Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (Graduate Certificate)
Cert, Child, Mental Health, Practitioner, Psychiatric, nursing
The certificate program for the family psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner specialty is an advanced nursing practice program. It prepares graduates to provide holistic, client-centered mental health care to individuals of all ages within traditional, nontraditional and culturally diverse families. It is designed for board-certified nurses in a different advanced practice registered nurse specialty area who seek additional certification as a family psychiatric and mental health nurse practitioner, and for doctorate-level nurses who seek to become a family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. It emphasizes the assessment, diagnosis and evidence-based management of common and complex mental health disorders across the life span.
This is a hybrid program, a blend of in-person and online learning. Students are required to travel to campus for orientation once and for immersions two or three times per semester.
Core courses include pharmacology, advanced pathophysiology and advanced health assessment. Any deficiency courses determined by the student's unique gap analysis must have been completed in the past five years to be eligible for credit.
The program highlights valid and reliable tools for screening and identification of mental health disorders, as well as early interventions for these problems. Content for each disorder includes epidemiology, incidence, early signs and symptoms, differential diagnosis, and sociocultural variations in evidence-based management and treatment. Management includes psychopharmacologic and therapeutic skills building that are based in motivational interviewing, mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. Individual, group and family therapy techniques are emphasized.
Focused clinical experiences are arranged for students residing in Maricopa County, Arizona. Students should expect to travel throughout Maricopa County and, in some cases, surrounding counties to complete their assigned clinical placement.
Students residing outside of Maricopa County are responsible for identifying the required number of clinical sites in their area of residence and for identifying preceptors and sites willing to accommodate clinical rotations. Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation must approve these sites before students start any clinical experience; the doctoral program office does not guarantee a clinical placement site for any student outside Maricopa County. If, during the program, faculty determine that the student needs additional supervision for clinical progress in the program, the student must complete clinical experiences in the Phoenix area.
The program offers practicum experiences (clinical rotations) in health profession shortage areas throughout the state, in both urban underserved and rural areas, which provide students with multicultural experiences to enhance professional development.
As a participating National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements member, Arizona State University is authorized to offer distance education to persons located in individual state authorization reciprocity agreement member states in accordance with the council's established policies and standards. California is not a state authorization reciprocity agreement member, and the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education does not regulate out-of-state public institutions. ASU may offer educational activities in California. There are some exceptions for specific programs at Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation; these are noted on the ASU state authorization website.
ASU nursing practice programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
- College/school:
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
- Location: Downtown Phoenix
28 credit hours
This graduate certificate program (including 585 clinical hours) prepares nurses with a master's degree to become family psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners. Required prerequisites (or equivalent courses taken while in master's degree program): DNP 604 Advanced Human Pathophysiology Across Lifespan (4) Students have an individual review of their transcripts and an individualized plan of study designed to meet certification requirements. Depending on how many prerequisite courses are completed in the master's degree program, up to one year of additional study may be needed complete this specialty.
DNP 605 Advanced Health Assessment Across Lifespan (3)
DNP 608 Applied Pharmacotherapeutics Across Lifespan (3)
DNP 609 Advanced Practice Nursing Role (1)
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's and master's degree in nursing from a nationally recognized, regionally accredited academic institution.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- proof of a current unencumbered RN license in the state in which the student plans to do clinical practicums
- three professional letters of recommendation
- resume
- goal statement
- admission essay
- health and safety requirements: proof of passing disposition on a background clearance and satisfactory completion of a substance screen
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency, per the Graduate College requirement and all requirements for the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools.
International students who need an F-1 or J-1 visa need to apply to and be accepted into a graduate degree program prior to being considered for the certificate program. International students residing in the U.S. on other types of visas must adhere to all Graduate College policies and procedures regarding admission to be considered for admission to this certificate program.
All students are also required to have an unencumbered Arizona RN license or an unencumbered compact state RN license as mandated by the Arizona State Board of Nursing. The RN license must remain unencumbered throughout enrollment in any nursing program.
Applicants must be board certified in a different APRN specialty.
All applicants must have an interview with program faculty prior to admission to the program.
It is preferred that applicants have at least one year of clinical experience working within the student's specialty population.
Admission examinations are not required.
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | 12/15 | Priority |
The Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation prepares graduates for excellence upon entering the workplace. Graduates of the family psychiatric nurse practitioner certificate program have the knowledge and training to provide health care for patients across the life span in a wide variety of settings.
Career examples include:
- business owner
- community advocate
- nurse practitioner
- professor
ASU programs that may lead to professional licensure or certification are intended to prepare students for potential licensure or certification in Arizona. Completion of an ASU program may not meet educational requirements for licensure or certification in another state. For more information, students should visit the ASU professional licensure webpage.
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation
|
MERCC 250
nursingandhealth@asu.edu
602-496-0937
3 year programs
These programs allow students to fast-track their studies after admission and earn a bachelor's degree in three years or fewer while participating in the same high-quality educational experience of a 4-year option. Students should talk to their academic advisor to get started.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Acceptance to the graduate program requires a separate application. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master’s during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
