Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner BSN to DNP Concentration

The psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) concentration prepares principal providers of primary health care who treat individuals with psychiatric disorders across the lifespan in a variety of settings. PMHNP students begin their plan of study in core courses that include content on physical diagnosis, health promotion, pharmacology, pathophysiology, and management of acute, episodic, and chronic health problems. Psychiatric primary care content directly builds on these core concepts to provide students with the advanced practice skills to effectively manage complex psychobiological problems of people across the lifespan. PMHNP students prepared at the DNP level will be clinical experts with the organizational, economic, and leadership skills necessary to critique the literature, promote evidence-based practice, and design programs of care delivery that are functional, economically feasible, and which significantly impact health care outcomes. BSN to DNP graduates are eligible for national certification offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center and legal certification as a CRNP and prescriptive authority through the State Board of Nursing of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.