Hybrid

DNP: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner working with patient in clinic

Hybrid

DNP: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner

Pursue your doctor of nursing practice degree in psychiatric mental health at St. Catherine University.

Designed to prepare nurses to provide much-needed comprehensive mental health care in a variety of settings.

Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners are in high demand to meet the needs of the world today.

Doctorate-prepared nurses from St. Catherine University graduate from a proven nursing program with an excellent reputation. For over 120 years, our nursing graduates have provided excellent health care across many settings. In as little as three years, you can elevate your impact, play a key leadership role, and directly influence healthcare outcomes through systems change.

The doctor of nursing practice in psychiatric and mental health begins with an emphasis on the nurse practitioner role. You will continue on with coursework grounded in critical inquiry, innovation, ethical leadership, and a holistic view of the patient. You will leave with the confidence and competencies to provide mental health care with dedication and commitment to social justice and health equity.

In the DNP: Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program, you will learn:

Advanced practice nursing assessment and management of common and acute alterations in mental health care
Implementation and coordination of care for patients with complex and chronic mental health conditions in the context of the family, community, and health systems through interprofessional education (IPE)
Advanced concepts in clinical information systems, patient care technologies, clinical decision support, legal/ethical issues, consumer health informatics, and the integration of evidence-based practice to change systems

While this is a full-time commitment, our program provides flexibility by offering effective online courses and highly interactive, in-person intensives a semester. Our dedicated clinical placement coordinator provides clinical placements for all nurse practitioner students. Students of all genders are welcome in this program.

Program at a Glance

Format: Hybrid (primarily online with 1-2 on-campus intensives per semester)

Start: Fall

Time to completion: 3 years full-time, or 4 years part-time

Credits required: 68*

Tuition per credit: $1,200 (2024-25 rates)

*Total credits are subject to change as the plan of study is finalized

Rates are subject to change each June 1. Tuition and fee information

All applicants will be reviewed for DNP scholarships

Apply for financial aid

Meet the Faculty

Attend an Info Session

Interprofessional Education

Admissions & Aid

Degree questions, answered.

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Plan of Study

Below are sample plans of study. For course descriptions and other details, consult the University catalog.

Year 1

Fall
NURS 7140: Foundations (3cr)
STAT 7000: Introduction to Biostatistics (3cr)
NURS 6223: Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan (3cr)
NURS 7560: Clinical Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan (2cr)
INTENSIVE #1: Aug/Sep - 1 day (Introduction to the DNP-NP)

Spring
NURS 7080: Informatics (3cr)
IPE 7000: EBP: Interprofessional Perspectives and Competencies (3cr)
NURS 6160: Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan (3cr)
INTENSIVE #2: May - 1-2 days (NURS 6160 Cadaver Lab, Simulation; NURS 6140 Intro)

Summer
NURS 6140: Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (3 cr)
NURS 7570: Neurobiology and Psychopathologic Disorders Across the Lifespan (2cr)
NURS 7590: Holistic Interventions for Patients with Psychiatric Mental Health Disorders (1cr)
INTENSIVE #3: August 2-3 days (NURS 6140 Practice and Exam; NURS XXXX Simulation)

Year 2

Fall
NURS 8150: Leadership (3cr)
NURS 8536: Healthcare Economics and Finance (3cr)
NURS 7510: Psychiatric-Mental Health I: Assessment, Diagnosis and EBP Management of Adults and Older Adults (3cr)
INTENSIVE #4: October - 2 days (NURS 7510 Simulations)

Spring
NURS 8300: Advanced Outcome and Evaluation (3cr)
NURS 7580: The Business of Providing Care to Patients with PMH Disorders (1cr)
NURS 8520: Advanced Evidence-Based Practice (3cr)
NURS 7520: Psychiatric-Mental Health II: Assessment, Diagnosis and EBP Management of Children and Families (3cr)
INTENSIVE #5: May - 2 days (NURS 7520 Simulation; Intro to NURS 7530)

Summer
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration I (2 cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS 7530: Psychiatric-Mental Health III: Integrated Care Across the Lifespan (3cr)
NURS 7515: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan: PMHNP Clinical I (1cr)
NURS 7530 Telehealth Simulation (No in-person intensive)

Year 3

Fall
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration II (2cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS 7525: PMH Clinical II: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan (3cr)
INTENSIVE #6: October - 2 days (NURS 7525 Simulation)

Spring
NURS 8540: Healthcare: Power, Policy, and Politics (3cr)
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration III (2cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS 7535: PMHNP Clinical III: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan (3cr)
NURS 7535 Telehealth Simulation (No in-person intensive)

Summer
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration IV (2cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS XXXX: PMHNP Clinical IV: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan (2cr)
INTENSIVE #7: August (DNP Presentations)

Year 1

Fall
NURS 7140: Foundations (3cr)
STAT 7000: Introduction to Biostatistics (3cr)

Spring
NURS 7080: Informatics (3cr)
IPE 7000: EBP: Interprofessional Perspectives and Competencies (3cr)

Summer
NURS 8150: Leadership (3 cr)

Year 2

Fall
NURS 8536: Healthcare Economics and Finance (3cr)
NURS 6223: Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan (3cr)
NURS 7560: Clinical Psychopharmacology Across the Lifespan (2cr)

Spring
NURS 7580: The Business of Providing Care to Patients with PMH Disorders (1cr)
NURS 6160: Advanced Physiology and Pathophysiology Across the Lifespan (3cr)

Summer
NURS 6140: Advanced Health Assessment Across the Lifespan (3cr)
NURS 7570: Neurobiology and Psychopathologic Disorders Across the Lifespan (2cr)
NURS 7590: Holistic Interventions for Patients with Psychiatric Mental Health Disorders (1cr)

Year 3

Fall
NURS 8300: Advanced Outcome (3cr)
NURS 7510: PMHNP I: Assessment, Diagnosis and EBP Management of Psychiatric-Mental Health Conditions for Adults and Older Adults (3cr)

Spring
NURS 8520: Advanced Evidence-Based Practice (3cr)
NURS 7520: PMHNP II: Assessment, Diagnosis and EBP Management of Psychiatric-Mental Health Conditions for Children and Families (3cr)

Summer
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration I (2cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS 7530: PMHNP III: Role of the PMHNP - Integrated Care Across the Lifespan (3cr)
NURS 7515: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan: PMHNP Clinical I (1cr)

Year 4

Fall
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration II (2cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS 7525: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan: PMHNP Clinical II (3cr; 270 hours)

Spring
NURS 8540: Healthcare: Power, Policy, and Politics (3cr)
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration III (2cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS 7535: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan: PMHNP Clinical III (3cr)

Summer
NURS XXXX: DNP Integration IV (2cr; 1 didactic, 1 practicum)
NURS XXXX: Psychotherapeutic Interventions Across the Lifespan: PMHNP Clinical IV (2cr)

Due to state-level regulations, we are unable to enroll students who will be residing in any of these states while enrolled in this program: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and Canada.

Health Profession and Nursing Students (or those considering these programs as a major):

Exemptions to the University’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy may affect your ability to be placed at clinical and fieldwork sites and may result in inability to progress in your program. All health profession students with COVID-19 vaccine exemptions are required to sign the Healthcare Student COVID-19 Exemption Acknowledgement prior to applying to the programs. For more information, please contact (studentcompliance@stkate.edu) or your program of study director.