Course Objectives

The students will be introduced to the role of the psychiatric nurse practitioner.  This will include the scope of practice, legal and ethical issues, interpersonal communication and relationship, assessment across the life span, mental status exams, human development, brain and behavior, diagnosis according to DSM 5, and case formulation.

Students will be able to:

1. Examine the scope, professional and legal, of practice for the advanced practice roles in psychiatric-mental health nursing.
2. Examine concepts, principles, and clinical approaches to assessment and diagnostic decision-making in advanced practice psychiatric-mental health nursing
3. Analyze therapeutic relationships and interpersonal processes in psychotherapy
4. Analyze theoretical models for psychotherapy including their philosophy bases, goals techniques, strengths, and limitations and their application for individual therapy.
5. Evaluate indications for and selection of appropriate theoretical models and/or techniques for presenting issues in psychotherapy situations with patients/clients of varying ages, considering psychosocial development and adaption, biological and non-disease bases of psychosocial behavior, diagnoses, and desired treatment outcomes
6. Evaluate the recovery model for the treatment of people with mental and emotional illnesses
7. Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology to use as basis for assessing, diagnosing, prescribing and treating mental health issues across the life span.

The students will be learning about acute and chronic mental and emotional disorders; including substance related disorders and using trauma informed care as a model of care.  An emphasis will be placed on group psychotherapy as an intervention. Further discussions and learning about other psychobiological interventions including the continuation of medication management.

Students will be able to:

1. Evaluate the research on trauma and trauma informed care
2. Examine the characteristics of acute and chronic mental illness requiring clinical intervention.
3. Analyze theoretical models for group psychotherapy including their philosophic bases, goals, techniques, strengths, and limitations and their application for group therapy
4. Examine the commonalities and differences in principles and dynamic of group
5. Compare and differentiate psychiatric based, medically based, and substance induced symptoms
6. Appraise the challenges and implications of co-occurring disorders in planning and implementing treatment strategies
7. Analyze the current evidence and theoretical models for the treatment of people with chronic persistent mental illness
8. Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology to use as basis for assessing, diagnosing, prescribing and treating mental health issues across the life span.

The student will be learning about child and adolescent and geriatric psychiatric and mental health disorders, and family and couples’ therapy.  An emphasis will be placed on developing interventions such as psychotherapy, and medications.

Students will be able to:

1. Analyze theoretical models for family and couple psychotherapy including their philosophic bases, goals, techniques, strengths, and limitations and their application for group therapy
2. Appraise challenges and implications of co-occurring disorders in families and treatment strategies
3. Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology to use as basis for assessing, diagnosing, prescribing and treating mental health issues in children and adolescents.
4. Apply knowledge of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, pathophysiology, and pharmacology to use as basis for assessing, diagnosing, prescribing and treating mental health issues in the older/geriatric person.
5. Analyze the legal and ethical issues for Advanced Practice Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

The main focus on the first semester is to engage the student in practicing their interviewing skills, assessment, developing a case formulation, assigning accurate diagnosis, and begin to develop a treatment plan.  (60-180 hours)

Students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate psychiatric assessment, formulate diagnoses, differential diagnoses and selecting the most likely diagnosis using ICD and DSM 5.
2. Develop a personal practice statement synthesizing relevant considerations from personal and professional values, personal style, factors and issues affecting advanced nursing practice, and theory for application in one’ personal practice.
3. Analyze self-awareness and facilitate using self therapeutically when engaging in psychotherapy
4. Apply knowledge from the biologic, behavioral, and social and neurosciences to determine appropriate diagnostic strategies, establish accurate diagnoses, and formulate treatment plans using a variety of modalities.
5. Demonstrate elements of Mental Status Exam.

The focus should continue to be on individual therapy but add in couple, family and other group settings. (120-240 hours)

Students will be able to:

1. Provides the full spectrum of health care services to include health promotion, disease prevention, health protection, anticipatory guidance, counseling, disease management, palliative, and end-of-life care.
2. Uses advanced health assessment skills to differentiate between normal, variations of normal and abnormal findings.

1. Employs screening and diagnostic strategies in the development of diagnoses.
2. Prescribes medications within scope of practice.
3. Manages the health/illness status of patients and families over time.

1. Provides patient-centered care recognizing cultural diversity and the patient or designee as a full partner in decision- making.

1. Works to establish a relationship with the patient characterized by mutual respect, empathy, and collaboration.
2. Creates a climate of patient- centered care to include confidentiality, privacy, comfort, emotional support, mutual trust, and respect.
3. Incorporates the patient’s cultural and spiritual preferences, values, and beliefs into health care.
4. Preserves the patient’s control over decision making by negotiating a mutually acceptable plan of care.

1. Integrate knowledge of physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and psychopharmacology into the evaluation and management of the client with acute and chronic complex mental health care problems.
2. Develop and perform evaluative skills including data collection, psychiatric assessment and use of diagnostic and screening instruments tools in the care of the client withacute and chronic complex mental health care problems.
3. Develop and perform diagnostic and treatment planning skills including differential diagnosis, development of appropriate plan of care, communication, education, collaboration, and evaluation of the plan of care in clients with acute and chronic complex mental health care problems.
4. Demonstrate a recovery oriented philosophy of practice that respects client responsibility in health care choices.
5. Articulate a sound basis for evaluation and management of clients in seeking mental health services through case discussion with faculty and preceptors.
6. Demonstrate knowledge of legally acceptable prescription writing in the implementation of prescriptive authority including the ability to articulate a sound basis for selection of therapeutic agents and management of side effects.
7. Demonstrate familiarity with the laws of prescriptive authority in the state where the student is gaining clinical experience.
8. Demonstrate ability to independently take a psychiatric history, perform psychiatric and mental status assessments; use of additional diagnostic instrumentation; & ordering, obtaining and analyzing laboratory and diagnostic tests for patients across the lifespan.
9. Apply newly learned information and skills of the advanced nurse practitioner within a clinical practice setting that allows for interaction with the patient experiencing chronic and complex health problems.