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Online MSN – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Courses

Curriculum Details

  • 16 Courses
  • 47 Credit Hours
  • 765 Practicum Hours
  • 8-Week and 16-Week Courses

Through Delaware State University’s online Master of Science in Nursing – Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, you’ll prepare to provide patient-centered mental healthcare. The coursework is rooted in our HBCU legacy, empowering you to become a culturally competent PMHNP who meets the mental health needs of patients across populations and communities.

DSU’s online MSN program emphasizes evidence-based practices for delivering holistic care across the lifespan. You’ll build skills in integrating health promotion, disease management and therapeutic interventions into care plans. Plus, learn about social determinants of health (SDOH) to account for health disparities and create care plans that work for each client.

Each online course lasts eight weeks, and you’ll complete the practicum coursework during 16-week terms. Get started now to earn your MSN online in as few as two years, eight months, ready to sit for the national board certification exams offered by ANCC or AANP.

Core Courses

Credits

The course is designed to develop responsible healthcare leaders and socially engaged citizens. Students explore various ethical theories and healthcare law. Students analyze how nursing integrity, values, and beliefs influence policy agendas.

This course prepares students to utilize evidence-based practice when providing high-quality healthcare, initiating change, and improving outcomes. Proficiency in the utilization of research and statistical procedures to evaluate research findings, problem identification within clinical practice settings, and awareness of clinical practice and outcomes are developed. Clinical research findings specific to addressing healthcare disparities are emphasized.

This course focuses on the development and use of advanced nursing practice skills. Using comprehensive health history, interviewing, physical assessment skills, and clinical reasoning, the student will formulate a differential diagnosis to determine the client’s health status. Emphasis will focus on the student’s ability to use health assessment skills to promote, maintain, and restore high-level wellness and prevent disease across the life span in diverse populations. Students are provided with a residency opportunity.

This course emphasizes the pathophysiological principles of disease processes in diverse client populations across the lifespan. Students will formulate differential diagnoses of acute and chronic physical and mental illnesses based on general physiological and pathophysiological principles.

This course is designed to expand the advanced practice student’s knowledge of pharmacotherapeutics, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacogenetics, for the management of health and illness of diverse populations across the lifespan. The development of client-centered prescriptive decisions within the context of outcomes, safety, quality, and costs will be examined.

This course is designed to expand the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students’ competence in knowledge of pharmacological agents used in the management of psychiatric mental health disorders across the lifespan. Emphasis will be placed on the effect of psychopharmacological agents on neurobiological function. Client-centered prescriptive decisions within the context of outcomes, safety, quality, and costs will be addressed. 
This course is designed to introduce Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students to provide holistic, evidence-based care related to mental illness across the lifespan. Students will examine primary prevention, health promotion, disease management, and therapeutic interventions. The course integrates health assessment and differential diagnostic reasoning for managing psychiatric mental health disorders. This course will also address the role of the PMHNP as it relates to ethical and legal responsibilities, including scope of practice concerns in multiple settings. Students will explore concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health.
This course is designed to build on previously learned theoretical knowledge for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student. Holistic, evidence-based care as it relates to mental illness across the lifespan will be explored. The course will also focus on primary prevention, health promotion, disease management, and therapeutic interventions. The course integrates health assessment and differential diagnostic reasoning for managing psychiatric mental health disorders. This course will also address the role of the PMHNP as it relates to ethical and legal responsibilities, including scope of practice concerns in multiple settings. Concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health will be explored.

Through exploration of the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) leadership role, this course will facilitate the student’s ability to influence practice decisions within the global healthcare arena. A framework for implementing the APRN role based on organizational data-driven decision-making will be examined. Emphasized will be the role of the advanced practice nurse as a leader, expert clinician, educator, consultant, researcher, and interdisciplinary team member.

This course expounds upon content covered in Psychiatric Mental Health Disorders & Therapeutic Modalities I and II. The course will explore atypical psychiatric disorders and integrates theoretical and practical knowledge to provide holistic, evidence-based care related to mental illness across the lifespan. Primary prevention, health promotion, disease management, and therapeutic interventions will be examined as they relate to clients with atypical behavioral health disorders. Concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health will be explored.

This course is designed to prepare Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students to provide holistic evidence-based care of special populations. A focused analysis that is geared toward special populations related to primary prevention, health promotion, and acute/chronic disease management will be examined. The course integrates health assessment and diagnostic reasoning of acute/chronic primary care health problems. Health disparities, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), Healthy People 2030, diversity, and equity of the client will be emphasized.

Practicum

Credits

This course is designed to provide a foundation for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students to incorporate therapeutic modalities in the practice setting while providing holistic, evidence-based care as it relates to clients with mental illness across the lifespan. Primary prevention, health promotion, disease management, and therapeutic interventions will be examined. The course integrates health assessment and differential diagnostic reasoning for managing psychiatric mental health disorders. This course will also address the role of the PMHNP as it relates to ethical and legal responsibilities, including scope of practice concerns in multiple settings. Concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health will be explored.
This course is designed to build on previously learned theoretical knowledge for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student. Holistic, evidence-based care as it relates to mental illness across the lifespan will be explored. The course will also focus on primary prevention, health promotion, disease management, and therapeutic interventions. The course integrates health assessment and differential diagnostic reasoning for managing psychiatric mental health disorders. This course will also address the role of the PMHNP as it relates to ethical and legal responsibilities, including scope of practice concerns in multiple settings. Concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health will be explored.
This is the third practicum course for the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) students and is designed to build on the content from previous didactic and practicum courses. The course provides opportunities to incorporate therapeutic modalities in the practice setting while providing holistic, evidence-based care as it relates to clients with mental illness across the lifespan. Primary prevention, health promotion, disease management, and therapeutic interventions will be examined. The course integrates health assessment and differential diagnostic reasoning for managing psychiatric mental health disorders. This course will also address the role of the PMHNP as it relates to ethical and legal responsibilities, including scope of practice concerns in multiple settings. Concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health will be explored.
This is the fourth clinical course in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program. This course is designed to provide PMHNP students opportunities to incorporate therapeutic modalities in the practice setting while providing holistic, evidence-based care as it relates to special populations with mental illness across the lifespan. Primary prevention, health promotion, disease management, and therapeutic interventions will be examined. The course integrates health assessment and differential diagnostic reasoning for managing special populations experiencing psychiatric mental health disorders. Concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social determinants of health will be explored.

Capstone

Credits

This capstone course is designed to provide the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student with the opportunity to integrate the knowledge and skills learned throughout the program. The learner must complete a portfolio that synthesizes advanced knowledge to address the Role Specific Nursing Competencies for the PMHNP. Students will also begin preparation for the PMHNP certification exam.

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