Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nursing
Options:
◊ Nurse Practitioner
◊ Clinical Specialist
Coordinator:
Beth Phoenix, RN, PhD
The Advanced Practice Psychiatric Nurse.
Advanced practice psychiatric nurses provide primary mental health care to patients seeking mental health services in a wide range of settings. This includes the assessment, diagnosis, and management of mental health problems and psychiatric disorders.
Roles
The Psychiatric Mental Health Clinical Nurse Specialist (PMHCNS) role incorporates research, clinical leadership, education, consultation, and expert clinical practice. Expert PMHCNS practice includes provision of psychotherapy.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) provide a full range of primary mental health care services including biopsychosocial assessment and diagnosis of patients with mental illness. Treatment modalities include both medication and psychotherapeutic management.
Advanced practice psychiatric nurses work in a variety of settings, including inpatient, emergency and community-based mental health services. They also provide services in settings such as primary care clinics, forensic settings, schools, substance abuse centers and recovery programs.
Program Focus
Students in the advanced practice psychiatric nursing program may prepare to provide services to persons across the lifespan, or may choose to focus on care of adults or children and adolescents.
Child and Family Focus
Students interested in working with children and their families can choose from two tracks: 1) Clinical Nurse Specialist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing (PMHCNS), or 2) Family Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP). Coursework includes psychiatric assessment and symptom management, mental health in high risk families, psychopharmacology, group and family therapy, child and adolescent development, and techniques for individual psychotherapy with children and youth. All students also have preparation in physical health assessment and health promotion.
- Child and Adolescent PMHCNS track. Clinical training emphasizes mental health case management and in-depth psychotherapy with children and their families. A focus on consultation or program management is also possible.
- Family PMHNP track. Students receive preparation to care for individuals across the lifespan, but the primary emphasis is on children and youth. Coursework includes content on comprehensive pediatric health assessment, pediatric pathophysiology, and management of physical health problems. Psychotherapy experience ranges from primarily supportive therapies to more in-depth psychotherapeutic work.
Adult Focus
Coursework includes psychiatric assessment and diagnosis, symptom management, psychopharmacology, group and family therapy, and individual psychotherapy with adults. All students also have preparation in physical health assessment and health promotion, with particular emphasis on health risks faced by mentally ill adults.
- Adult PMHCNS track. Coursework in this track develops expertise in each of the five CNS practice domains listed above. Clinical training emphasizes mental health case management and in-depth psychotherapy with adults. A focus on consultation or program management is also possible.
- Adult PMHNP track. Focus is on assessment and comprehensive management of common and complex psychiatric conditions. Students learn to assess the impact of medical conditions on psychiatric status and vice versa and tailor health promotion to the lifestyle risks of patients with mental illness.
Post-Master's Study
There are also opportunities for post-master's study leading to certification in Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing for those who are already advanced practice nurses. In most cases, preparing for certification will require three to six quarters of study depending on the applicant's background and the desired certification.
Credentialing and Licensure
Depending on the track chosen, graduates may apply for one or more of the following American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) national certifications.
- Clinical Nurse Specialist in Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
- Clinical Nurse Specialist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
- Adult Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
- Family Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Information about ANCC certifications can be found on-line at http://www.nursingworld.org/ancc/certification (website).
Licensure in the State of California as a Nurse Practitioner or Clinical Nurse Specialist depends on the chosen role preparation. More details are available online from the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN) at http://www.rn.ca.gov/applicants/ad-pract.shtml (website).
Frequently Asked Questions
Each applicant is reviewed as a whole.
Goal statement, letters of reference, extracurricular activities, language skills, activities on-the-job, research activities, work experience, professional organization activities, and Grade Point Average (GPA) are ALL considered when the application is reviewed.
List all of these aspects.
Be sure to ask colleagues to review your goal statement. Include examples of on-the job activities. Describe any volunteer and professional activities. Make sure to ask your colleagues for "excellent" references and have them give specific reasons why they believe in your success.
Masters Programs: An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 (on the 4.0 maximum scale) is expected for admission into the School of Nursing, although special circumstances can be discussed.
Doctoral Programs: an undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.2, and, if a graduate (master's) degree has been earned, a Grade Point Average of 3.5 is expected, verified by official transcripts.
Caution: transcripts from outside the USA require special handling.
Non-English transcripts or international transcripts (especially transcripts using different grading systems) should be submitted for translation and/or evaluation to a transcript evaluation agency.
The purpose of the evaluation is to verify that your degree/coursework is the equivalent to that of a US Bachelor or Master's degree.
Evaluation agencies provide a variety of services. Be sure to request an evaluation that provides the following:
- Lists all subjects/courses completed at the post-secondary level
- Provides a U.S. semester credit and grade equivalent for each course
- Provides a U.S. grade point average (GPA) for the Bachelor's degree or its equivalent on a 4.0 scale, and
- Designates the level (upper or lower) of each undergraduate course
Un-translated non-English transcripts will not be accepted.
A well-written goal statement is an essential component of a competitive application.
- Masters-level Applicants.
A brief goal statement referring specifically to your choice of specialty area, and to your experience, must be created. This goal statement is used as a source of information and also as an example of your writing ability. Be as specific as possible and focus on your professional goals and how you envision these goals can be achieved through study at UCSF. (MEPN Applicants: the essay should focus directly on your understanding of the nursing profession, your personal goals as a nurse, and how you envision these goals can be achieved through study at UCSF.) This goal statement is about two double-spaced typewritten pages in length; please remember to include your own name at the top. - Doctoral (PhD) Applicants.
Your goal statement should be as specific as possible in discussing your area of study and research interests and should provide evidence of congruence of your goals with the program's goals, and the resources of the School and the University. For your reference, the research interests of current UCSF faculty members are reported in our Faculty Research Activities compendium. Your application will also include a (one-sentence) summary statement of your proposedarea of research interest.The PHD applicant's goal statement should be about five double-spaced typewritten pages in length; please remember to include your own name and page number at the top of each page, e.g., "Smith, J. B., Page 4 of 5."
Many of our students find that sharing housing is a good approach to solving both the availability and cost issues. Housing in the San Francisco Bay Area may be expensive, but help can be found with the campus Housing Office, the Student Affairs Office, and previous graduates can often give advice.