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Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, DNP

The Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) program prepares registered nurses with a baccalaureate or master's degree as Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners in the PMHNP role.

What Can I Do With an PMHNP Degree?

 As a PMHNP, you will be trained to provide a wide range of mental health services for children, adolescents, adults, and families in a variety of settings including primary care, hospital or community health centers, outpatient mental health clinics, or long-term care facilities. PMHNPs provide mental health promotion services, diagnose psychiatric conditions, conduct therapy, and prescribe medications for patients who have psychiatric disorders. They may also serve as consultants or as educators for families and staff.

    • Combine knowledge in nursing, ethics, and the medical sciences to develop and evaluate practices and models of patient care/client delivery
    • Develop and evaluate effective strategies for managing ethical dilemmas present across the health care, technology, and research fields
    • Use analytic methods to design, implement, and evaluate best-practice models for patient/client care and care delivery
    • Effectively develop, implement, and evaluate evidence-based approaches to advance the field and systems of population health care delivery
    • Demonstrate leadership in the development and implementation of institutional, local, state, federal, and international health policy
    • Advocate for social justice, equity, and ethical policies in health care
    • Analyze the relationship among practical, organizational, population, fiscal, and policy issues to educate individuals and colleagues effectively
    • Develop relationships and partnerships with patients/clients and other professionals to facilitate optimal patient/client care outcomes
    • Advance the mission and core values of the University of San Francisco

    Supplemental PMHNP PLOs

    • Demonstrate the specialized body of knowledge and clinical competencies required to assume an advanced practice nursing role, including theoretical foundation, evidence based clinical practice and inter and intra professional collaboration
    • Demonstrate the ability to provide quality health care services that reflect cultural competence, social justice, fiscal stewardship, and ethical responsibility, representing the Jesuit mission of a more humane and just world
    • Create and implement holistic plans of care that competently assess, diagnose, treat, and evaluate patients with a focus on health promotion, disease prevention, and patient centered care
    • Demonstrate the ability to integrate doctoral scholarship and leadership skills in the delivery of care

Hybrid Courses

Engage in a curriculum thoughtfully balanced between online and classroom learning. ​Courses are offered year round​ during fall, spring, and summer semesters​.​ Practicum placements, when needed, are facilitated by the program.

Teaching Weekend Schedule

Fridays and Saturdays during the hours of 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. Lunch hour is observed from 12:00 - 1:00 pm.

NP Courses

N706 Advanced Pathophysiology and N707 Applied Pharmacology will meet on Fridays synchronously online during teaching weekends.

N7220 Advanced Physical Assessment Practica will meet in person on teaching weekends.

PMHNP clinical Courses

Meet synchronously online on teaching weekends.

Teaching Weekend Schedule Program Overview

Sara Hamilton headshot

Sara Hamilton ’24

I’m focusing on addressing substance use disorders among college students, specifically community college students. Drawing from my experience growing up, I’m inspired and fueled to make a difference in young people’s lives."

Sara Hamilton ’24

USF Preceptor Program

The USF Preceptor program helps our mission to provide students with the academic and personal skills necessary for success. Preceptors play a vital role in the education of our students and the continued development of the profession.

student wears nursing scrubs

Student Projects & Publications

All Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students must implement an evidence-based quality improvement project designed to improve practice in their area of concentration. The project is guided by their faculty DNP Committee Chairperson and Committee and demonstrates their ability to apply the principles of evidence-based practice, through problem identification, project development and proposal, and the implementation and evaluation of practice, quality/process or systems improvements.

Accreditation

The baccalaureate, master’s, and Doctor of Nursing Practice programs and the post-graduate APRN certificate programs at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

More on Accreditation

State Authorization

Please check our State Authorization Status List for the states and territories from which we can enroll students in specific online degree programs.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP-BSN, PMHNP-MSN, PMHNP Cert)

The USF Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner DNP program is intended to lead to national Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Board Certification by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. The USF Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner DNP program is intended to lead to a state-issued Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license or state-issued Nurse Practitioner (NP) license or national population specific NP certification. If you have questions about pursuing a state-issued APRN or NP license upon completion of the program, please reach out to your program administrator.

Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, DNP

School of Nursing & Health Professions
2130 Fulton St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
Hours

Monday–Friday
8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.