The Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) is available to nurses who already have a graduate degree in nursing and are certified as advanced nurse practitioners in fields other than psychiatric-mental health. The program expands their scope of practice to assist them to acquire the theory, knowledge and skills needed to provide psychiatric-mental health services to families. The curriculum includes didactic, seminar and clinical hours.
Graduates of the PMHNP certificate option are eligible to take the examination offered by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) to become certified as a PMHNP.
The associate, baccalaureate, master's, post-master's certificate nursing programs at University of Alaska Anchorage at the Alaska campuses located in Anchorage, Alaska is accredited by the: Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
3390 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, Georgia 30326
Phone: (404) 975-5000
The most recent accreditation decision made by the ACEN Board of Commissioners for the associate, baccalaureate, master's, post-master's certificate nursing program is continuing accreditation.
View the public information disclosed by the ACEN regarding this program at https://www.acenursing.org/ search-programs.
Scheduling of Courses
The PMHNP clinical courses are in a hybrid format with some short face-to-face intensives required (usually 1-2 campus visits/semester). Additional course work is held throughout the semester at scheduled times, with distance students participating live via software programs or video conferencing Skype or Collaborate. All PMHNP clinical must be completed in the state of Alaska and in most instances clinical is done in the students’ own community. Decisions for clinical sites are based on there being adequate experiences and preceptors locally that allow the student to meet the course and program outcomes.
Licensure and/or Certification
This program is designed to meet the educational requirements for professional licensure or certification in the State of Alaska. However, the program might not meet the educational requirements for professional licensure or certification in other states. Please see UAA’s Licensure and Certification website for more information.
Admission Requirements
School of Nursing Admission Deadlines
Information on admission deadlines can be found on the School of Nursing (SON) website. The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program admits once a year and has a specific deadline for the application.
School of Nursing Admission Requirements
To be eligible for the PMHNP Graduate Certificate a candidate must have the following:
- Graduate degree in nursing (master’s or doctoral) from a school of nursing accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
- Registered professional nurse license in the state of Alaska. License must remain active and unencumbered while in the SON graduate program. There are different reasons for a license to be encumbered and some may not preclude admission to the program. Students with encumbered licenses should meet with the graduate chair to determine program eligibility.
- Active unencumbered license as an advanced practice nurse in the state of Alaska. License must remain active and unencumbered while in the graduate certificate program.
- Documentation of national certification as an advanced nurse practitioner.
- Meet with faculty advisor to develop an academic plan of study based on a gap analysis (see SON website for advisor contact information).
School of Nursing Admission Process
The UAA School of Nursing application process can be found on the SON website.
Additional School of Nursing Requirements
Prior to the commencement of the nursing program, students must provide documentation for the following:
- Immunizations: Proof of rubella, rubeola, and mumps vaccination or titer; varicella (chickenpox) vaccination or titer; Hepatitis B titer demonstrating immunity; Hepatitis A titer demonstrating immunity; diphtheria/tetanus vaccine within the past ten years; influenza vaccine within the previous twelve months.
- Freedom from active tuberculosis: Verified annually by a negative PPD skin test or by a health examination conducted by a nurse practitioner, physician, or physician's assistant.
- Current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR): Required for infants, children, and adults.
- Additional requirements: May include, but are not limited to, drug screening, additional vaccinations, and/or clinical facility-specific requirements.
- Eligibility determination from a national-level criminal background check.
- Professional liability insurance: Specific information regarding acceptable policies can be obtained directly from the program.
- Proof of health insurance: The school assumes no responsibility for illnesses and injuries experienced by students during their clinical experiences. Students who are injured while completing clinical assignments are responsible for all associated medical costs.
- Proof of registered professional nurse license in the state of Alaska: License must remain active and unencumbered while in the School of Nursing (SON) graduate program. Students with encumbered licenses should meet with the graduate program chair to determine program eligibility.
Furthermore, students enrolled in clinical courses must arrange their own transportation to clinical assignments and will need to purchase uniforms and specialized equipment.
PMHNP Clinical Requirements
Alaska clinical site decisions are based on the availability of qualified preceptors and agencies that provide adequate experiences so the student can meet the course and program outcomes. Whenever possible we assign sites in or near a student's home community. Student clinical hours must follow the preceptors' work schedules (usually M-F). All students are encouraged to take advantage of clinical learning opportunities throughout Alaska in both urban and rural settings.
Academic Requirements
Students enrolled in the PMHNP Graduate Certificate program must make continuous progress toward completion of the certificate and remain in good standing with the SON. A detailed schematic of the SON good standing policy can be found in the SON Graduate Handbook. Noncompliance with the good standing policy and academic progress expectations will result in probation and possible dismissal from the program. To remain in good standing students must:
- Maintain professional and academic standards always.
- Earn a minimum 3.00 (B) in all required coursework.
- Maintain continuous enrollment each fall and spring semester until certificate is granted.
Graduation Requirements
- Complete the General University Requirements for Graduate Certificates.
- Complete the program requirements below:
The program requirements are based on what type of nurse practitioner certification the individual already has; additional coursework may be required based on the transcript gap analysis that is done by the academic advisor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NSG A670 | Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing I | 5 |
| NSG A671 | Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing II | 5 |
| NSG A672 | Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing III | 5 |
| NSG A673 | Advanced Practice Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing IV | 5 |
| NSG A611 | Psychopharmacology for Advanced Nursing | 3 |
| Total | 23 | |
A total of 23 credits is required for the certificate.1
- 1
Students need to have had an advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology and health assessment course in their original nursing master’s program; if their program did not include some or all of these courses, they may need to be taken for the graduate certificate.
Program Student Learning Outcomes
Students graduating with a Graduate Certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner will be able to:
- Apply nursing theory, best practices and scholarly evidence to the advanced nursing practice role for which the student is being prepared.
- Apply ethical, legal and professional standards and policy to advanced nursing practice with an emphasis on the role for which the student is being prepared.
- Collaborate across disciplines and in partnership with key stakeholders to improve health for diverse populations.
- Create a plan for self-directed, lifelong learning and professional development.
- Demonstrate professional competence in the advanced nursing practice role for which one is being prepared.
- Use emerging information, health technologies and healthcare data to promote safety and quality care to improve health.