private offices in both urban and rural settings. Preceptorship on a one-to-one basis is provided by psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. Students manage a patient caseload with increasing independence as they progress in the program. The practicum experiences are planned with the student, taking into consideration the student’s interests, learning needs, employment plans, and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner competencies.

Part-time and Full-time Study

Students take 1 or 2, 3 credit courses per semester for part-time and 3 courses for full-time. Students may choose to move through courses in a two-and-one-half to a five-year time frame.

Certificate Option

Nurses who have a master’s degree in nursing may pursue advanced preparation in the psychiatric mental health specialty. A minimum of 19-20 credits (NUR 502, 513, 514, 518, 545, and 546) are required.

Prerequisite courses for the certificate program include NUR 521, 530, 535 and 582. *Comparable courses from other institutions may satisfy these requirements. NUR 521 may be waived for those who are already nurse practitioners.

Transportation

A car is necessary to reach the various clinical practice locations in the cities and rural areas. A local bus service connects the University to most major health service facilities, shopping, and service centers, but the bus routes and schedules may not always be convenient for the graduate student.

Tuition and Fees

Additional information on tuition and a full breakdown of fees can be located on the Enrollment Services Tuition and Fees webpage.

Financial Aid

A variety of traineeships, graduate assistantships and loans are available to help finance graduate education. More information can be found on the Graduate School Financial Support webpage. If you are interested in requesting an assistantship please email gradnursing@etal.uri.edu after you have submitted your application.

Admission requirements

Admission decisions will be based on a comprehensive review of applicant qualifications. The following criteria will be used as the guidelines for admission decisions:

• Completed application with all materials
• Baccalaureate degree in nursing from a program accredited by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing or the National League for Nursing.
• Minimum G.P.A. of 3.0 required (G.P.A. > 3.3 preferred).
• Eligibility for RN licensure in Rhode Island.
• Goals statement that reflects graduate level writing ability and clear goals for pursuing advanced study in nursing that align with the specialty applied to.
• Clinical nursing experience preferred prior to enrollment.
• A basic statistics course.

Application requirements

Application deadline is February 15 for fall start. The following are required to complete the online Graduate School application

• Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. PLEASE NOTE: If you attended URI as an undergraduate or graduate you will still need to upload your transcripts. Unofficial copies can be uploaded into the online application and upon admission official copies will be required prior to course registration. If any courses were transferred as credit towards your baccalaureate degree, please be sure to upload those transcripts as well
• Three letters of recommendation (academic and professional) attesting to the applicant’s capability for graduate study, one of which must be by a masters prepared nurse
• Curriculum vita or resume
• 1-2 page goals statement which includes your reasons for pursuing advanced study in nursing and planned progression through the program (i.e. part time or full time study)
• The TOEFL is required for all international applicants for whom English is not their primary language.