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Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
This post-master’s specialty prepares graduates as advanced practice psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. The Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing curriculum covers assessment, diagnosis, and management of psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. Evidence-based treatments, including both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, are stressed. Students work with faculty, and nurse practitioner and physician preceptors in a variety of clinical settings throughout the Baltimore-Washington area with opportunities for sub-specialization related to high-risk populations (e.g., geriatric, court-involved). Graduates are eligible to take either the Clinical Specialist (Adult or Child/Adolescent) and/or Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner (Adult or Family) certification examinations. Full-time and part-time options are available.
Because mental health issues and psychiatric disorders cross all health care specialties, a variety of combined or post-master’s options are also available. These options include: 1) psychiatric clinical specialists who wish to expand their scope of nursing practice as psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners; 2) nurse practitioners adding a psychiatric specialty; and 3) other master’s prepared nurses who wish to change specialties or add psychiatric nursing to their scope of practice. The coursework and credit loads for the various combined and post-master’s options are determined on an individual basis based on transcripts and previous degrees and certifications.
