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Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP), Post-Doctoral Certificate

Advance Your Practice. Elevate Patient Care.
  • 10

    Courses

  • 31

    Credit Hours

Already an APRN? Add the PMHNP credential and meet the full spectrum of your clients' mental health needs. Earn your Post-Doctoral PMHNP Certificate at UNC Wilmington and turn doctoral-level expertise into advanced, specialized impact in psychiatric-mental health care.

The Post-Doctoral Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Certificate program is designed to equip advanced practice nurses with the specialized skills needed to deliver comprehensive mental health care across lifespan. This certificate is ideal for DNP-prepared nurse practitioners from other specialties who wish to expand their expertise into the psychiatric mental health field.

Graduates Find Careers In:

Improve or support the mental and physical wellbeing of people with mental health or behavioral conditions. (Source)

Work collaboratively across disciplines and treatment settings with designated medical teams — and other community resources — to help coordinate the full spectrum of patient care. (Source)

Perform nursing assessments for mental health and medical concerns; process admissions and discharges ensuring continuity of care and meeting all patient needs. (Source)

Monitor and assess a patient's treatment strategy and recovery process, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses.

Assess, diagnose, and treat individuals and families with mental health or substance use disorders or the potential for such disorders. (Source)

Develop a meaningful therapeutic relationship based on trust, acceptance and understanding, provide specialist care while empowering the young person to identify effective means of managing their own thoughts and feelings. (Source)

Learn To

Integrate science from nursing and other disciplines to identify, develop, and evaluate practice change initiatives that improve individual and population health.

Demonstrate leadership within health care systems to adopt strategies to improve quality and safety.

Incorporate knowledge of evidence-based practice into advanced decision-making through the evaluation and translation of evidence into practice.

Analyze, apply and integrate appropriate information and technology that will improve and transform care at the individual and population level.

Critically analyze health policy to develop and implement health care reform that advocates for social justice and equity.

Engage in advanced decision-making within an inter-professional environment that results in culturally aware, ethical and comprehensive systems of care.

Demonstrate high levels of skills in health promotion and disease prevention strategies for individuals, populations and systems.

Program Overview

Comprising 31 credit hours of targeted coursework, the program offers a personalized curriculum to ensure each graduate is fully prepared for advanced practice roles in diverse healthcare settings as a PMHNP.

The program of study for the Post Doctoral Psychiatric Mental Health (PMHNP) Certificate includes 10 courses. Students must fulfill the requirements for the program as they work closely with advisors to plan their course of study. Skills will be developed for translating research to impact practice and population of outcomes at an in-depth level.

Emphasis is placed on managing information systems, using appropriate technology for health care delivery, assessing and managing health risks, enhancing inter-professional communication, and designing and developing health care systems. Successful completion of all courses in the curriculum core is required for graduation. The focus of the Post Doctoral PMHNP Certificate is on advanced practice nursing skills.

Sample Courses

  • NSG 630: Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology
  • NSG 632: Psychiatric Mental Health Disorders, Disease Management and Psychotherapeutic Treatment
  • NSG 633: Group and Family Therapy
  • NSG 635: Management of Complex Psychiatric Mental Health Issues Across the Lifespan
SEE THE FULL CURRICULUM

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